“The Spinners’ “The Rubberband Man” springs back onto the Billboard charts after its use in the Marvel/Disney film Avengers: Infinity War. The tune sold 8,000 downloads in the week ending May 3, according to Nielsen Music, prompting a No. 8 debut on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart and a No. 20 entrance on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Sales.
“Man” streams also exploded, reaching 1.2 million clicks in the U.S. during the same period, up from 149,000 in the week prior – a surge of 691 percent.
In 1976, “Man” ruled as The Spinners’ sixth and final No. 1 hit on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart (then-called Hot Soul Singles) and reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. On the latter, the track was one of two No. 2 hits for the group. 1980’s “Working My Way Back to You / Don’t Forget Me Girl” also reached the runner-up spot. The Spinners topped the list with their 1974 Dionne Warwick collaboration, “Then Came You.”
“Man” features in Infinity War during a scene with the Guardians of the Galaxy, a superhero team led by Star-Lord (played by Chris Pratt). The collective has previously starred in two standalone films, both of which soundtrack key scenes with older hits and have made an impact on the charts.” – Billboard.com
Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 — the companion soundtrack to the 2014 film, included classics such as Blue Swede’s “Hooked on a Feeling” and The Jackson 5’s “I Want You” — topped the Billboard 200 for two weeks in 2014. Its 2017 sequel spawned Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2, which climbed to No. 4 that May.
