Originally Posted by
lockhartgary
As I have mentioned previously, I am in the process of re-reading Billboard's Book of Number One Hits. Yesterday, I read the story behind the O'Jays hit "Back Stabbers".
John Whitehead, one of the songs co-writers, goes on to say, "And you gotta remember, at that time, in 1972, records tended to be more on the fantasy side--'Jack went up the hill for Jill.' I think 'Back Stabbers' was the first song to actually tell it like it was. It was something you could put on and play for your friends if that's what you wanted to say to them."
After reading the story, I thought about "Smiling Faces Sometimes" and how thematically similar the 2 songs were. Then I remembered that "Smiling Faces Sometimes" predated "Back Stabbers" and "Back Stabbers" actually uses the lyrics "smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes...[[tell lies)" in the refrain near the end of the song.
I wonder how Motown and Whitfield/Strong felt about "Back Stabbers"?
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