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Back Stabbers (song)

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"Back Stabbers"
Side A of US vinyl single
Single by the O'Jays
from the album Back Stabbers
B-side"Sunshine"
Released1972 (1972)
StudioSigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
GenreSoul[1]
Length3:06
LabelPhiladelphia International
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The O'Jays singles chronology
"Looky Looky (Look at Me Girl)"
(1970) 		"Back Stabbers"
(1972) 		"992 Arguments"
(1972)
Music video
"Back Stabbers" on YouTube

"Back Stabbers" is a 1972 song by the O'Jays. Released from the hit album of the same name, it spent one week at number 1 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. It was also successful on the pop chart, peaking at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1972.[2] The narrator in "Back Stabbers" warns men about their male "friends" who smile to their faces, but are secretly planning to steal their wives or girlfriends.[3] It was inspired by an earlier hit with a similar theme, the Undisputed Truth's "Smiling Faces Sometimes", the chorus of which is quoted at the end of this song. It was part of the soundtrack for the 1977 movie, Looking for Mr. Goodbar. In 2002, the song was sampled by R&B artist Angie Stone for her single "Wish I Didn't Miss You".

This was the O'Jays first release with Philadelphia International.[4]

Chart performance

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Weekly charts

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Chart (1972) Peak
position
Australia Kent Music Report[5] 92
Canada RPM[6] 39
UK Singles (OCC)[7] 14
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 3
US Billboard R&B Singles 1
US Cash Box Top 100[9] 1

Year-end charts

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Chart (1972) Rank
US Billboard Hot 100[10] 35
US Cash Box Top 100[11] 21

Stephen Cummings version

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"Backstabbers"
7-inch single Australian cover
Single by Stephen Cummings
from the album Senso
B-side"Hardly Working"
ReleasedDecember 1983[12]
GenreRock, Pop
Length3:20
5:29 (Extended Dance mix)
LabelRegular Records, Warner Music Group
Songwriter(s)Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Leon Huff
Producer(s)Martin Armiger
Stephen Cummings singles chronology
"Stuck on Love"
(1982) 		"Backstabbers"
(1983) 		"Gymnasium"
(1984)
Backstabbers (Extended Dance Mix)
12 Inch Australian Single Cover

In 1983 Australian singer-songwriter Stephen Cummings released Backstabbers in December 1983 through the Regular Records label as the third single from the album Senso. Cummings version peaked at number 40 on the Kent Music Report.

Track listing

[edit]
7"
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Backstabbers"Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Leon Huff3:20
2."Hardly Working"Stephen Cummings, Ian Stephen3:32
12"
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Backstabbers" (Extended Dance Mix)Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Leon Huff5:29
2."Backstabbers"Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Leon Huff3:14
3."Hardly Working"Stephen Cummings, Ian Stephen3:32

Personnel

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  • Greg Flood – brass arrangements
  • Joe Creighton – bass, additional vocals
  • Mark Ferry – bass
  • Vince Jones – cornet (solo)
  • Martin Armiger – drum programming (Drumulator), guitar, keyboards
  • Peter Luscombe – drums
  • Andrew Pendlebury – guitar
  • Robert Goodge – guitar
  • Duncan Veal – keyboards
  • Jantra de Vilda – keyboards
  • Stephen Bigger – keyboards
  • Ricky Fataar – percussion
  • Venetta Fields – additional vocals
  • Nick Smith – additional vocals
  • Linda Nutter – additional vocals
  • Nick Smith – additional vocals
  • Stephanie Sproul – additional vocals

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1983) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] 40

References

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  1. ^ Echols, Alice (March 29, 2010). "I Hear a Symphony: Black Masculinity and the Disco Turn". Hot Stuff: Disco and the Remaking of American Culture. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-393-06675-3.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Joel Whitburn Presents Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles, 1942-2004. Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research. p. 438. ISBN 978-0-89820-160-4.
  3. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Back Stabbers" at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  4. ^ "The O'Jays | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame". Rockhall.com. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  5. ^ "Australian Chart Books". Australianchartbooks.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Archived copy". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2016-10-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  8. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  9. ^ "Archive". Archived from the original on 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  10. ^ "Musicoutfitters.com". Archived from the original on 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  11. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 30, 1972". Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  12. ^ Stephen Cummings - Backstabbers
  13. ^ Kent, David (1984). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives: Australian Chart Book. p. 94. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 19 June 1988.
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