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 Cold Baloney
Bill Withers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well it's too hot to sleep I'm too poor to eat
I don't care if I die or not!
Winter night in harlem oh ho radiator won't get hot
Well the mean ole landlord he don't care if I freeze to death or not!
Saturday night in harlem ahh ever'ry thing's alright
Sunday morning here in harlem now eve'ry body's all dressed up
Ahthe hip folks gettin home from the party and the good folks 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
Ah saturday night in harlem hey hey 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
Ahthe hip folks gettin home from the party and the good folks 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
Cold baloney and I'm home by myself
Well I'm five years old and it sure is cold
Mama's out cookin' steak for someone else
Sure am sleepy but I'm gonna wait till my mama comes
Well if the rich folks don't eat up all that good meat
Mama's gonna brings me some
Talking about that cold baloney mayonaise and bread
Well if it wasn't for cold baloney you know I would have been dead
Poor mama she sure looks tired
She said "what you eatin' son?"
"I believe that cold baloney sandwich looks good
Would you please fix you mama one?"
Talking about cold baloney mayonaise and bread
Well if it wasn't for cold baloney you know I would have been dead
Baloney was good enough for my father good enough for my mother
That baloney saved me and my brother
Cold baloney mayonaise and bread
The song "Harlem / Cold Baloney" by Bill Withers reflects the contrast of lifestyles experienced by the people living in the neighborhood of Harlem, New York City. Withers' lyrics outlines various scenarios in Harlem during a different type of season, starting with the summer night where it's too hot to sleep and eat, and the persona does not care if he dies or not. He then describes the situation on a winter night when the radiator won't get hot, and the landlord doesn't care if he freezes to death or not. Withers also mentions the joyful scenes of Saturday night in Harlem when everything is all right, and one can swing and shake their pretty thing, and the parties are out of sight. He concludes by detailing what happens the next day, with everyone dressing up for Sunday morning. The "heathen" folks are returning home from the party, while the "good" folks are getting up for church. And to end it all, Withers speaks about the hypocritical nature of some religious leaders who want a donation to send a preacher to the Holy Land, but the plea falls on deaf ears as he urges against giving to "that lying, cheating man."
The song reflects the socio-cultural conditions of Harlem during the 1970s, with its rich African American culture, music scene, and political activism. It was a time when the area was dealing with poverty, high crime rates, and a city administration that paid little attention to public safety and economic development in Harlem. The song is an expression of the frustration and struggle faced by the people living in the neighborhood, where even basic necessities like heating and food were hard to come by.
Line by Line Meaning
Summer night in Harlem,
The weather is hot and humid in Harlem during summer.
Man it's really hot!
The heat is overwhelming and uncomfortable for the singer.
Well it's too hot to sleep
The heat is so intense that the singer cannot relax or rest.
And too hot to eat.
The artist doesn't have an appetite due to the hot weather.
I don't care if I die or not!
The heat is unbearable to the extent that the artist is indifferent to their fate.
Winter night in Harlem,
The weather is cold and chilly in Harlem during winter.
Oh oh radiator won't get hot,
The heating system is not working, leaving the singer cold.
And that mean ole landlord
The artist's landlord is unpleasant and unsympathetic.
He don't care if I freeze to death or not!
The artist's landlord is not concerned if the tenant dies from cold due to a faulty heating system.
Saturday night in Harlem,
Saturday nights are lively and exciting in Harlem.
Ahh every thing's alright.
The singer is content and satisfied with the events happening around them.
You can really swing and shake your pretty thing,
The artist feels comfortable and free to dance and express themselves.
The parties are out of sight.
The parties are fantastic and much fun.
Sunday morning here in Harlem.
The morning of a post-party Sunday is quiet and peaceful in Harlem.
Now every body's all dressed up.
People are getting ready for church service, and everyone is dressed formally.
The heathen folk just getting home from the party
People who didn't attend church service are returning home after a night of revelry.
And the good folk just got up.
The churchgoers are just waking up and preparing for the service.
Our crooked delegation
A group of corrupt church officials.
Wants a donation
The church officials are asking for monetary contributions.
To send the preacher to the holy land
The donation is to finance a trip by the preacher to a pilgrimage site.
Hey hey lord honey don't give your money
The artist is advising the lord not to part with their cash.
To that lying, cheating man..
The artist believes that the preacher is untrustworthy and deceitful.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bill Withers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind