The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 428

Number 428

Bill Withers

"Ain't No Sunshine"

(1971)
.

Genre: R&B

Oh god ... i gotta pee

So ..... 2008 is almost over and dusted. But wait! What was the music like in the year 2008? Well, why don't we ask the guru's at Rolling Stone for a few of their ideas .... #1: Beyonce "Single Ladies" - #2: Santogold "LES Artistes" - #3: MGMT "Time to Pretend" - #4: Blitzen Trapper "Furr" - #5: Lil Wayne "Lollipop" - #6: Beck "Gamma Ray" - #7: Estelle ft. Kanye West "American Boy" - #8: My Morning Jacket "I'm Amazed" - #9: Coldplay "Viva La Vida" - #10: T.I. "No Matter What" that's the top ten ~ hope you are all not suddenly feeling ill? But wait! theres more ..... #19: Guns N' Roses "Better" - #27: The Ting Tings "Shut Up and Let Me Go" - #39: The Academy is ... "About a Girl" - #44: Panic at The Disco "Nine in the Afternoon" - #49: Jonas Brothers "Video Girl" - #60: Ne Yo "Closer" - #93: Madonna "Candyshop" - #98: Teyana Taylor - "Google Me".

Well there you go, you can imagine what the rest of the list is like and if you don't believe me ... check it here. In short, 2008 musically is CRAP, other than Beck, Kings Of Leon & Black Keys there are 97 other songs full of unforgettable music. 2008 really does define this decade of music .... soulless. This decade will go down as the worst ever. Merry Xmas and thank God for Kings Of Leon!

No, im not the guy from "Tropic Thunder"

Though low-key by the standards of early-'70s soul, Withers' debut record is by most measures an astonishing maiden outing. Perhaps being at a relatively advanced age for a singer-songwriter doing his first album (Withers was in his early thirties by the time it was released) helped give the songs a maturity and weight lacking in most initial efforts. Withers immediately carved a distinct niche for himself within soul music by integrating folkier, more introspective elements than what was being heard almost anywhere else within the style. While gentle orchestration and jazz-funk rhythms could often be heard, he didn't forsake some downhome blues and gospel influences, which really came to the forefront on songs like "Grandma's Hands." The lilting, melancholy "Ain't No Sunshine" was the deserved smash hit from the record, but there were a bunch of fine effervescently grooving songs on the rest of the album that remain unjustly familiar to the general audience, like "Harlem," "Sweet Wanomi," "Moanin' and Groanin'," and "Better Off Dead." All the material was original save covers of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'" and the Beatles' "Let It Be," both of which Withers made over into his own memorable acoustic-based soul style. ~ [Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide]

Aint No Sunshine

"Ain't No Sunshine" is a song by Bill Withers from his 1971 album Just As I Am. The song was released as a single in September 1971 and became a breakthrough hit for Withers, reaching number six on the U.S. R&B chart and number three on the U.S. Pop chart. Withers was still working at a factory that made toilet seats for 747s when he recorded the song. He originally intended to write more lyrics for the part of the song where he repeats the phrase "I know" twenty-six times, but the other musicians told him to leave it. "I was this factory worker puttering around", Withers said. "So when they said to leave it like that, I left it." "Ain't No Sunshine" is ranked 280th on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Song has been performed by such artists as James Taylor, Tracy Chapman, Paul McCartney, Tom Jones, Kenny Rogers, Joe Cocker, Lenny Kravitz, Eva Cassidy, Michael Jackson, Finger 11, Jeff Beck, Elvis Costello, Marvin Gaye, UB40, Otis Redding & Al Green (to name just a few) ~ [Source: Wikipedia]

For the Beatles see Number 489, #587, #894 & #947

For James Taylor see Number 820

For Paul McCartney see Number 583

For Tom Jones see Number 740 & #943

For Kenny Rogers see Number 711

For Joe Cocker see Number 453 & #633

For Michael Jackson see Number 580 & #621

For Jeff Beck see Number 636

For Elvis Costello see Number 876

For Marvin Gaye see Number 611

For UB40 see Number 643 & #857

For Otis Redding see Number 623

For Al Green see Number 472

For Coldplay see Number 769

For Guns N' Roses see Number 460, #558 & #795

For Madonna see Number 478 & #571 + MM Vol 1 #077

For Kings Of Leon you will have to wait till MM Vol 17 ! that could be ages.

What does Rolling Stone think of Bill Withers?

Somehow, the man who brought us "Lean on Me," "Use Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine" isn't a universally revered musical figure. But Bill Withers is a giant, whether or not the rest of us remember. During a remarkable run that stretches roughly the same period as Stevie Wonder's legendary purple path, Withers was making deep, lived-in music that brought the best of Seventies soul together with the intimate power of that era's singer-songwriter movement. Withers -- who grew up in a West Virginia coal-mining town and was making airline toilets for Boeing before he hit it big -- did it all with a no-nonsense directness that proudly reflected his working-class roots. ~ [Source: Rolling Stone]

For Stevie Wonder see Number 657

Rolling Stone magazine deemed their '428th Song of all Time' was "Devil With a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly" by Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels has not appeared in The Definitive 1000.

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number 280 and the Album ranked at Number (Oh, we only like 2 songs, not a whole album .. gawd)

This song has a Definitive 1000 rating of 77.6 out of 108