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).
Moanin
Bill Withers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah, she keeps me moanin', groanin'
Hey, because I feel so good, feel real good
Why can't nobody love me like my baby does?
Young girl turned out to be two times
Quite the woman that I thought she was
Oh she keeps me moanin', groanin'
Oh, can't nobody do, no, no, no,
What my baby's done
Said, if she ain't the best in the world
She's good as the goodest one
And she keeps me moanin', groanin'
Hey, because I feel real good
I feel real good, oh, oh, eh, hey
Oh, ho, oh, ho, oh, ho, oh, ho
In "Moanin' and Groanin'," Bill Withers sings about how his significant other makes him feel so good that it leaves him moaning and groaning. He sings, "Ah, she keeps me moanin', groanin', Hey, because I feel so good, feel real good, Why can't nobody love me like my baby does?" Here, Withers is expressing his love for his sweetheart and how she makes him feel.
The singer then goes on to talk about how the girl he thought was young and not too complex turned out to be quite the woman. He sings "Young girl turned out to be two times, Quite the woman that I thought she was." Withers is expressing surprise and admiration for the metamorphosis his partner has undergone since he first met her.
Overall, "Moanin' and Groanin'" is a love song. Withers praises his sweetheart, talks about how she makes him feel, and expresses his deep affection for her. The moans and groans he makes are sounds of pleasure that his lover elicits from him. This song is a testament to the power of love and how it can transform a person.
Line by Line Meaning
(Hmm, hum, hum) Ah, she keeps me moanin', groanin'
I make sounds of satisfaction because my lover is pleasuring me so prominently that I can't help but express my delight.
Hey, because I feel so good, feel real good
My lover's actions cause me to experience intense pleasure, which leaves me feeling good and content.
Why can't nobody love me like my baby does?
My lover's capacity to love and please me is unmatched, and I wish that nobody else could ever love me like they do.
Young girl turned out to be two times / Quite the woman that I thought she was
I initially thought my lover was inexperienced, but as it turns out, they are unexpectedly experienced and adept at making me feel good.
Oh she keeps me moanin', groanin' / Hey, because I feel is good. I feel real good
My lover continues to satisfy me so fully that I cannot contain my vocal expressions of delight. The pleasure I'm feeling is immense and undeniable.
Oh, can't nobody do, no, no, no, / What my baby's done
Nobody else can pleasure me as deeply or perfectly as my lover has. They are the only one who can make me feel this good.
Said, if she ain't the best in the world / She's good as the goodest one
Even if my lover isn't objectively the best in the world, they are the best for me - nobody can please me like they do.
And she keeps me moanin', groanin' / Hey, because I feel real good
My lover's actions continue to stimulate me in all the right ways, leaving me vocalizing and enjoying the sensation of pure, unadulterated joy.
I feel real good, oh, oh, eh, hey / Oh, ho, oh, ho, oh, ho, oh, ho
I'm feeling so good that I can't help but express myself through random sounds and noises, underscoring just how fully and completely my lover is pleasuring me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILL WITHERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind