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).
Love Is
Bill Withers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And love is needing
Love is sharing
And love is feeling
Love is (love is caring)
Love is (love is needing)
Love is (love is sharing)
Say that love (love is caring)
Is just talking some time (love is needing)
Easing your mine (love is sharing)
Don't you know that love (love is feeling)
Say that love (love is caring)
Love is sharing a smile (love is needing)
Every once in a while (love is sharing)
Don't you know that love (love is feeling)
Don't you want to feel it
Feel it coming down all around
Tell me! Wouldn't you like to feel it, feel it
Feel it coming down all around
(Love is caring) Love is lending a hand
(Love is needing) And helping your fellow man
(Love is sharing) OOh
Don't you know that love (love is feeling)
Love (love is caring)
Love (love is needing)
Preacher say love (love is sharing)
Jesus proved that love (love is feeling)
Sing love (love is caring)
Sing love (love is needing)
Sing love (love is sharing)
People singing love (love is feeling)
Don't you want to feel it
Feel it coming down all around
Tell me! Wouldn't you like to feel it, feel it
Feel it coming down all around
In the song Love Is by Bill Withers, he describes various aspects of love. He explains that love is caring and needing. Love is being there for someone when they need you the most, and it is also needing someone when you are going through difficult times. Love is sharing, it is about being open and transparent with each other by sharing your thoughts, emotions, and feelings. It is also about feeling, about experiencing emotions that come with loving someone effortlessly.
The chorus repeats the refrain “don't you know that love is feeling,” solidifying that love is not something that can be seen or touched, it is felt within us. The subsequent verses talk about love being lending a hand and helping your fellow man, love being shared through a smile every once in a while, and Jesus proved that love is feeling. Finally, the song ends on a note that only by feeling and experiencing love, can one understand its true meaning.
Overall, the song is about showing and demonstrating love through actions, sharing, and being present for others when they need us. Love is something that cannot be described, but it can be felt and experienced through selfless acts.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is caring
Love is showing concern and kindness towards someone
And love is needing
Love is requiring and depending on someone for support and comfort
Love is sharing
Love is being generous and open with someone
And love is feeling
Love is experiencing strong emotions, both positive and negative, towards someone
Say that love is caring
When we say love, we mean showing kindness and tenderness to someone
Is just talking some time
Love involves spending quality time together and communicating with each other
Easing your mine
Love helps to calm and soothe your thoughts and worries
Say that love...
Reiterating the different aspects of love from the earlier verse
Don't you want to feel it
Encouraging the listener to experience and appreciate love
Feel it coming down all around
Describing how love can surround and envelop someone
Love is lending a hand
Love involves helping and supporting others who are in need
And helping your fellow man
Love extends beyond just romantic relationships and includes acts of kindness towards all people
Preacher say love
Religious leaders often speak about the importance of love
Jesus proved that love
Referencing how Jesus demonstrated love through his teachings and actions
Sing love...
Repeating the different aspects of love from earlier and emphasizing how people express love through song
Contributed by Lincoln B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kgosietsile Michael Makau
Love is caring
And love is needing
Love is sharing
And love is feeling
Love is (love is caring)
Love is (love is needing)
Love is (love is sharing)
Don't you know that love (love is feeling)
Say that love (love is caring)
Is just talking some time (love is needing)
Easing your mine (love is sharing)
Don't you know that love (love is feeling)
Say that love (love is caring)
Love is sharing a smile (love is needing)
Every once in a while (love is sharing)
Don't you know that love (love is feeling)
Don't you want to feel it
Feel it coming down all around
Tell me! Wouldn't you like to feel it, feel it
Feel it coming down all around
Love is lending a hand
(Love is needing) And helping your fellow man
(Love is sharing) Ooh
Don't you know that love (love is feeling)
Love (love is caring)
Love (love is needing)
Preacher say love (love is sharing)
Jesus proved that love (love is feeling)
Sing love (love is caring)
Sing love (love is needing)
Sing love (love is sharing)
People singing love (love is feeling)
Don't you want to feel it
Feel it coming down all around
Tell me! Wouldn't you like to feel it, feel it
Feel it coming down all around
nicodemus mphapang
This is still a massive heat even in 2019, now that's what I call real music.
James Makhubu
Rest in peace brother. Your legacy is here to be seen and heard by all.
wylynn craig
The beats on his songs are phenomenal!
Kgosietsile Michael Makau
Love is caring
And love is needing
Love is sharing
And love is feeling
Love is (love is caring)
Love is (love is needing)
Love is (love is sharing)
Don't you know that love (love is feeling)
Say that love (love is caring)
Is just talking some time (love is needing)
Easing your mine (love is sharing)
Don't you know that love (love is feeling)
Say that love (love is caring)
Love is sharing a smile (love is needing)
Every once in a while (love is sharing)
Don't you know that love (love is feeling)
Don't you want to feel it
Feel it coming down all around
Tell me! Wouldn't you like to feel it, feel it
Feel it coming down all around
Love is lending a hand
(Love is needing) And helping your fellow man
(Love is sharing) Ooh
Don't you know that love (love is feeling)
Love (love is caring)
Love (love is needing)
Preacher say love (love is sharing)
Jesus proved that love (love is feeling)
Sing love (love is caring)
Sing love (love is needing)
Sing love (love is sharing)
People singing love (love is feeling)
Don't you want to feel it
Feel it coming down all around
Tell me! Wouldn't you like to feel it, feel it
Feel it coming down all around
MartinAminata
Thank You 🌟 💜
Kgaugelo Moeng
i went through my Dad's music and i instantly loved this!!!!
LEWIS JONES
Kgaugelo Moeng LOVE IS ALWAYS SOMEBODY'S CHILD PEACE 2 MY CHILDREN OF LIBERATION!
jess hay
r.i.p. Bill. This is my favorite tune from his catalog. Covered very well by greats like Herb Alpert and Gino Soccio, this is the gold standard
Stanley Stamiri
People sing it ....."looooove!!" Absolutely timeless classic
Nomakolwa Rulumeni
Great music....good old days..."love is kind & love never fail"