Spinning Wheel (song)
| "Spinning Wheel" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Spinning Wheel" is the title of a popular song from 1969 (see 1969 in music) by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears. The song was written by band member and vocalist David Clayton-Thomas and appears on their self-titled album.
Released as a single in 1969, "Spinning Wheel" peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July of that year, remaining in the runner-up position for three weeks.[1] In August of that year, the song rose to #1 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart, where it would spend two weeks at the summit.[2] In addition, the song reached #45 on the US R&B chart.
"Spinning Wheel" was nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 1970 ceremony, winning in the category Best Instrumental Arrangement. The arranger for the song was band member and saxophonist Fred Lipsius. It was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year; the album won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
Clayton-Thomas was quoted as describing the song as being "written in an age when psychedelic imagery was all over lyrics...(i)t was my way of saying, 'Don't get too caught up, because everything comes full circle'."[2]
The song ends with the 1815 Austrian tune "O Du Lieber Augustin" ("The More We Get Together" or "Did You Ever See A Lassie?").
Among artists who have covered "Spinning Wheel" are Shirley Bassey, who included the song on her 1970 album Something.
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 68.
- ^ a b Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 74.