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).
I Don
Bill Withers Lyrics
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Even chilly darkness has the brightest glow
And I just love you so, sometimes I just don't know
Time just seems to help this wondrous feeling grow
Maybe I might wake up early one morning
And find it isn't so
I just love you so
Feeling like a rich man haven't got a dime
Feeling like a young man but I'm old as father time
And I just love you so
Sometimes I just don't know
I just don't know
The lyrics to "I Don't Know" by Bill Withers convey a sense of paradoxical emotions that are hard to pinpoint. The first line, "I get a warm summer feeling walking through the snow," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The phrase "warm summer feeling" traditionally evokes thoughts of hot days and sunshine, yet it is being experienced in a cold, wintry environment. This contrast emphasizes the power of the feeling, that it can even transcend the physical environment. The next line, "Even chilly darkness has the brightest glow," suggests that darkness, something often associated with negativity, is surprisingly bright. This line could be interpreted as the singer recognizing that even in the darkest moments, there is a glimmer of hope, and this can be enough to sustain him.
The chorus of the song, "And I just love you so, sometimes I just don't know," further emphasizes the ambiguity of the feeling that the singer is experiencing. He loves the object of his affection so much, it's almost overwhelming. However, at the same time, there seems to be a sense of uncertainty or doubt about the depth of his emotions. This could be due to his recognition that love can be fleeting and fragile, and he is grappling with the impermanence of it all.
The second stanza of the song continues with the sense of paradoxical emotions. The lines "feeling like a rich man haven't got a dime" and "feeling like a young man but I'm old as father time" further emphasize the dichotomy of emotions. The singer is experiencing a feeling of abundance (richness) despite not having material wealth. He also feels young despite his age. These lines suggest that the thing that is making the singer feel this way is his love for the object of his affection.
Overall, the lyrics of "I Don't Know" capture the complexity of emotions and the paradoxical nature of love. The singer is experiencing conflicting emotions, such as warmth in the cold, brightness in the darkness, and abundance in lack. Despite this, his love for the object of his affection is what is sustaining him.
Line by Line Meaning
I get a warm summer feeling walking through the snow
Despite being in a cold and wintry environment, I feel warmth and positivity.
Even chilly darkness has the brightest glow
Even in the darkest and seemingly hopeless times, there is always a ray of light.
And I just love you so, sometimes I just don't know
I have a strong and deep love for you, but at times it is overwhelming and hard to fully comprehend.
Time just seems to help this wondrous feeling grow
As more time passes, my love for you continues to flourish and intensify.
Maybe I might wake up early one morning
It is possible that one day I may have a change of heart.
And find it isn't so
And realize that my feelings for you have faded.
Feeling like a rich man haven't got a dime
Despite not having material wealth, I feel like the richest man on earth.
Feeling like a young man but I'm old as father time
Although I may be aging, my youthful energy and spirit remain intact.
And I just love you so
My love for you is unwavering.
Sometimes I just don't know
Although my love is strong, it can also be overwhelming and hard to fully comprehend.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILL WITHERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind