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Ain't No Sunshine

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"Ain't No Sunshine"
File:Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers US single.png
US vinyl single release
Single by Bill Withers
from the album Just As I Am
B-side"Harlem"
ReleasedJuly 1971
Genre
Length2:03
LabelSussex
Songwriter(s)Bill Withers
Producer(s)Booker T. Jones
Bill Withers singles chronology
"Harlem"
(1971) 		"Ain't No Sunshine"
(1971) 		"Grandma's Hands"
(1971)
Official audio
"Ain't No Sunshine" on YouTube

"Ain't No Sunshine" is a song by Bill Withers from his 1971 album Just As I Am, produced by Booker T. Jones. The record featured musicians Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass guitar, Al Jackson Jr. on drums and Stephen Stills on guitar.[1] String arrangements were done by Booker T. Jones. The song was recorded in Memphis by engineer Terry Manning.

The song was released as a single in 1971, becoming a breakthrough hit for Withers, reaching number six on the U.S. R&B Chart and number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 23 song for 1971.

The song reached the Top 40 again in 2009, when it was sung by Kris Allen in the eighth season of American Idol.

History[]

File:Bill Withers - Just As I Am, 1971 (cropped) (2).jpg

Bill Withers, 1971

Withers was inspired to write the song after watching the 1962 movie Days of Wine and Roses. He explained, in reference to the characters played by Lee Remick and Jack Lemmon, "They were both alcoholics who were alternately weak and strong. It's like going back for seconds on rat poison. Sometimes you miss things that weren't particularly good for you. It's just something that crossed my mind from watching that movie, and probably something else that happened in my life that I'm not aware of."[2]

For the song's third verse, Withers had intended to write more lyrics instead of repeating the phrase "I know" 26 times, but then followed the advice of the other musicians to leave it that way: "I was this factory worker puttering around," Withers said. "So when they said to leave it like that, I left it."[2]

Withers, then 31, was working at a factory making bathrooms for 747s at the time he wrote the song. When the song went gold, the record company presented Withers with a golden toilet seat, marking the start of his new career.[3] "Ain't No Sunshine" was the first of Withers' three gold records in the U.S.

Originally released as the B-side to another song called "Harlem", "Ain't No Sunshine" was preferred by disc jockeys, and it became a huge hit, Withers' first.[4] "Harlem" was subsequently covered by The 5th Dimension, who featured it on their Soul and Inspiration album and released it as a single.

Withers performed "Ain't No Sunshine" on The Old Grey Whistle Test.[5] It won the Grammy for Best R&B Song in 1972[4] and is ranked 285th on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[6]

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[20] Platinum 70,000^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[21] Platinum Expression error: Missing operand for *.^
Italy (FIMI)[22] Platinum 50,000double-dagger
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Platinum 600,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[24] Gold 1,000,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Michael Jackson version[]

"Ain't No Sunshine"
File:Ain't No Sunshine Michael Jackson.jpg
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album Got to Be There
B-side"I Wanna Be Where You Are"
ReleasedJuly 3, 1972
Recorded1971
StudioHitsville West, Los Angeles, California
Genre
  • Soul
  • psychedelic soul
Length4:09
LabelMotown
Songwriter(s)Bill Withers
Producer(s)Hal Davis
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"I Wanna Be Where You Are"
(1972) 		"Ain't No Sunshine"
(1972) 		"Ben"
(1972)

In 1971, singer Michael Jackson recorded a rendition of Bill Withers' song for his debut album Got to Be There (released in early 1972).

In the UK the song was released as the third (and final) single from the album (after the two singles "Got to Be There" and "Rockin' Robin", a cover of Bobby Day's 1958 song). The song "I Wanna Be Where You Are", which was released as the third single in the US, was on the B-side. It was a hit, peaking in the UK Singles Chart at number 8 for 3 weeks in September 1972. The song was remixed by Benny Blanco for the 2009 release The Remix Suite. The song's drum break was sampled in "Gonna Love Me" by Teyana Taylor from her second studio album K.T.S.E..

Charts[]

Chart (1972) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[25] 8
Chart (2009) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[26] 92

Boris Gardiner version[]

The Boris Gardiner Happening recorded a version of "Ain't No Sunshine" in 1973 with Paul Douglas singing lead, and Boris Gardiner playing bass guitar, for the album Is What's Happening.[27]

Budka Suflera version[]

The Polish rock band Budka Suflera recorded a cover version of the song in 1974 under the title "Sen o dolinie", with Krzysztof Cugowski providing the lead vocal. The single also appeared on their 1983 compilation album "1974-1984" released by Polskie Nagrania Muza. The Polish lyrics were written by Adam Sikorski.[28]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1983) Peak
position
Poland (LP3)[29] 14

Rockmelons featuring Deni Hines version[]

"Ain't No Sunshine"
Single by The Rockmelons feat. Deni Hines
from the album Form 1 Planet
ReleasedNovember 1991
Length3:20
LabelFestival Mushroom Records
Songwriter(s)Bill Withers
Producer(s)The Rockmelons
The Rockmelons feat. Deni Hines singles chronology
"Boogietron"
(1988) 		"Ain't No Sunshine"
(1991) 		"That Word (L.O.V.E.)"
(1992)

In November 1991, Australian pop band Rockmelons, (featuring vocalist Deni Hines) released a version as the lead single from their second studio album, Form 1 Planet (1992). The song peaked at number 5 and was certified Gold in Australia.[30]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1991/92) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[31] 5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[32] 8

Ladysmith Black Mambazo featuring Des'ree version[]

"Ain't No Sunshine"
Single by Ladysmith Black Mambazo feat. Des'ree
from the album In Harmony
ReleasedOctober 1999
GenreWorld
Length3:50
LabelUMTV
Songwriter(s)Bill Withers
Ladysmith Black Mambazo feat. Des'ree singles chronology
"Best Days"
(1999) 		"Ain't No Sunshine"
(1999) 		"It's Okay"
(2003)

In 1999, South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, (featuring vocalist Des'ree) released a version as a single from their studio album, In Harmony (1999). The single peaked at number 42 in the UK.[33]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1999) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[34] 42

Other covers[]

  • The Nylons covered "Ain't No Sunshine" in 1998. Their version reached #53 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart.[35]
  • The heavy metal band Black Label Society covered the song on their 2013 album Unblackened under the title "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone". This version was subsequently released as a single, peaking at No. 42 on the Canadian Rock Chart.[36]

Popular culture[]

  • The song also appears on the original soundtrack albums for the films When We Were Kings (1997) and Notting Hill (1999)
  • The song was featured in the first season (2016) of FX's anthology limited series American Crime Story, which focuses on the 1994 murder trial of O. J. Simpson.

References[]

  1. ↑ The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition, LyricsFreak, Broken Radio, About.comOldies Music - In The Spotlight: Bill Withers
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wiser, Carl (2 January 2004). "Bill Withers : Songwriter Interviews". songfacts.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. {{cite web}}:
  3. ↑ Nichols, Paul; Ottewill, Jim (4 July 2017). "Soul man: Bill Withers". M Magazine. PRS for Music. Retrieved 3 April 2020. {{cite web}}:
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Ain't No Sunshine". songfacts.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-03. {{cite web}}:
  5. ↑ The Old Grey Whistle Test (DVD). Warner Home Video. 2003. 
  6. ↑ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Bill Withers, 'Ain't No Sunshine'". Rolling Stone. 9 Dec 2004. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. {{cite web}}: 11 July 2012;
  7. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. 
  8. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". 2012-03-30. {{cite web}}:
  9. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  10. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 262. 
  11. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 633. 
  12. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 10/09/71". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2018. {{cite web}}:
  13. ↑ "Musicline.de – Bill Withers Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  14. ↑ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved April 11, 2020. {{cite web}}:
  15. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  16. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Bill Withers – Ain't No Sunshine". Swiss Singles Chart.
  17. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1971/Top 100 Songs of 1971". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 9 October 2018. {{cite web}}:
  18. ↑ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1971". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2018. {{cite web}}:
  19. ↑ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. 1971-12-25. p. 15. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_SQ8EAAAAMBAJ. Retrieved 2016-10-03. "another day paul mccartney." 
  20. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. {{cite web}}:
  21. ↑ "Danish single certifications – Bill Withers – Ain't No Sunshine". IFPI Denmark. {{cite web}}:
  22. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Bill Withers – Ain't No Sunshine" (PDF) . Federation of the Italian Music Industry. {{cite web}}:
  23. ↑ "British single certifications – Bill Withers – Ain't No Sunshine". British Phonographic Industry. {{cite web}}: Enter Ain't No Sunshine in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Click Go
  24. ↑ "American single certifications – Bill Withers – Ain't No Sunshine". Recording Industry Association of America. {{cite web}}: If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  25. ↑ "Michael Jackson — full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-05-09. {{cite web}}:
  26. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  27. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-11-16. Retrieved 2016-11-16. {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  28. ↑ "Budka Suflera – Sen O Dolinie / Jest Taki Samotny Dom (1983, Vinyl)". {{cite web}}:
  29. ↑ "Lista Przebojów Programu 3". Poland LP3. Retrieved 2 November 2019. {{cite web}}:
  30. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. 
  31. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Rockmelons – Ain't No Sunshine". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  32. ↑ "Charts.nz – Rockmelons – Ain't No Sunshine". Top 40 Singles.
  33. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-03. {{cite web}}:
  34. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  35. ↑ RPM Adult Contemporary, June 15, 1998
  36. ↑ Cubarrubia, RJ (August 9, 2013). "Black Label Society Cover Bill Withers' 'Sunshine' – Song Premiere". Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/black-label-society-cover-bill-withers-sunshine-song-premiere-20130809. Retrieved May 26, 2016. 

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