Withers, the youngest of six children, was born in the small coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, on July 4, 1938. He was the son of Mattie (Galloway), a maid, and William Withers, a miner. He was born with a stutter and later said he had a hard time fitting in. His parents divorced when he was three, and he was raised by his mother's family in nearby Beckley, West Virginia. He was 13 years old when his father died. Withers enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 17, and served for nine years, during which time he became interested in singing and writing songs.
He left the Navy in 1965, relocating to Los Angeles in 1967 to start a music career. His debut release was "Three Nights and a Morning" in 1967. Arranged by Mort Garson, the song went unnoticed at the time but was later reworked by Withers as the track "Harlem".
Withers worked as an assembler for several different companies, including Douglas Aircraft Corporation, IBM and Ford, while recording demo tapes with his own money, shopping them around and performing in clubs at night. When he returned with the song "Ain't No Sunshine" in 1971, he refused to resign from his job because he believed the music business was a fickle industry. In early 1970, Withers's demonstration tape was auditioned favorably by Clarence Avant, owner of Sussex Records. Avant signed Withers to a record deal and assigned former Stax Records stalwart Booker T. Jones to produce Withers' first album. Four three-hour recording sessions were planned for the album, but funding caused the album to be recorded in three sessions with a six-month break between the second and final sessions. Just as I Am was released in 1971 with the tracks, "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Grandma's Hands" as singles. The album features Stephen Stills playing lead guitar. On the cover of the album, Withers is pictured at his job at Weber Aircraft in Burbank, California, holding his lunch box.
Withers was known for his "smooth" baritone vocals and "sumptuous" soul arrangements. He wrote some of the most covered songs of the 1970s, including "Lean on Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine". The former entered the Hot 100 chart through multiple versions, including Club Nouveau's 1987 cover, which made the composition one of nine songs to have led the chart via different acts. With "Lovely Day", he set the record for the longest sustained note on a chart hit on American charts, holding a high E for 18 seconds. Editors from The Guardian considered that Withers' songs are "some of the most beloved in the American songbook," citing, "'Ain't No Sunshine' is regarded as one of the all-time great breakup tracks, while 'Lean on Me', an ode to the supportive power of friendship ..." For the same newspaper, Alex Petridis noticed "[he] laid pain and paranoia under his deceptively gentle songs, and retired early having conquered gospel, funk, blues, disco and more." In Rolling Stone, writer Andy Greene noted that several of his songs "are embedded in the culture and have been covered countless times."
Writing for The New York Times, Giovanni Russonello considered Withers "[a] soulful singer with a gift for writing understated classics", adding, "the ultimate homespun hitmaker, he had an innate sense of what might make a song memorable, and little interest in excess attitude or accoutrements. Ultimately Withers reminded us that it’s the everyday that is the most meaningful: work, family, love, loss." A Billboard article considered that Withers "stands as one of R&B/soul music's most revered singer-songwriters." In the same magazine, writer Gail Mitchell acknowledged "Withers' legacy has flourished in the decades since, thanks to a cross-section of artists who have covered/sampled his songs or cited him as a major influence." Musician and music journalist Questlove referred to Withers' post-breakup 1974 album +'Justments as "a diary [...] [it] was a pre-reality-show look at his life. Keep in mind this was years before Marvin Gaye did it with Here, My Dear." The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson deemed him "a songwriter's songwriter". Musicians Sade, D'Angelo, Justin Timberlake, John Legend and Ed Sheeran have credited Withers as a music inspiration.
Withers died from heart complications in Los Angeles on March 30, 2020, at age 81; his family announced his death four days later. He is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).
94- use me
Bill Withers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They keep tryna tell me
All you want to do is use me
But my answer, yeah
Yeah, to all that use me stuff
I-I-I, and I wanna spread the news
That if it feels this good getting used
Until you use me up
Until you use me up
My brother
sit me right down and he talked to me
Oh-oh, he told me, yeah
that I ought not to let you just walk on me
And I'm sure he meant well
Yeah, but when our talk was through
I-I-I said, brother
if you only knew you'd wish that you were in my shoes
You just keep on using me
Until you use me up
Until you use me up
Oh-oh, sometimes
it's true, you really do abuse me
Oh, you get me in a crowd of high-class people
And then you act real rude to me
Aah-ha, but, oh baby, baby, baby, baby
When you love me, I can't get enough
I, I, I wanna spread the news
That if it feels this good getting used
Girl, you just keep on using me
Until you use me up
Until you use me up
Talkin' 'bout you usin' people
It all depends on what you do
It ain't too bad the way you're usin' me
'Cause I sure am usin' you
to do the things you do
Ah, how to do the things you do
The song "Use Me" by Bill Withers speaks about a toxic relationship where the singer is being used, but he allows it because he enjoys the feelings it brings. The opening lines state how the singer's friends keep warning him that all his lover wants is to use him. He refuses to listen to them and instead wants to spread the news that getting used feels good. He believes that the more his lover uses him, the better their relationship becomes, and he will allow it until she uses him up entirely.
In the second verse, the singer states that his brother has also advised him against letting his lover take advantage of him, but he disagrees. He feels that if his brother knew how good it felt to be used, he would wish he was in his position too. The singer further says that there are times when his lover abuses him and behaves rudely, especially in high-class gatherings. However, when she expresses her love for him, he can't get enough, and he wants to inform the world how pleasurable getting used can be.
The song focuses on the singer's self-destructive patterns and his willingness to be taken advantage of in a relationship because of the temporary pleasure it provides. It is also possible that the song speaks about a reliance on drugs or alcohol, which are often referred to as "use me up" substances. Overall, the song has a vibrant and upbeat tune that is in contrast to the darker subject matter, showing the resilience of human emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
My friends feel it's their appointed duty
My acquaintances believe that it is their responsibility to warn me about your ulterior motives
They keep tryna tell me
They constantly try to persuade me
All you want to do is use me
Your sole intention is to take advantage of me
But my answer, yeah
Nevertheless, my reply is
Yeah, to all that use me stuff
I'm not amused by your selfish intentions
I-i-i, and I wanna spread the news
I want to share a message
That if it feels this good getting used
If being taken advantage of feels as satisfying as it does
Oh, you just keep on using me
Then, please continue to exploit me
Until you use me up
Until you exhaust all you can from me
My brother
My sibling
Sit me right down and he talked to me
Sat me down to have a conversation with me
Oh-oh, he told me, yeah
He informed me
That I ought not to let you just walk on me
I should not allow you to take advantage of me without consequences
And I'm sure he meant well
Although his intentions were pure
Yeah, but when our talk was through
However, when our conversation ended
I-i-i said, brother
I replied, brother
If you only knew you'd wish that you were in my shoes
If you knew what I know, you would want to have my experiences instead of yours
Oh-oh, sometimes
Occasionally
It's true, you really do abuse me
It is indeed factual that you take unfair advantage of me
Oh, you get me in a crowd of high-class people
You put me in social settings with wealthy people
And then you act real rude to me
Afterwards, you treat me disrespectfully
Aah-ha, but, oh baby, baby, baby, baby
However, my dear
When you love me, I can't get enough
I crave your love and affection
Girl, you just keep on using me
My dear, please continue taking advantage of me
Talkin' 'bout you usin' people
Speaking about how you exploit others
It all depends on what you do
It relies on your actions
It ain't too bad the way you're usin' me
The way you are using me is not entirely negative
'Cause I sure am usin' you
Because I am taking advantage of you as well
To do the things you do
To accomplish the tasks that you do
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bill Withers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind