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).
Who Is He?
Bill Withers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And when I looked at you
You looked at the ground
I don't know who he is
But I think that you do
Dadgummit
Who is he, and what is he to you
Something in my heart and in your eye
Tells me he's not someone just passing by
And when you cleared your throat
Was that your cue
Dadgummit
Who is he, and what is he to you
Now when I add the sum of you and me
I get confused when I keep coming up with three
You're too much for one man
But not enough for two
Dadgummit
Who is he and what is he to you
Well, you tell me men don't have much intuition
Is that what you really thinking girl
Or are you wishing
Before you wreck your old home
And search for another new
Dadgummit
Who is he, and what is he to you
Dadgummit
Who is he, and what is he to you
Dadgummit
Who is he, and what is he to you
Dadgummit
Who is he, and what is he to you
In this song, Bill Withers sings about a situation where he and his partner encounter a man who tries to stare him down, and when he looks at his partner, she looks at the ground. He becomes suspicious of this man and wonders who he is to her. He feels that something in her eyes and his heart tells him that this man is not just passing by and they might have a history. He then questions their relationship dynamic and gets confused about why they can't be satisfied with just each other. He suspects that maybe his partner is thinking of leaving him for this man.
The chorus of the song, "Who is he, and what is he to you," is a repeated question to his partner, demanding answers to the mystery man's identity and the nature of their relationship. Although he expresses frustration, the tone of the song is melancholic, and his sadness is conveyed through the mournful melody and beautiful lyrics.
Withers' soulful and emotive vocals add to the emotional weight of the song, making it a timeless classic. It highlights the complexity of relationships, and the uncertainties that can plague them, making it a relatable song for many.
Line by Line Meaning
A man we passed just tried to stare me down
A stranger just made an unwelcome advance at me
And when I looked at you
I sought protection from you
You looked at the ground
You felt ashamed or guilty of something
I don't know who he is
I don't recognize the stranger
But I think that you do
I suspect that you have some knowledge of him
Who is he, and what is he to you
I want to know who the stranger is to you, and the nature of your connection
Something in my heart and in your eye
My feelings and your expressions reveal something important
Tells me he's not someone just passing by
I sense that the stranger has some significance or influence on you
And when you cleared your throat
Your nervous reaction suggests discomfort or unease
Was that your cue
Did you want to communicate something to me through that gesture?
Now when I add the sum of you and me
When I consider our relationship as a whole
I get confused when I keep coming up with three
I feel like there is another presence or factor involved
You're too much for one man
You are a complex and dynamic person
But not enough for two
You cannot fully satisfy two people at once
Well, you tell me men don't have much intuition
You dismiss my intuition or insight on this matter because of my gender
Is that what you really thinking girl
Are you actually questioning my ability to perceive things?
Or are you wishing
Are you secretly hoping that I am wrong?
Before you wreck your old home
You should consider the consequences of your actions on our current relationship
And search for another new
And look for something better elsewhere
Who is he, and what is he to you
I need clarity on the identity and role of this stranger in relation to you
Dadgummit
An expression of frustration, annoyance, or disbelief
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bill Withers, Stanley Wayne Mckenney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gmfw9777
Dude just slid "Dadgummit" into a song. Mr. Withers ain't nothing to be fuckin'with
@snit22
I am not sure he is saying dagummit. I think he is saying "that guy I met there"=dagamettha. I am not sure, but that's what I hear
@gmfw9777
@@snit22 it's written in the lyrics as "Dadgummit". Hear it however you wanna hear it, it's an exceptional song 👍👍👍
@gmfw9777
@@pipp_988 it's easy enough to look up
@pipp_988
@@gmfw9777ah didn't realise it was a real word
@stanettiels7367
Lmfao.
@LittleRedMadison
"You're too much for one man but not enough for two?" That line is so smartly written, it's astonishing.
@dianeperry1170
0
@kdm1074
The SONG is smartly written..."something that in my heart is in your eyes....tell me hes not someone just passing by..."
This song is sooooo clutch!!! (wisdom)
@nkongme
My thoughts as well. I didn't expect she'll not be enough for two though, because she's been painted as quite a handful ;)