Thom Bell was instrumental in The Spinners becoming a legendary vocal group. When the two entities connected, Bell was already in the process of becoming a known quantity as a songwriter/producer/arranger. The Spinners were a C-level Motown group, most famous for the Stevie Wonder-penned “It’s A Shame”. Feeling like they weren’t a priority with Berry Gordy and company, they left Motown and joined the Atlantic Records family at the behest of their Detroit homie Aretha Franklin. Their first big hit after signing to Atlantic was this Bell-produced soft-soul gem, led by the feathery lead vocals of Bobby Smith (with some passionate rejoinders by the immortal Philippe Wynne towards the song’s conclusion).

“Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” sounds like…wait for it, falling in love. I think I’ve made this analogy in a previous entry, but there’s a passage in one of Augusten Burroughs’ books in which he compares the feeling of falling in love with driving home and getting nothing but green lights. The Spinners and Thom Bell captured that feeling in song form perfectly.