Shirley Bassey - Spinning Wheel (1970 Recording)

Details

Description

1970 (Shirley Bassey recorded and included this great Blood, Sweat & Tears song, Spinning Wheel' on her 1970 LP titled, 'Something'

ABOUT this song:
"Spinning Wheel" is the title of a popular song from 1969 by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears. The song was written by band member and Canadian musician David Clayton-Thomas and appears on their self-titled album. Released as a single in 1969, "Spinning Wheel" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July of that year, remaining in the runner-up position for three weeks. In August of that year, the song topped the Billboard easy listening chart for two weeks. It was also a crossover hit, reaching #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'."

ABOUT Shirley's LP, Something:
Something is a 1970 album by Shirley Bassey. With her career having been in decline since the latter part of the mid 1960s, Something proved to be Shirley Bassey's comeback when it was released in August 1970. The title track single became her biggest UK hit for many years, reaching No.4 and spending 22 weeks on the chart. This was actually the second single featured on the album, "The Sea and Sand" having already been released earlier. The album was similarly her biggest hit for many years in the album charts, reaching No.5 and spending 28 weeks in the top 50. This album led to a major revival in Bassey's career, and it would see Bassey transform into mainly an album artist, recording fifteen albums in the 1970s (four of those live recordings). Of those three would be top ten albums, three others in the top fifteen, and a further four in the top 40. She would also reach the top three twice, with a pair of compilations. (UK Albums Chart). This was also her first work with record producer Noel Rogers and producer/arranger Johnny Harris, who built on Bassey's traditional pop roots to include contemporary songs and arrangements.

LYRICS:
What goes up must come down
Spinning wheel got to go around
Talking about your troubles it's a crying sin
Ride a painted pony, let the spinning wheel spin

You got no money, you got no home
Spinning wheel all alone
Talking about your troubles and you never learn
Ride a painted pony, let the spinning wheel turn

Did you find the directing sign
On the straight and narrow highway
Would you mind a reflecting sign
Just let it shine within your mind
And show you the colors that are real

Someone is waiting just for you
Spinning wheel, spinning true
Drop all your troubles on the riverside
Catch a painted pony, pony, pony, pony, pony
Ride a painted pony, ride a painted pony
Ride a painted pony

Did you find the directing sign
On the straight and narrow highway, highway, highway
Would you mind a reflecting sign
Just let it shine within your mind
And show you the colors that are real

Someone is waiting just for you
Spinning wheel, spinning true
Drop all your troubles on the riverside
Catch a painted pony, let the spinning wheel fly

Special Thanks to Pieter, Astrid and others from the Shirley Bassey blog, Tal from the Diamond Bassey website, and all those who have contributed wonderful pictures of Shirley!