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).
Watching You Watching Me
Bill Withers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's so easy to see
That it's my loving you
That puts the starlight in your eyes
Watching me watching you
It's so obviously true
That it's your loving me
When lovers meet
And light a spark
Their eyes give the game away
Somehow it's a feeling you can never hide
No matter how hard you try
When lovers speak
It's from the heart
And all of the things they say
Are part of the magic and the mystery
You hear in a gentle sigh
Watching you watching me
Girl, ain't it easy to see?
That it's my loving you
That puts the starlight in your eyes
Watching me watching you
Girl, I believe that it's true
That it's your loving me
That makes my life a paradise
The times we had
The fun and games
The things that I can't forget
We share in those very special memories
All lovers do smile about
I'm so glad you feel the same
There's nothing to regret
It's free for the simple love is there for you
To bring all the feelings out
Watching you watching me
Girl, ain't it easy to see?
That it's my loving you
That puts the starlight in your eyes
Watching me watching you
Girl, I believe that it's true
That it's your loving me
That makes my life a paradise
There's a language
Spoken only by lovers
Words and phrases
That they make with their eyes
You might try it
But you'll never change things
No one comes…[?]
Let's celebrate what life's about
Let's sing out the melody
The words and the music to our song of love
Are sweeter than anything
'Cause if we wait
We might lose out
On things that were meant to be
With all of the secrets that the heart can hold
Left dangling on a string
Watching you watching me
Girl, ain't it easy to see?
That it's my loving you
That puts the starlight in your eyes
Watching me watching you
Girl, I believe you know that it's true
Sweet girl, that I love you
You make my life a paradise
(Repeat first choruses)
The song "Watching You Watching Me" by Bill Withers describes the tender moments in a romantic relationship where both partners cannot help but admire and love each other. The first verse states that the singer can see the starlight in his partner's eyes because of his love, and in turn, he believes that his partner's love makes his life a paradise. This is a mutual love that they share, and it is evident in the way they look at each other. The second verse touches on the idea that when lovers meet, their eyes "give the game away," meaning their eyes reveal their attraction and love for each other. When lovers speak, it is from the heart, and the words and phrases they use are part of the magic and mystery of love. In the chorus, the singer repeats that it’s his love that puts the starlight in his partner's eyes, and his partner's love that makes his life a paradise. The song continues to express the beauty and simplicity of their love, and how it has created special memories.
The lyrics of "Watching You Watching Me" explore the emotions and feelings of love and the joy that comes with it. The song provides a romantic portrayal of the joys of being in a loving relationship, and the unique language of love spoken only by lovers, which is captured through the expressions in their eyes. It is about the special moments that couples share and the memories that last a lifetime. Bill Withers' soulful and emotive voice, accompanied by the soft and mellow music, is a reflection of how true love makes one feel- – warm, comfortable, and at peace.
Line by Line Meaning
Watching you watching me
Observing each other and being aware of the love between them
It's so easy to see
The love between them is evident and easily visible
That it's my loving you
The singer's love for the other person
That puts the starlight in your eyes
Their love brings joy and happiness to each other's eyes
Watching me watching you
Being aware of each other's love and admiration
It's so obviously true
Their love for each other is indisputable and clearly seen
That it's your loving me
The other person's love for the singer
That makes my life a paradise
Their love makes the artist's life joyful and happy
When lovers meet
Talking about the experience of being in love
And light a spark
When they feel the attraction and connection with each other
Their eyes give the game away
Their eyes reveal how they feel about each other
Somehow it's a feeling you can never hide
Their love is so strong and obvious that it cannot be hidden
No matter how hard you try
They cannot conceal their love
When lovers speak
Talking about how lovers communicate
It's from the heart
The words they speak come from a place of true love
And all of the things they say
Everything they say is part of their love and affection
Are part of the magic and the mystery
Their love is special and incomprehensible to others
You hear in a gentle sigh
Their love can be heard in the subtle expressions of their voice
The times we had
Reflecting on the good times they shared together
The fun and games
Remembering the lighthearted moments they shared
The things that I can't forget
Memories of their time together that remain significant to the artist
We share in those very special memories
Their past experiences together are treasured by both of them
All lovers do smile about
Their shared memories are something all loving couples can relate to
I'm so glad you feel the same
The other person feels the same way and shares the artist's feelings
There's nothing to regret
They have no regrets about their love for each other
It's free for the simple love is there for you
Their love is pure and uncomplicated
To bring all the feelings out
Their love allows them to express their deepest emotions
There's a language
Talking about love as a language
Spoken only by lovers
Their love has a unique language that only they can understand
Words and phrases
Their love language consists of words and phrases that express their love
That they make with their eyes
Their eyes are also part of their love language
You might try it
Others might try to understand their love language
But you'll never change things
Their love language cannot be changed or altered
Let's celebrate what life's about
They should celebrate their love and what it brings to their lives
Let's sing out the melody
Their love is something to be celebrated joyfully
The words and the music to our song of love
Their love is like a beautiful song
Are sweeter than anything
Their love is the sweetest thing they know
Cause if we wait
If they delay celebrating their love
We might lose out
They may miss out on something special if they don't celebrate their love
On things that were meant to be
Their love is meant to be celebrated
With all of the secrets that the heart can hold
They should not keep their love hidden
Left dangling on a string
Their love should be expressed and not kept hidden
Girl, ain't it easy to see?
The singer is pointing out how obvious their love is
Girl, I believe you know that it's true
The artist is stating that the other person is aware of their love for them
Sweet girl, that I love you
The artist is expressing their love for the other person
You make my life a paradise
The other person brings the artist joy and happiness
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: WILLIAM EATON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind