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 Us Love
Bill Withers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But even though, it isn't Christmas, let us love one another, let us love
On just a day, just a day, no special name, no pretty presents, pretty presents to exchange
Make it a good day, just the same
No special greeting, special greeting for the day
No happy easter, no merry christmas, only how are you today
Make it a good day, anyway
Let us help one another, help your neighbor, he's your brother
Let us love, let us love, hey now, let us love, love one another
Help your neighbor, he's your brother, let us love, now let us love
One another,
Help your neighbor, he might not feel so good sometimes,
Let us love, love one another, help your neighbor,
Let us love, let us love, hey now, let us help, help one another
Love your neighbor, he's your brother, let us love, let us love
Let us love, let us love, love one another, help your neighbor
He's your brother, let us love one another, let us love
In Bill Withers's song "Let Us Love," the message is clear: love one another, help your neighbor, and let us make every day special. Even though there might not be a special occasion or holiday, we should always strive to show kindness and compassion to those around us. The song emphasizes that we should not only love our friends and family but also our neighbors and strangers.
By mentioning different occasions such as Christmas and Easter, Withers highlights the idea that love should not be limited to certain times or dates on a calendar, but instead should be an everyday occurrence. He urges listeners to make the most of each day, no matter how ordinary it might seem, by being kind and helpful to others.
Withers also emphasizes the importance of brotherhood and community. By calling on us to help our neighbors, he suggests that we all have a responsibility towards the people around us. The message is simple yet profound: love one another, help one another, and make each day count.
Line by Line Meaning
On just and ordinary day, no reason, no reason for a fuss
On a regular day, without any special occasion or need to celebrate
But even though, it isn't Christmas, let us love one another, let us love
Despite not being a holiday like Christmas, let us show love and kindness towards one another
On just a day, just a day, no special name, no pretty presents, pretty presents to exchange
On any regular day, without any particular significance or material gifts to exchange
Make it a good day, just the same
Let's make it a positive and enjoyable day
Let us love one another, let us love
Let us show affection and care towards each other
No special greeting, special greeting for the day
There's no need for a specific or formal greeting on this day
No happy easter, no merry christmas, only how are you today
We don't need to celebrate religious or festive occasions, just ask how someone's doing
Make it a good day, anyway
Regardless, let's make the day a positive one
Let us help one another, help your neighbor, he's your brother
Let's assist each other and treat our neighbors as family
Let us love, let us love, hey now, let us love, love one another
Let's express love and kindness towards each other
Help your neighbor, he's your brother, let us love, now let us love
Let's help those around us and treat them like brothers and sisters, expressing love and kindness
One another,
Let's show love and kindness to each other
Help your neighbor, he might not feel so good sometimes,
Our neighbors may need our help, especially when they are not feeling well
Let us love, love one another, help your neighbor,
Let's express love, kindness, and help towards our neighbors
Let us love, let us love, hey now, let us help, help one another
Let's continue to show love and kindness towards each other, while also helping one another
Love your neighbor, he's your brother, let us love, let us love
We should love and treat our neighbors like family, expressing love and kindness towards them
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILL WITHERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind