Let me be the first:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhwiYThNZDM
― The Edge of Gloryhole (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 25 May 2011 22:57 (twelve years ago) link
'Just the Two of Us' ruined by both Mike Myers and Will Smith.
― when use becomes abuse (S-), Wednesday, 25 May 2011 23:30 (twelve years ago) link
Still wish there had been a proper release of the Gap commercial mashup of "Lovely Day" and "I Hear Music in the Streets."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ2XBzq387c
― scissorlocks and the three bears (Eric H.), Wednesday, 25 May 2011 23:37 (twelve years ago) link
aint no sunshine
― Midworst (jjjusten), Wednesday, 25 May 2011 23:40 (twelve years ago) link
Use Me
― the morals of a tomcat and the manners of a wolf (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Thursday, 26 May 2011 02:26 (twelve years ago) link
Lean On Me > Ain't No Sunshine > Use Me > Lovely Day > Just The Two of Us
...though the first three are so close that it feels ridiculous to rank them. His first two records contained much stronger material than either of those latter two songs, though. There isn't a song on Just As I Am that isn't brilliant, really.
Liked the documentary as well, though I wish there was a bit more to it. Reviewed it <a href=http://echoandsway.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/beside-the-music/">here</a>.
― jer.fairall, Thursday, 26 May 2011 02:33 (twelve years ago) link
Ugh, make that here: http://echoandsway.wordpress.com/2011/04/07/beside-the-music/
― jer.fairall, Thursday, 26 May 2011 02:34 (twelve years ago) link
Also would have said Grandma's Hands. But voted Ain't No Sunshine.
― boxall, Thursday, 26 May 2011 02:35 (twelve years ago) link
I feel like on a particular day, I could vote for any one of these (and also "Grandma's Hands"), but "Ain't No Sunshine" is some be-all/end-all shit in my world.
― Johnny Fever, Thursday, 26 May 2011 02:38 (twelve years ago) link
I just want to vote for USE ME as this live clip is one of my favorite things I found on youtube. The band is so laid back in the pocket and groovy.
The drummer is just the coolest. He's like "this is a pretty killer groove ain't it."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3hBYTkI-sE
― earlnash, Thursday, 26 May 2011 03:28 (twelve years ago) link
I've always been partial to "Kissing My Love," he just sounds so overwhelmingly joyous. Out of this list, "Ain't No Sunshine" has always sounded alien in how fantastic it is, even if "Use Me" is kinda more interesting to me.
― trippin lookin at my portfolio (billy), Thursday, 26 May 2011 03:56 (twelve years ago) link
xp: Goddamn, that's awesome.
― the morals of a tomcat and the manners of a wolf (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Thursday, 26 May 2011 03:59 (twelve years ago) link
Ain't No Sunshine is inexplicably great. He just rides that "I know, I know, I know" riff and you can't say just how it becomes transcendent, but it does. But I voted Use Me, because, face it, such a great lyric and it's crazy-funky as all get out.
― Aimless, Thursday, 26 May 2011 04:01 (twelve years ago) link
Use Me, the others all in a tie for 2nd place
― Bill E, Thursday, 26 May 2011 04:03 (twelve years ago) link
Bill Withers "Lovely Day" C/D
― Doctor Casino, Thursday, 26 May 2011 05:02 (twelve years ago) link
'Lovely Day', for sure. As in the immortal words of, eh, one of the dudes of 'Air France':
Can liven a funeral, I tried and It worked. Makes you move on.
― the europan nikon is here (grauschleier), Thursday, 26 May 2011 12:55 (twelve years ago) link
A Karaoke highlight (for me) was proving to myself that I could actually do that last long note on "Lovely Day"
― Mark G, Thursday, 26 May 2011 13:00 (twelve years ago) link
Anyway, the real answer is "Grandma's Hands"
― skot gigz - moombah pimpin' (The Reverend), Wednesday, 25 May 2011 22:03 (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
― WHO THE FUCK READS THE (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 26 May 2011 13:08 (twelve years ago) link
everybody doesn't know "Grandma's Hands" like they know these 5 songs -- i'm listening to it right now for the first time ever (not counting the "No Diggity" sample)
― gargle on my nuts (some dude), Thursday, 26 May 2011 13:40 (twelve years ago) link
Funny thing is that if you watch the Still Bill doc somehow knowing absolutely nothing about Withers, you could plausibly come away from it thinking "Grandma's Hands" was his biggest hit.
― jer.fairall, Thursday, 26 May 2011 14:01 (twelve years ago) link
I love the lyrics and groove to "Use Me", so that's what I voted for. But all these are great. And "Lean On Me" is just so classic I may actually switch my vote.
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Thursday, 26 May 2011 14:28 (twelve years ago) link
I'd vote Lovely Day, but you can't go wrong with any of 'em.
And here's a vastly underrated Colombia-era single:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-1Z1TpQCgw
― xtianDC, Thursday, 26 May 2011 18:21 (twelve years ago) link
all of these are great to Godlike. Use Me rocks my world the most. I need Still Bill, right?
― gospodin simmel, Friday, 27 May 2011 08:48 (twelve years ago) link
one of the sweetest memories I have is of hearing "Use Me" while riding with a good friend down a highway at night, no way I can get objective about the other ones in light of it
― w of in the attic (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Friday, 27 May 2011 09:33 (twelve years ago) link
'(si si) je suis un rock star'
― Ward Fowler, Friday, 27 May 2011 09:35 (twelve years ago) link
how did we get this far into a Bill Withers thread without the duck joke?
― sometimes all it takes is a healthy dose of continental indiepop (tomofthenest), Friday, 27 May 2011 09:37 (twelve years ago) link
what are you even talking about ward
lol tomofthenest
― w of in the attic (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Friday, 27 May 2011 09:38 (twelve years ago) link
trying (and obv failing) for a bill withers-bill wyman 'joke', pl move along etc
― Ward Fowler, Friday, 27 May 2011 10:58 (twelve years ago) link
Ok, I'll bite.
Duck joke?
― jer.fairall, Friday, 27 May 2011 13:41 (twelve years ago) link
That You Got The Stuff track! The loooooong vamp at the end is rocking my world. It sounds like My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts!
― The hoppiest hop hopper now with xtra hops (Dan Peterson), Friday, 27 May 2011 14:22 (twelve years ago) link
http://it.bing.com/search?q=duck+joke+bill+withers&src=IE-SearchBox&Form=IE8SRC
xpost
― Mark G, Friday, 27 May 2011 14:25 (twelve years ago) link
^^ made my day.
― jer.fairall, Friday, 27 May 2011 16:07 (twelve years ago) link
Please tell me there's a music joke thread around here somewhere that I just haven't found yet.
Another fave:
Q: Why did the farmer start a punk rock band?
A: Cause he was tired of haulin' oats.
― jer.fairall, Friday, 27 May 2011 16:09 (twelve years ago) link
Artist-specific music jokes
Knock yersel' out.
― Mark G, Friday, 27 May 2011 16:12 (twelve years ago) link
This is impossible.
― Number None, Friday, 27 May 2011 17:41 (twelve years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Monday, 30 May 2011 23:01 (twelve years ago) link
i once had a busker sing "who is he and what is he to you" to me on a subway platform.
― one dis leads to another (ian), Monday, 30 May 2011 23:41 (twelve years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Tuesday, 31 May 2011 23:01 (twelve years ago) link
close!
― Mark G, Tuesday, 31 May 2011 23:05 (twelve years ago) link
A long time ago I was in a restaurant/bar in Kansas City and my waitress was named "Sunshine", actually she said she was named something else but just used that on her name tag, but anyway I thought she was really cute, so I braved my way to the karaoke stage and sang "Ain't No Sunshine" and dedicated it to her. And she really liked it!
All I can think about whenever I've heard the song ever since.
― Lee626, Tuesday, 31 May 2011 23:14 (twelve years ago) link
i'm just sad about how many of his tunes have been covered to the point where everyone knows the version that isn't his.
even some generic Christian r&b group called Out of Even remade Lovely Day as a song sung to God in the mid-90s, among hundreds of other artists.....
― lolford brimley (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 31 May 2011 23:32 (twelve years ago) link
Just The Two Of Us 0
otm
― Spo-Dee-O-Dee-Dopaliscious! (The Reverend), Wednesday, 1 June 2011 07:30 (twelve years ago) link
Just The 0 Of Us
― Mark G, Wednesday, 1 June 2011 08:56 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.allmusic.com/album/lean-on-me-mw0003201997
^ andy kellman review
wish jose james had more clout in the review-industrial complex, i like every record of his i hear but i don't hear about them except by accident. this is his bill withers covers/tribute project.
― j., Saturday, 1 December 2018 17:06 (five years ago) link
Ooh thanks for the heads up. I love him and he's got the all-star band on this (Nate Smith and Pino), but yeah I recently realized he'd released multiple albums that I'd missed.
― change display name (Jordan), Saturday, 1 December 2018 17:42 (five years ago) link
ikr
what's the point of being on blue note if you can't work that promo money
― j., Saturday, 1 December 2018 17:58 (five years ago) link
Am I the first one on this thread to mention "Who Is He And What Is He To You?" <3<3<3
The 5 in the poll are all great, but my love for "Use Me" has never dimmed (and I do find it kinda overplayed, but still...)
― The hoppiest hop hopper now with xtra hops (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 25 May 2011 21:26 (seven years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
this
tho i did rock lean on me in panto once (huntsman assuring snow white i wasnt gonna kill her, full robin hood look including green tights why thank you ladiez)
― puppy bash (darraghmac), Tuesday, 4 December 2018 00:34 (five years ago) link
Bill Salter who wrote/ co wrote Just the Two of Us for /with Bill plus “Where is the Love” for Roberta Flack & Donnie Hathaway is getting some attention via his granddaughter’s Tik Tok. She is now making a doc about her 84 year old grandfather
https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/human-interest/2020/12/05/harlem-native-who-wrote-just-the-two-of-us-now-a-viral-sensation
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 12 December 2020 16:41 (three years ago) link