Inside Tracks #28: "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love"-Melvin & Mervin Steals: Spinners, 1972 w/Covers by Donny Osmond, Worlds Apart, Boyz II Men, Vesta Williams, Paul Stanley

A hat-tip to the new 2023 Rock'n'Roll Hall of Famers with a song written by the Steals twins. With over 30 covers over the decades, "Could It Be" it's enjoyed a wide variety of arrangements?

“Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” quickly followed the Fall 1972 release of “I’ll Be Around,” which peaked at #3 on the U.S. pop chart, despite originally being a B-side! When DJs started flipping “How Could I Let You Get Away,” Atlantic Records re-serviced radio with what turned out to be the group’s first of seven career Gold records, covered in-depth here:

Audio Archaeology: The Birth of Disco Uncovered--"I'll Be Around" by The Spinners, Written by Thom Bell and Phil Hurtt

Inside Tracks #30: The Spinners, 1973, "One of a Kind (Love Affair)" by Joseph B. Jefferson w/covers by The MGs, The Velvelettes, Remixes

Their second, “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” (recorded on June 12, 1972), released 5 months later on the vinyl heels of “I’ll Be Around” in November ‘72, climbed its way to “just” #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, but hitting the top spot on the U.S. R&B chart (#11 on the UK pop chart)!

“Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” was written by twins from Aliquippa, PA, Melvin Steals and Mervin Steals, also known (and credited on the label) as “Mystro and Lyric,” according to Songfacts. They’ve written over 300 songs; 90 have been recorded.

While working for Atlantic Records in 1972, the Steals’ co-wrote “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” pitching it to The Spinners’ producer, the late Thom Bell, who thought it would be perfect for the group. It was inspired by childhood sweetheart, Adrena, whom Melvin (aka “Lyric”) dated as a teenager and married.

The song has sold well over a million copies, and logged well over 4 million radio spins! Other Steals compositions include ‘Trusting Heart’ by The Trammps and ‘Honey Bee’ by Gloria Gaynor.”

A recent portrait of Adrena and Melvin.

A Song is Born

Philadelphia-based songwriters/producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff conducted weekly auditions in their offices for aspiring songwriters in the early ‘70s. On one particular Saturday, two financially strapped 22-year-old Beaver County twins walked through the door, according to the January 19, 2013 Timesonline.

“‘They were lucky the meeting happened,’ recalled Mervin, the musical ‘Mystro’ of the duo. When we got off the subway in Philly, we looked like two derelicts,’ Mervin said. ‘A policeman followed us all the way to Gamble and Huff’s office. I think he thought we were going to rob somebody!’

“Grungy or not, the Steals’ impressed Gamble and Huff, who put them to work writing songs for [Houston’s] Archie Bell & the Drells who had just topped the charts with ‘Tighten Up.’ Melvin was the wordsmith; Mervin crafted the melodies on piano.

“On a scouting tour to a Pittsburgh studio, Gamble and Huff associate, Thom Bell, heard a batch of seven songs by the Steals’ that he liked, and agreed to find artists to record them. One of those songs was ‘Honey Bee,’ that became a successful single in 1974 for future disco star, Gloria Gaynor.

(l-r) Melvin and Mervin Steals

“Another of those songs, ‘Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,’ would be pitched to Peaches & Herb, who rejected it. The Steals’ then hoped to shop it to Marvin Gaye and his protegé, Tammi Terrell, whom the brothers had befriended, but the Motown hierarchy made it tricky for two little-known songwriters to formally submit such a song.

“Atlantic Records had hired Bell as a producer, and gave him a list of artists he could work with, including The Spinners, who needed a follow-up hit to their 1970 Top-20, Stevie Wonder-penned [and produced] ‘It’s a Shame.’ Meeting with The Spinners in their Detroit hometown, Bell offered ‘Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,’ which the band agreed to record.

“But the song needed tweaking: Melvin originally penned the lyrics as a duet. The Spinners needed lyrics from a singular point of view. So Melvin went back to the drawing board, crafting lyrical lines inspired by his experiences years earlier courting Adrena. Bell also came up with the idea to slow down the melody, giving it more of an Al Green feel.” Masters at work.

“What if the article was staged like a show?”

A) The Overture (circa 2004)

B) The classic performance: The Midnight Special, 1973, singing and dancing to studio track. The good news? Open mics! Hear the handclaps and harmonies, LIVE!

C) November 2023, New Edition and their musical tribute to new Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame inductees, The Spinners:

Under the Covers