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).
Harlem (7
Bill Withers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Winter night in Harlem, ooh ooh radiator won't get hot, and that mean ole landlord he don't care if i freeze to death or not!
Saturday night in Harlem, AHH ever'ry thing's alright. You can really swang and shake your pretty thang, the parties are out of sight.
Sunday morning here in Harlem now eve'ry body's all dressed up. The heathen folk just gettin home from the party and the good folk just got up. Our crooked delegation wants a donation to send the preacher to the holy land hey hey lawd honey don't give your money to that lyin, cheatin man..
The song "Harlem" by Bill Withers describes the contrasts and contradictions in the neighborhood of Harlem, New York City during different times of day and across different seasons. The lyrics express both the heat and energy of summer nights while also highlighting the difficulties of living in poverty and dealing with neglectful landlords. The opening lyrics set the tone for the entire song with the line, "Summer night in Harlem, Man it's really hot!" suggesting that the heat is oppressive and overwhelming. The singer is unable to sleep or eat, and even seemed resigned to the possibility of dying in such extreme heat.
In the following stanza, Withers turns to winter, describing the opposite extreme of coldness and despair. The landlord is uncaring, leaving the radiator broken and the tenants to freeze. The final two stanzas shift to the weekend, where the residents of Harlem come together to celebrate and have a good time. Saturday nights are full of parties and dancing, representing a much-needed escape from the struggles of daily life. However, Withers warns against giving in to the corrupt religious leaders who prey on the community's faith and generosity to gain wealth and power.
Overall, "Harlem" captures the joys and sorrows of living in a historically significant Black neighborhood, highlighting the resilience and creativity of its people while also acknowledging the systemic issues that contribute to their struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Summer night in Harlem, Man it's really hot!
It's summer in Harlem and the heat is unbearable.
Well it's too hot to sleep and too hot to eat.
The heat is so intense that sleeping and eating are impossible.
I don't care if I die or not!
The heat is so intense that the singer no longer cares about living or dying.
Winter night in Harlem, ooh ooh radiator won't get hot, and that mean ole landlord he don't care if i freeze to death or not!
It's winter in Harlem and the radiator is not working, and the landlord is not concerned about the tenant's well-being.
Saturday night in Harlem, AHH ever'ry thing's alright.
It's Saturday night in Harlem and the artist feels that everything is good.
You can really swang and shake your pretty thang, the parties are out of sight.
The singer enjoys the lively parties and dancing in Harlem on Saturday night.
Sunday morning here in Harlem now eve'ry body's all dressed up.
It's Sunday morning in Harlem and everyone is dressed up.
The heathen folk just gettin home from the party and the good folk just got up.
Some people are returning from late-night parties while others are waking up for their day.
Our crooked delegation wants a donation to send the preacher to the holy land hey hey lawd honey don't give your money to that lyin, cheatin man..
The artist advises not to donate money to a dishonest delegation that claims to send a preacher to the holy land.
Ah Saturday night in Harlem, AHH ever'ry thing's alright.
The artist reiterates their enjoyment of Saturday night in Harlem.
You can really swang and shake your pretty thang, the parties are out of sight.
The singer continues to celebrate the lively parties and dancing in Harlem on Saturday night.
Contributed by Ethan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.