Back Stabbers (song)

"Back Stabbers" is a 1972 song by The O'Jays. Released from the hit album of the same name, the song spent one week at #1 on the Hot Soul Singles chart. It was also successful on the pop charts, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in October 1972.^[1] 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.^[2] It was also 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 the song. It was part of the soundtrack for the 1977 movie Looking for Mr. Goodbar.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1972)	Peak position
Australia KMR ^[3]	92
Canada RPM ^[4]	39
UK ^[5]	14
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 ^[6]	3
U.S. Billboard R&B	1
U.S. Cash Box Top 100^[7]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1972)	Rank
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 ^[8]	35
U.S. Cash Box	21

Cover versions

"Back Stabbers"

Single by Tina Turner

from the album Love Explosion

Released

1979

Genre

R&B, pop

Length

3:34

Label

United Artists Records, EMI.

Writer(s)

Leon Huff, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead

Producer(s)

Alec R. Costandinos

Tina Turner singles chronology

"Love Explosion"
(1979)

"Back Stabbers"
(1979)

"Music Keeps Me Dancin'"
(1979)

"Back Stabbers" is the second single from the 1979 album Love Explosion by Tina Turner. The song, along with the other two singles released from Love Explosion, was largely disco-oriented and was overlooked by audiences both in Europe and the United States due to the so-called "anti-disco backlash" at the time.

"Back Stabbers" was also covered by Stephen Cummings in 1983.

MFSB's 1973 debut album featured an extended instrumental cover of "Back Stabbers".

"Wish I Didn't Miss You" by Angie Stone features an interpolated composition of the song as well as samples.

R&B group TLC sampled the song on the track, "Case of the Fake People" from their 1994 album CrazySexyCool.

"Backstabbers" by Project Pat featuring Crucial Conflict have completely redone the instrumental and the chorus; released on the album Ghetty Green in 1999, produced by DJ Paul & Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia.

B.o.B aka Bobby Ray sampled "Back Stabbers" for his own song of the same name from his mixtape Who the F#*k is B.o.B? (2008).

In 1987, jazz fusion/contemporary jazz group The Rippingtons covered the song on their 1987 album "Kilimanjaro."^[9]

Rock group Barkmarket covered "Back Stabbers" on their 1991 album Vegas Throat, employing spoken-word vocals and samples from the original O'Jays cut.

In 2008, Russell Watson covered the song on his album 'People Get Ready'.

In 2011, British soul and R&B singer-songwriter Seal included the song in his second cover album Soul 2.

In 2014, the song was featured on the Simpsons episode, "Pay Pal".

Chart positions

Charts	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	3
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles	1
U.S. Cash Box Top 100	1
UK	14

Preceded by "Power of Love" by Joe Simon	Billboard's Best Selling Soul Singles number one single September 9, 1972	Succeeded by "Get on the Good Foot" by James Brown

References

↑ 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.
↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Back Stabbers" at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
↑ David Kent's "Australian Chart Book 1970-1992" Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
↑ http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.4208&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.4208.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.4208
↑ "Top 100 1972". top-source.info. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
↑ http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/19720923.html
↑ Musicoutfitters.com
↑ Kohler, Paul. "Kilimanjaro - The Rippingtons" at AllMusic. Retrieved 14 October 2011.

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
Song review on AllMusic

The O'Jays

Eddie Levert Walter Williams Eric Grant Bill Isles Bobby Massey William Powell Sammy Strain Nathaniel Best

Studio albums	Back on Top Back Stabbers Ship Ahoy Survival Family Reunion Message in the Music Travelin' at the Speed of Thought So Full of Love Identify Yourself Heartbreaker

Live & compilation albums	The Very Best of the O'Jays

Singles	"Lipstick Traces (on a Cigarette) "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today) "Back Stabbers" "Love Train" "For the Love of Money" "Give the People What They Want" "I Love Music (Part I)" "Livin' for the Weekend" "Message in Our Music" "Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love)" "Use ta Be My Girl" "Lovin' You" "Have You Had Your Love Today"

Related articles	Discography

Book

Tina Turner singles

Acid Queen	"Baby Get It On" "Whole Lotta Love" "Acid Queen"

Rough	"Viva La Money" "Root, Toot Undisputable Rock 'n Roller" "Sometimes When We Touch" "Night Time Is the Right Time"

Love Explosion	"Love Explosion" "Back Stabbers" "Music Keeps Me Dancin'"

Private Dancer	"Let's Stay Together" "Help!" "What's Love Got to Do With It" "Better Be Good to Me" "Private Dancer" "I Can't Stand the Rain" "Show Some Respect"

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome	"We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" "One of the Living"

Break Every Rule	"Typical Male" "Back Where You Started" "Two People" "Girls" "What You Get Is What You See" "Break Every Rule" "Paradise Is Here" "Afterglow"

Tina Live in Europe	"Nutbush City Limits" "Addicted to Love" "Tonight" "A Change Is Gonna Come" "634-5789"

Foreign Affair	"The Best" "I Don't Wanna Lose You" "Steamy Windows" "Look Me in the Heart" "Foreign Affair" "Be Tender with Me Baby"

Simply the Best	"Nutbush City Limits (The 90s Version)" "Way of the World" "Love Thing" "I Want You Near Me" "(Simply) The Best"

What's Love Got to Do with It	"I Don't Wanna Fight" "Disco Inferno" "Why Must We Wait Until Tonight" "Proud Mary"

Wildest Dreams	"GoldenEye" "Whatever You Want" "On Silent Wings" "Missing You" "Something Beautiful Remains" "In Your Wildest Dreams"

Twenty Four Seven	"When the Heartache Is Over" "Whatever You Need" "Don't Leave Me This Way"

All the Best	"Open Arms" "Complicated Disaster"

Guest singles	"Ball of Confusion" "Tonight" "It's Only Love" "Tearing Us Apart" "It Takes Two" "Cose della vita - Can't Stop Thinking of You" "Teach Me Again"

Book:Tina Turner

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