Back Stabbers

recording by the O’Jays

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July 19, 2026

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The song "Back Stabbers" is a 1972 hit by the American vocal group The O'Jays. It was the title track of their album of the same name and marked the beginning of a string of successful singles for the group. The song is characterized by the lush orchestration and funk rhythms of Philadelphia soul, a genre for which The O'Jays were prominent figures in the 1970s. The term "backstabber" refers to someone who is unfaithful or disloyal, betraying a friend or associate.1

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the O’Jays
…Back Stabbers, with the album’s title track initiating a long string of hit singles, including “For the Love of Money” (1973) and the disco-influenced pop hit “I Love Music, Pt. 1” (1975).
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…Back Stabbers, with the album’s title track initiating a long string of hit singles, including “For the Love of Money” (1973) and the disco-influenced pop hit “I Love Music, Pt. 1” (1975).
Read More

Philadelphia International Records
The Sound of Philadelphia
…the Top Ten with “Back Stabbers” (1972) and “Love Train” (1973), both social commentaries in a successfully naive vein. Where Gamble and Huff led, disco followed—the Ritchie Family’s “Best Disco in Town” (1976) was recorded at Sigma, as was the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” (1978). Philadelphia’s final big hit, the…
Read More
…the Top Ten with “Back Stabbers” (1972) and “Love Train” (1973), both social commentaries in a successfully naive vein. Where Gamble and Huff led, disco followed—the Ritchie Family’s “Best Disco in Town” (1976) was recorded at Sigma, as was the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” (1978). Philadelphia’s final big hit, the…
Read More