The Spinners, Love Don’t Love Nobody | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 175th edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Love Don’t Love Nobody” by The Spinners.   

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 175^th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Love Don’t Love Nobody” performed by The Spinners.

“Sign of pain is on my face, well / My heartbeat stops but I won’t take the blame, no no / I gave her all the love I had within / My love was strong, somethin’ went wrong.” Those pesky matters of the heart are something else! The Grammy-nominated soul collective, The Spinners, delivers some wise words: “It takes a fool, to learn, that love don’t love nobody.” The chorus of “Love Don’t Love Nobody” is food for thought, particularly following the anguish of the excerpted verse. “Love Don’t Love Nobody” is the seventh track on the legendary group’s 1974 album, Mighty Love.  Charles Simmons and Joseph B. Jefferson penned “Love.” The late, great Thom Bell produced the record.  The Spinners impacted the pop charts with “Love Don’t Love Nobody – Pt. I” which peaked at no. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. It fared better on the R&B charts where it peaked at no. 4.

“Love Don’t Love Nobody” is a vibe from the onset.  It features a laid-back, soulful groove in compound duple meter.  The gorgeous instrumental intro is highlighted by piano, vibraphone, and bass guitar.  The harmonic progression marks another selling point, catching the ears. The piano accompaniment is even richer and more robust once the lead vocals enter the mix. The lead vocals are elite – top-notch. The melody shines in the verse, as do the lyrics (“Just like boy blue I, I blow my horn / If you just lead me home, baby, I should have known”).  The addition of strings accentuates the accompaniment and those golden, nuanced lead vocals. The string orchestration features some delightful, rhythmic, playful lines.  Beyond the lead vocals, there are superb background vocals by The Spinners during the chorus.  Another awesome music moment from “Love Don’t Love Nobody” is the key change that arrives ‘right on time.’ “Love Don’t Love Nobody” is one of the biggest songs from A Might Love, not to mention one of the best songs from the illustrious catalog of The Spinners.

The Spinners // Mighty Love // Atlantic // 1974

The Spinners, Love Don’t Love Nobody: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 175 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Atlantic; OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]