Spinning Wheel

Album

Blood, Sweat & Tears

Label

Columbia Records

Genre

Jazz fusion

Composer(s)

David Clayton-Thomas

Entered Chart

May 31, 1969

Peak Date

Jul 5, 1969

Released

May 1969

Recorded

October 9, 1968

Catalog #

Columbia 4-44871

B-Side

More And More

"Spinning Wheel" was written by vocalist David Clayton-Thomas, arranged by saxophonist Fred Lipsius, and produced by James William Guercio. In our 2015 interview with Clayton-Thomas, he explained: "I came up with the song just picking it away on a guitar when I found some chord changes I liked. As for the lyrics, everybody was getting so serious about 'The Revolution' and everything else in those days. It was just kind of a way to say, 'Lighten up people. Take it easy. It's all going to come full circle.' And it did. Ten years later, we went from 'The Revolution' to Ronald Reagan." The "Spinning Wheel" is an intriguing metaphor for the cycles of events we go through in life. There is also carousel imagery in the song, as David Clayton-Thomas references the carousel horses in the line, "Ride the painted pony." This was inspired by a Joni Mitchell song called "The Circle Game," where Mitchell sings about seasonal cycles and brings in the carousel with the line, "The painted ponies go up and down." This marked the first instance of a Joni Mitchell influence in a popular song. Like Clayton-Thomas, Mitchell is from Canada, and he heard her work long before most. Mitchell didn't release her first album until 1968, but in the years prior she developed a reputation as an insightful songwriter and performer, and Clayton-Thomas was a big fan. Mitchell didn't release her version of "The Circle Game" until 1970, but Buffy Sainte-Marie recorded it in 1967 and Tom Rush in 1968. Blood, Sweat & Tears was formed in 1967 by Al Kooper after leaving the group Blues Project. Four of their eight members played horns, which defined their sound. Their 1968 album Child Is Father to the Man managed just modest sales, and Kooper left soon after. He was replaced by David Clayton-Thomas, who brought "Spinning Wheel" to the group and became their lead vocalist. With Clayton-Thomas up front, BS&T became one of the biggest acts of the late '60s and early '70s, with "Spinning Wheel" their calling card. The group had trouble keeping momentum because they burned out on the road, since that was the only way most of their members could make a living. Clayton-Thomas left in 1972 but returned in 1975. The band stopped recording in 1980, but continued as a live act with various iterations into the '10s. This song was huge in the summer of 1969, which made Blood, Sweat & Tears a big draw for Woodstock. They were the second-highest paid act at the festival (next to Jimi Hendrix), although in the end it didn't matter, since they weren't paid. "Nobody was paying for tickets," David Clayton-Thomas told us. "There was no money. Jimi got $17,500. We got $15,000. We were the two highest-paid acts. But we didn't get paid. Nobody got paid." Clayton Thomas adds that they were not included in the Woodstock film because they would have been owed a percentage of the box office. "In a way it's a shame, because we were kind of cut out of history," he said. There are many wild interpretations of this song, mostly having to do with religion. According to Clayton-Thomas, he's heard from many people who believe the song is about God, and others who think it's about the Devil. He says both of these interpretations are way off. Report this ad This was nominated for three Grammys in 1970, and won for Best Instrumental Arrangement. It was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The album itself won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1970. On the album, this song runs 4:08 and ends with a rave-up where the band plays a rendition of the Austrian folk song "Oh du lieber Augustin," ending with drummer Bobby Colomby saying, "That wasn't too good," and some laughter. This wasn't planned - the band just did it spontaneously and caught it on tape. For the single release, this wacky ending was edited out and the song cut down to 2:39. Among the many artists to cover this song are Shirley Bassey, Peggy Lee, Nancy Wilson and Maynard Ferguson. James Brown did an instrumental version that made #90 US in 1971. Milli Vanilli incorporated part of this song into their 1990 hit "All Or Nothing." Not surprisingly for a group that faked their vocalists, they didn't clear the interpolation. David Clayton-Thomas heard about it from a friend whose 8-year-old son heard the Milli Vanilli song on the radio and thought it was a version of "Spinning Wheel." Clayton-Thomas took legal action and is now listed as a composer on the song.

What goes up must come down
Spinnin' wheel got to go 'round
Talkin' 'bout your troubles it's a cryin' sin
Ride a painted pony let the spinnin' wheel spin

You got no money and you got no home
Spinnin' wheel all alone
Talkin' 'bout your troubles and you, you never learn
Ride a painted pony let the spinnin' 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
Spinnin' wheel, spinnin' true
Drop all your troubles by the riverside
Catch a painted pony on the spinning wheel ride

Someone is waiting just for you
Spinnin' wheel, spinnin' true
Drop all your troubles by the riverside
Ride a painted pony let the spinnin' wheel fly