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).
Let Me Be the One You Need
Bill Withers Lyrics
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But that can only come in time
Only know enough to make you stay
On my mind
Though I met you only yesterday
And only for a moment then
I knew I couldn't let you get away
I can be the one you love
Let me be the one you need
Take a look into your heart
Try to find a place for me
Can't say I can't live without you, babe
That's just some worn out loser's line
May not know enough about you, babe
But you stay on my mind
I can be the one you love
Let me be the one you need
Take a look into your heart
Try to find a place for me
I can be the one you love
Let me be the one you need
Take a look into your heart
Try to find a place for me
I can be the one you love
Let me be the one you need
Take a look into your heart
Try to find a place for me
I can be the one you love
Let me be the one you need
Take a look into your heart
In "Let It Be," Bill Withers cautiously expresses his attraction to a woman he’s just met. They have only met once, but he already can’t get her out of his head. He assures her that he doesn’t need to know everything about her or make grand claims of “not being able to live without” her. He just wants to be the one she loves, the one she needs, and the one she thinks of.
In the first verse, it becomes evident that Bill Withers has fallen for this woman quickly. Though he only met her for a brief moment, he already knows enough about her to make her stay on his mind. Though he may not know her completely, he believes time will reveal everything he needs to know.
In the chorus, he laments that he is not the only one pursuing her, but he encourages her to take a look into her heart and make room for him. He echoes that he is capable of being the love and support she needs, without being clingy or making unrealistic promises.
Overall, the song speaks to the beauty and potential of new relationships that could quickly blossom into something meaningful. It illustrates those uncertain and tentative moments in a relationship where one tries to find balance and a place in the heart of another person.
Line by Line Meaning
May not know enough about you, babe
I may not have all the information about you yet
But that can only come in time
But I know that with time I'll find out everything I need to know
Only know enough to make you stay
All I know is that I don't want you to leave my mind
On my mind
You're always on my mind
Though I met you only yesterday
Even though we just met recently
And only for a moment then
And we only had a brief interaction at that time
I knew I couldn't let you get away
I already knew I couldn't let you leave my life
I just can see you, girl
I can't get you out of my head
Can't say I can't live without you, babe
I'm not going to use a cliche line and say that I can't live without you
That's just some worn out loser's line
Saying that I can't live without you is just an overused expression used by people who can't handle being alone
May not know enough about you, babe
Again, I may not have all the information about you
But you stay on my mind
But you keep occupying my thoughts
I can be the one you love
I can be the one who you share love with
Let me be the one you need
Let me be the one who fulfills all of your emotional needs
Take a look into your heart
Search deep within yourself
Try to find a place for me
And try to make space for me in your life
Lyrics © GOLDEN WITHERS MUSIC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bill Withers, Skip Scarborough, WILLIAM HARRISON WITHERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind