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 In Your Life
Bill Withers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I only want to love you
Please don't push me away
Let me in your life
I wasn't there when he hurt you
So why should I have to pay?
I want to share your tomorrow
So I must beg you today
If he's the cause of your sorrow
Be glad that he's gone away
I need someone, let me love you
Please don't push me away
Let me in your life
La, lala, lala
La, lala, lala
In Bill Withers's song Let Me in Your Life, the singer is expressing their desire to be in a romantic relationship with someone who has been hurt in the past. The main chorus of the song, "Let me in your life," is a plea to be allowed into the person's heart despite any past hurtful experiences. The singer acknowledges that they were not there to cause any pain, and they do not feel that they should be punished for it.
The lyrics also suggest that the person may be hesitant to allow anyone new into their life because of past pain caused by another person. However, the singer begs them not to push away love and affection. They want to share the future with this person and offer them a better life without the previous sorrow.
Furthermore, the line "Be glad that he's gone away" may indicate that the person's past relationship has ended, and the singer is ready and willing to fill the void. Ultimately, the song is a touching plea for love and understanding, with the singer expressing their desire to create a happy life with the person they love.
Line by Line Meaning
I only want to love you
I have no ill intentions towards you, I just want to express my love.
Please don't push me away
I hope you are willing to accept my love and not reject me.
Let me in your life
I hope to be a part of your life and share in your experiences and emotions.
I wasn't there when he hurt you
I understand that I was not there to protect you when someone else hurt you.
So why should I have to pay?
However, I do not believe it is fair for me to suffer because of someone else's actions.
I want to share your tomorrow
Despite your past pain, I still hope to be a part of your future and create a life together.
So I must beg you today
I realize that I cannot simply assume you will accept my love, and thus I must humbly plead with you to let me in.
If he's the cause of your sorrow
If the person who hurt you is the cause of your sadness and discomfort,
Be glad that he's gone away
I encourage you to find happiness in the fact that he is no longer in your life causing you pain.
I need someone, let me love you
I have a deep need for connection and affection, and I hope that you will allow me to express this love for you.
Please don't push me away
I am afraid of being rejected by you and need to express that I hope you are willing to let me in.
Let me in your life
I hope to be welcomed into your world and become a meaningful part of your life.
La, lala, lala
This is a repeated phrase and has no deeper meaning within the context of the song.
La, lala, lala
This is a repeated phrase and has no deeper meaning within the context of the song.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bill Withers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Soul Classics
Definitely one of the best songs ever. Sounds even better live
1 bike 1 dream
Dude, you’re my hero I wanna be like you so bad I want to play your top music. I play the trumpet in right now I’m in eighth grade. I love your music.
Blu
Keep chasing that soul in music! Keep that fuel!
MattDsellsKzoo
Love this, keep going young man, I'm proud of you!
Lady Nubian Giraffe
I am sure Bill Withers made his music to inspire young, intelligent people like you. Music is very powerful! Play his music and create your own. Love, Peace and Infinite Blessings to you!
Howard Terrell
Uy
Alice Wonder
There will never be another like Bill. ❤❤❤❤ 2023!!!
Nikki78 Flors
Truly love his voice ❤ rip
Addison France
RIP your energy will live on through your music
Michael Johnson
Hauntingly beautiful!!