Released April 1973 Genre R&B | Format 7-inch single Label Atlantic | |
B-side "Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You" Length 3:17 (censored version)
3:31 (uncensored version) | ||
"One of a Kind (Love Affair)" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Spinners (known as "Detroit Spinners" in the UK). The song was written by Joseph B. Jefferson and produced by Thom Bell.
Contents
The Spinners recorded the song at Philly's Sigma Sound Studios, and the house band MFSB provided the backing. Philippé Wynne handles lead vocals, although Bobby Smith provides two lines during the bridge that follows the first verse. ("I never thought about today would come"/"She wrote a line or two upon the wall.") Released as the third single from their 1972 self-titled album on Atlantic Records, "One of a Kind (Love Affair)" would become the group's third consecutive number one on the U.S. R&B Singles Chart, spending four weeks at the top spot. It also reached the number 11 position on Billboard Pop Singles chart and was certified gold by the RIAA.
Personnel
Controversy
When the single was first released, there was some confusion as to whether the song contained a curse word in the section that immediately followed the instrumental break of the song. Supposedly, some heard the lyric Philippé Wynne sang like this:
One of a kind love affair Makes you want to love her You just got to fuck her, yeahHowever, there were others who heard the allegedly offensive line as "You just got to hug her, yeah". Regardless, Atlantic quickly responded to the complaints by reissuing the song with the three lines edited out and the "One of a kind love affair makes a lame man walk, makes a blind man talk about seeing again" lyric was moved up to right after the instrumental break. To add to the confusion, there are some lyrics web sites that have the line as "You just have to hurt her, yeah". Over the years both the "censored" and the "uncensored" versions of the song have been used for the numerous CD appearances that "One of a Kind (Love Affair)" has made.