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).
In the Name of Love
Bill Withers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the name of love, in the name of love
For the sake of silly passion make a game of love
In the name of love, in the name of love
Jumping up and down on your emotions
Just another way to break your heart
And it really makes you wonder what became of love
They make all the sacrifices for the sake of love
What they make of love, is old heartbreak of love
When there ain't no giving in the give and take of love
Put the blame on love, in the name of love
Jumping up and down on your emotions
Just another way to break your heart
Oh there really ain't no feeling quite the same as love
In the name of love
People try to create feelings just the same as love
And they do it in the name of love, in the name of love
For the sake of foolish passion make a game of love
And they do it in the name of love, do it in the name of love
Coming up and down with real devotion, oh
There's a better way to win my heart
And there really ain't no feeling quite the same as love
Not in the name of love
(I know) I know
(Heavy when you feel it) When you feel it
(Can't let go)
Can't let go (name of love)
(I know) I know
(When you've get to have it) When you've get to have it
(Can't say no) You just can't say no
(In the name of love)
(I know) I know
(Heavy when you feel it) When you feel it
(Can't let go)
(in the name of love)
(I know) I believe
(When you've get to have it)
(Can't say no) When you've get to have it, you can't say no
(In the name of love)
(I know) I know
(Heavy when you feel it) When you feel it
(Can't let go)
You just can't let go (in the name of love)
"In the Name of Love" by Bill Withers and Ralph McDonald is a profound and insightful commentary on the nature of love and how it can be manipulated and misused. The lyrics criticize those who try to create false situations of love for their own purposes, in the name of love. The first verse talks about how some people try to create fake feelings just like real love, but only for the sake of a silly passion in a game of love. The song continues to argue that when people jump up and down on their emotions, they only end up breaking their own heart. The lyrics question what has become of real love, when people are willing to make so many sacrifices and end up with only old heartbreak.
The chorus repeats the phrase "in the name of love" as a way to point out how people are using the concept of love to justify their actions, even if those actions do not align with what love should be about. The second verse emphasizes how some people make all the sacrifices for the sake of love, but only end up with old heartbreak. It notes that when there is no giving in the give-and-take of love, people start putting the blame on love itself, rather than recognizing that they are the ones responsible for their actions. The song concludes with a call to a better way of winning hearts, one that isn't built on fake feelings and foolish passions.
Line by Line Meaning
People try to create feelings just the same as love
People attempt to replicate the positive emotions that come with love
In the name of love, in the name of love
They do so by labeling these emotions 'love,' even though it may not be genuine
For the sake of silly passion make a game of love
They treat love like a game, seeking out excitement rather than true intimacy
Jumping up and down on your emotions
These people are careless with the emotions of others, treating them frivolously like a toy
Just another way to break your heart
Their behavior can lead to heartbreak and emotional pain
And it really makes you wonder what became of love
This behavior leads to the degradation of genuine love and its meaning
They make all the sacrifices for the sake of love
People will go to great lengths in the pursuit of love
What they make of love, is old heartbreak of love
But sometimes all that effort leads to nothing but disappointment and heartbreak
When there ain't no giving in the give and take of love
Love is a two-way street and requires mutual compromise and effort
Put the blame on love, in the name of love
However, they will still place the blame for their shortcomings on love itself
Coming up and down with real devotion, oh
True love requires real and consistent devotion, not just sporadic bursts of passion
There's a better way to win my heart
There are more genuine ways of truly connecting with someone's heart
And there really ain't no feeling quite the same as love
Despite its complexities and difficulties, love is a unique and unparalleled emotion
(I know) I know
The singer is acknowledging the truth of the previous statements
(Heavy when you feel it) When you feel it
The weight of this emotion can be overwhelming but unmistakable
(Can't let go)
The artist feels unable to let go of this feeling
Can't let go (name of love)
They attribute this feeling to the concept of 'love'
(When you've get to have it) When you've get to have it
The desire for love can be irresistible once it's taken hold
(Can't say no) You just can't say no
Even if the situation is less than ideal, the pull of love is too strong to resist
(I know) I believe
The artist affirms their conviction in the power of love
(in the name of love)
Despite the negative connotations that may come with this label, they still acknowledge it as such
(Heavy when you feel it) When you feel it
Feeling love can be a profound and overwhelming experience
(Can't let go)
The singer feels a strong compulsion to hold onto this emotion
You just can't let go (in the name of love)
They associate this feeling with the concept of love and will not let it go
Lyrics © BLEUNIG MUSIC, BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Bill Withers, Ralph Macdonald, William Salter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
1mespud
Thank you BILL WITHERS for doing your part to help tame mankind with your gift and talent. May GOD bless your legacy..
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1984 {October 21st} there were three records on Billboard's Top 100 chart with 'In The Name of Love' in their titles...
"(Pride) In The Name of Love" by U2 was at position #85, "(What) In The Name of Love" by Naked Eyes was at #97, and "In The Name of Love" by Ralph MacDonald with Bill Withers was at position #98...
Two weeks earlier "In The Name of Love" by Ralph MacDonald with Bill Withers" would peak at #58 for one week on the Top 100...
carlos dias de medeiros
Som simplesmente sensacional!!!!
Javid Huseynov
Thanks for the privilege to be among you listeners, Bill. Rest in piece
carlos dias de medeiros
Som de primeira!!!!
Patricia Ribeiro
Thank your for all beautiful songs. RIP
Sonny Canlas
Been looking for this on Spotify and iTunes. How come It’s not there?
Tony Maxwell Hatt
Too much class. Just saying.
yw1971
That's why YT still better
Patricia Ribeiro
I didn’t find it too