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).
Sometimes A Song
Bill Withers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause you feel that way
A song might be easy and melancholy on another day
Sometimes a song gets mean and evil cause it ain't goin' right
Sometimes a song just try to get nervous cause you might be uptight
Sometimes a song is tender
Maybe that evening that you wrote this song that's all the feeling you had
Sometimes a song just feels real good and lays right there in the groove
Sometimes a song might make you just wanna get up and move
Sometimes a song is somethin'
That you never forget
But you keep on thinking that you ain't wrote the song yet
The lyrics of Bill Withers's song "Sometimes A Song" communicate the diverse range of emotions and vibes that music can evoke within us. The first and second lines introduce the idea that a song's mood can be funky, reflecting the feelings of the one listening to it. The next two lines imply that the same song could be interpreted in a melancholic way on another day. The fact that "Sometimes a song gets mean and evil cause it ain't goin' right" indicates how the listener can sometimes end up in a dark place, and the music they choose ends up reflecting that, emphasizing the concept of music as a mood mirror. The following line conveys the idea that the same song could be nerve-wracking when experiencing anxiety.
The song continues to explore how music can be tender or sad, based on the emotion of the moment, followed by the line "Maybe that evening that you wrote this song that's all the feeling you had," which highlights an essential observation of the creative process. Sometimes, you write what you feel, and that's all you want to express or can express through the format of a song. The next lines describe how a song can be the perfect groove, and other times it can be so compelling that you can't help but dance to it. The final verse speaks to the experience of all writers, where they know they've created something unforgettable but continue to strive for more.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes a song is funky
Occasionally, a song has an upbeat, lively and energetic rhythm that makes you feel lively and elated
Cause you feel that way
It gives a sense that the funkiness of the song is inspired by the feel-good mood of the individual listening to it
A song might be easy and melancholy on another day
A song may have a relatable melody that resonates with an individual's feelings, emotions or mood at different times
Sometimes a song gets mean and evil cause it ain't goin' right
At times, the tune of the song might err towards feelings of anger or negativity as a result of an unsuccessful recording or performance
Sometimes a song just try to get nervous cause you might be uptight
The song may attempt to uplift or make you feel more comfortable when you're feeling anxious or uneasy
Sometimes a song is tender
Certain songs embody a delicate, heartfelt emotion and feeling of love or care
Sometime a song is sad
A song can evoke feelings of sorrow or heartbreak, often relating to lost or unrequited love
Maybe that evening that you wrote this song that's all the feeling you had
Sometimes a song is reflective of the mood and emotions that the songwriter was experiencing at the time of composition
Sometimes a song just feels real good and lays right there in the groove
The song has an infectious rhythm that you simply cannot resist and makes you want to dance or sing along
Sometimes a song might make you just wanna get up and move
The song has a lively melody that inspires movement, potentially prompting you to dance, jump or even just nod your head along
Sometimes a song is somethin' That you never forget
Certain songs have a lasting emotional impact, evoking memorable moments or feelings that stay with the listener
But you keep on thinkin' that you ain't wrote the song yet
Although the song resonates with them deeply, the listener feels as though they could never create something so profound themselves
Contributed by Benjamin I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.