"Then Came You" is a 1974 song recorded by American soul singer Dionne Warwick and American R&B group The Spinners. It was credited to Dionne Warwicke and the Spinners (from 1971 to 1975, Warwick added a final 'e' to her last name). The track was written by Sherman Marshall and Phillip T. Pugh, and produced by Thom Bell.[3]

Released during a time that Warwick's chart fortunes were at an ebb after moving to Warner Bros. Records in 1972, this Philadelphia soul single was a rare mid-1970s success for the singer. Sung as a duet with Spinners main lead singer Bobby Smith and the Spinners,[3] who were one of the most popular groups of the decade, the song became Warwick's first ever single to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100[4] and also became her highest-charting R&B record of the 1970s, reaching number two on that chart, behind Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" (itself a Hot 100 number-one single). It was also the first number-one pop hit for the Spinners. It became an RIAA gold record,[5] and was nominated for a Grammy.[6]

Background

In 1972, The Spinners left Motown and joined Atlantic Records. They were paired with producer Thom Bell. They released three number one R&B singles and in March 1973 released the eponymous album Spinners, which reached number one on the R&B albums chart. The Spinners toured with Warwick in the summer of 1973, and Bell was asked to produce an album with Warwick. Bell and his writing team at Atlantic Records wrote "Then Came you" as a duet for Warwick and the Spinner. The song's rhythm track was recorded at Sigma Studios in Philadelphia. Then the lead vocals were recorded at the Beach Boys Studio in Los Angeles. Additional vocals, strings and horns were then added in Philadelphia.[a] At the time, Bell was also producing The Spinners' next album titled New and Improved (released in December 1974). The song "Then Came You" appears on both The Spinners album New and Improved as well as Warwick's subsequent album Then Came You (released February 1975).[1][3]

Spinners member Philippé Wynne takes over the lead vocals at the very end of the song,[3] as he did on another one of the group's big hits, "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love".

While Warwick was signed to Warner Bros. at the time,[3] this release actually came out on Atlantic Records, which was the Spinners' label, but also a sister label to Warner Bros. Warwick eventually left Warner Bros. for Arista Records in 1978 where she regrouped and found consistent success again as an artist.

Chart performance

Notes

  1. ^ For this song AllMusic credits the bass performance to bassist James Jamerson,[17] however several sources credit the bass performance to bassist Bob Babbitt.[18][19] The song's instrumental tracks were recorded in Philadelphia,[1] and at the time of this recording (1973–1974) Jamerson was based in Los Angeles.

References

  1. ^ a b c d John A. Jackson (2004). A House on Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul. Oxford University Press. pp. 149–150. ISBN 9780195149722. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Molanphy, Chris (March 25, 2022). "Killing Me Softly Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e Christian John Wikane (June 21, 2017). "'Still It Keeps Haunting You': Thom Bell Revisits the Dionne Warwick Sessions". PopMatters. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  4. ^ "Music lyrics, charts, Games, & more". Top40db.net. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  5. ^ "Dionne Warwick & The Spinners - Then Came You - RIAA Gold Certification". RIAA. October 8, 1974. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  6. ^ "Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus - 17th Annual GRAMMY Awards (1974)". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on January 7, 2025. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  7. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  8. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. July 17, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  9. ^ "UK Official Singles Chart". UK Official Charts Company. October 19, 1974. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  10. ^ "The Spinners Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  11. ^ "The Spinners Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  12. ^ "The Spinners Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  13. ^ "Cash Box Top Singles – 1974". cashboxmagazine.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  14. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. July 17, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  15. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1974/Top 100 Songs of 1974". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  16. ^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1974". cashboxmagazine.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  17. ^ Ed Hogan. "Allmusic: James Jamerson – biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  18. ^ Per Elias Drabløs (2016). The Quest for the Melodic Electric Bass. Routledge. p. 204. ISBN 9781317018377. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  19. ^ New and Improved (liner notes, 1995 Rhino reissue). The Spinners. Atlantic Records. 1974. Archived from the original on February 28, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2025.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) Archive image 1 Archive image 2
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Then_Came_You_(Dionne_Warwick_and_the_Spinners_song)
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