Ain't No Sunshine
Encyclopedia
"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 and Al Jackson, Jr. on drums, as well as Withers on lead vocals and guitar. The song was released as a single in September 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.
. 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."
For the song's third verse, Withers had intended to write more lyrics instead of repeating the phrase "I know" over and over again, 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." (Withers, then thirty-one years old, was working at a factory making toilet seat
s for 747s
at the time.)
The song was originally released as the B-side to another song called "Harlem". Disc jockeys played "Ain't No Sunshine" as the single instead, and it became a huge hit, the first hit for Withers.
"Ain't No Sunshine" is ranked 280th on Rolling Stone
's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song won the Grammy for Best R&B Song in 1972.
There are also several songs that share the same title of "Ain't No Sunshine," and borrow lyrics from the hook
, but they aren't true covers. Examples include versions by Akon
, Cuban Link
, Kid Frost, DMX
and Boxcutter
. DMX's 2001 cover, using the title "No Sunshine", was included in the soundtrack for the film Exit Wounds
.
The song has also been translated into German by songwriter Lukas Hilbert
; this version, entitled "Mein Tag, Mein Licht," has been performed by artists such as Jazzkantine
and Yvonne Catterfeld
.
, Old School
, Amy, Crooklyn
, and Munich
.
On television, the song is briefly heard in the animated series Drawn Together
(episode "Dirty Pranking No. 2"), during the sound analysis in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
episode "Anonymous," and LAX
(episode "Secret Santa
"). It was sung karaoke-style on the USA Network show, Monk
, by Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine
) in the episode "Mr. Monk Goes to Vegas." The song was also briefly played at the end of an episode of One on One
, with Kyla Pratt.
In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
season 4 finale The Philadelphia Story Will played it on a diner jukebox
and danced to it eventually striking the unit with one hand at the end of the repetitive chorus, which made it sound as if the record was skipping.
The song was heard in the background in the conclusion of the first season finale of The Bernie Mac Show
, "Sweet Home Chicago, Part 2", where Vanessa was in downtown Chicago
, trying to search for her mother.
"Ain't No Sunshine" was used as music for a rumba
in So You Think You Can Dance
during season 3, performed by Lauren Gottlieb and Dominic Sandoval. Kris Allen
covered the song during the eighth season
and also the finale of American Idol
. Fellow Idol contestants Christina Christian (Season 1) and Aaron Kelly (Season 9) also performed the song on the show. At Last
sung their version on the talent showcase America's Got Talent
, and later released it as a single on the web.
"Ain't No Sunshine" was used in a major television public service announcement in Australia
for skin cancer
. Current UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva
and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell have both used the song as entrance music for their fights.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
by Bill Withers
Bill Withers
William Harrison "Bill" Withers, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. Some of his best-known songs are "Lean on Me", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", "Just the Two of Us", "Lovely Day", and "Grandma's Hands"...
from his 1971 album Just as I Am
Just As I Am (Bill Withers album)
Just As I Am is the debut studio album of American soul musician Bill Withers, released in 1971 on Sussex Records. The album features the hit single "Ain't No Sunshine", which was ranked at number 280 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Booker T. Jones produced,...
, produced by Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones
Booker T. Jones is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. and the MGs. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime...
. The record featured musicians Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass guitar and Al Jackson, Jr. on drums, as well as Withers on lead vocals and guitar. The song was released as a single in September 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
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart.
History
Withers was inspired to write this song after watching the 1962 movie Days of Wine and RosesDays of Wine and Roses (film)
Days of Wine and Roses is a film directed by Blake Edwards with a screenplay by JP Miller adapted from his own 1958 Playhouse 90 teleplay of the same name....
. He explained, in reference to the characters played by Lee Remick
Lee Remick
Lee Ann Remick was an American film and television actress. Among her best-known films are Anatomy of a Murder , Days of Wine and Roses , and The Omen .-Early life:...
and Jack Lemmon
Jack Lemmon
John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III was an American actor and musician. He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts , Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger John Uhler "Jack" Lemmon III (February 8, 1925June...
, "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."
For the song's third verse, Withers had intended to write more lyrics instead of repeating the phrase "I know" over and over again, 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." (Withers, then thirty-one years old, was working at a factory making toilet seat
Toilet seat
A toilet seat is a hinged unit consisting of seat and lid which is bolted onto a toilet bowl for a flush toilet. A toilet seat consists of the seat itself, which may be contoured for the user to sit on, and the lid, which covers the toilet when it is not in use.If the toilet is located in a home...
s for 747s
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
at the time.)
The song was originally released as the B-side to another song called "Harlem". Disc jockeys played "Ain't No Sunshine" as the single instead, and it became a huge hit, the first hit for Withers.
"Ain't No Sunshine" is ranked 280th on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
Covers
The song has also been covered by many other (at least 144) artists, including:- Aaron KellyAaron Kelly (singer)Aaron Wayne Kelly is an American singer from Sonestown, Pennsylvania who finished fifth on the ninth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, Kelly was a finalist on America's Most Talented Kid at age 11.-Early life:...
- Aaron NevilleAaron NevilleAaron Neville is an American soul and R&B singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States along with four platinum-certified albums...
- AbramoAbramoAbramo is a surname. People with this surname include:* Livio Abramo * Lélia Abramo , Italian-Brazilian actress* Philip Abramo , Italian-American mobster...
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- AkonAkonAliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
- Airto MoreiraAirto MoreiraAirto Moreira is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. Airto is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. He currently resides in Los Angeles.-Biography:...
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There are also several songs that share the same title of "Ain't No Sunshine," and borrow lyrics from the hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
, but they aren't true covers. Examples include versions by Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
, Cuban Link
Cuban Link
Felix Delgado , better known by his stage name Cuban Link, is a Cuban rapper.-Biography:Delgado was born in Havana, Cuba in 1974. He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1980 and settled in the Morrisania section of the South Bronx neighborhood of New York City...
, Kid Frost, DMX
DMX (rapper)
Earl Simmons , better known by his stage name DMX, is a multiplatinum American rapper and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name pays tribute to the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used when he made his own rap beats in the 80's...
and Boxcutter
Boxcutter (musician)
Boxcutter is the pseudonym for Barry Lynn , an electronic musician from Northern Ireland whose work, due to its bass-led and rhythmically 2-step nature, is often categorised as dubstep, although in style and idiosyncrasies has more in common with IDM artists such as Squarepusher and µ-Ziq.-...
. DMX's 2001 cover, using the title "No Sunshine", was included in the soundtrack for the film Exit Wounds
Exit Wounds
Exit Wounds is a 2001 action film based on the book of the same name by John Westermann. The book takes place on Long Island, while the film is set in Detroit. The film was directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, and stars Steven Seagal as an urban detective notorious for pushing the limits of the law in...
.
The song has also been translated into German by songwriter Lukas Hilbert
Lukas Hilbert
Lukas Hilbert is a German composer, lyricist, music producer and singer.-Biography:Hilbert founded a musical band called The Future with his brother, Kieran, and the drummer, Maik Buchwald, when he was twelve years' old...
; this version, entitled "Mein Tag, Mein Licht," has been performed by artists such as Jazzkantine
Jazzkantine
Inspired by Guru's Jazzmatazz project, the German formation Jazzkantine was founded in 1993 in Braunschweig. Their first album Jazzkantine won them the "Echo Award" in 1995, the most important German music prize....
and Yvonne Catterfeld
Yvonne Catterfeld
Yvonne Catterfeld is a German singer, actress and TV host.-Biography:Catterfeld was born in Erfurt, Thuringia, then in East Germany, in 1979. At the age of 15 she started playing the piano and the flute, simultaneously taking first dance and vocal lessons...
.
Use in pop culture
In addition to DMX's "No Sunshine," the song has also been in the soundtracks of films Notting HillNotting Hill (film)
Notting Hill is a 1999 British romantic comedy film set in Notting Hill, London, released on 21 May 1999. The screenplay was by Richard Curtis, who had written Four Weddings and a Funeral. It was produced by Duncan Kenworthy and directed by Roger Michell...
, Old School
Old School (film)
Old School is a 2003 American comedy film released by DreamWorks SKG and directed by Todd Phillips, director of the documentary Frat House. The story was written by Court Crandall, and the film was written by Phillips and Scot Armstrong...
, Amy, Crooklyn
Crooklyn
Crooklyn is a 1994 semi-autobiographical film co-written and directed by Spike Lee. The film takes place in Brooklyn, New York and the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant during the summer of 1973. Its primary focus is a young girl, Troy , and her family...
, and Munich
Munich (film)
Munich is a 2005 historical fiction film about the Israeli government's secret retaliation attacks after the massacre of Israeli athletes by the Black September terrorist group during the 1972 Summer Olympics. The film stars Eric Bana and was produced and directed by Steven Spielberg...
.
On television, the song is briefly heard in the animated series Drawn Together
Drawn Together
Drawn Together is an American animated television series, which ran on Comedy Central from October 27, 2004 to November 14, 2007. The series was created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein, and uses a sitcom format with a TV reality show setting...
(episode "Dirty Pranking No. 2"), during the sound analysis in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
episode "Anonymous," and LAX
LAX (TV series)
LAX is a television drama set at the Los Angeles International Airport and draws its name from the airport's IATA airport code, "LAX".-Synopsis:...
(episode "Secret Santa
Secret Santa
Secret Santa is a Western Christmas tradition, in which members of a group or community are randomly assigned a person to whom they anonymously give a gift. Often practiced in workplaces, or amongst large families, participation in it is usually voluntary...
"). It was sung karaoke-style on the USA Network show, Monk
Monk (TV series)
Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July...
, by Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine
Ted Levine
Frank Theodore "Ted" Levine is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs and Captain Leland Stottlemeyer in the television series Monk.-Early life and career:...
) in the episode "Mr. Monk Goes to Vegas." The song was also briefly played at the end of an episode of One on One
One on One (TV series)
One on One is an American sitcom that aired on the now-defunct UPN from its September 3, 2001 premiere until May 15, 2006. The series stars Flex Alexander as a single sportscaster, who becomes a full-time dad when his ex-wife decides to accept a job out of the country and his teenage daughter...
, with Kyla Pratt.
In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
season 4 finale The Philadelphia Story Will played it on a diner jukebox
Jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media...
and danced to it eventually striking the unit with one hand at the end of the repetitive chorus, which made it sound as if the record was skipping.
The song was heard in the background in the conclusion of the first season finale of The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show
The Bernie Mac Show is an American sitcom featuring comic actor Bernie Mac and his wife Wanda raising his sister's three kids: Jordan, Bryana and Vanessa. The show aired for five seasons , concluding with a half-hour series finale on Fox....
, "Sweet Home Chicago, Part 2", where Vanessa was in downtown Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, trying to search for her mother.
"Ain't No Sunshine" was used as music for a rumba
Rumba (dance)
Rumba is a dance term with two quite different meanings.In some contexts, "rumba" is used as shorthand for Afro-Cuban rumba, a group of dances related to the rumba genre of Afro-Cuban music. The most common Afro-Cuban rumba is the guaguancó...
in So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
during season 3, performed by Lauren Gottlieb and Dominic Sandoval. Kris Allen
Kris Allen
Kristopher Neil "Kris" Allen is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of American Idol...
covered the song during the eighth season
American Idol (season 8)
The eighth season of American Idol premiered on January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show's contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the Idol...
and also the finale of American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
. Fellow Idol contestants Christina Christian (Season 1) and Aaron Kelly (Season 9) also performed the song on the show. At Last
At Last
"At Last" is a 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren for the musical film Orchestra Wives, starring George Montgomery and Ann Rutherford. It was performed in the film and on record by Glenn Miller and his orchestra, with vocals by Ray Eberle and Pat Friday...
sung their version on the talent showcase America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
, and later released it as a single on the web.
- In Europe, finalist Shaun Smith sang "Ain't No Sunshine" for his audition and in the final for Britain's Got TalentBritain's Got TalentBritain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
. - In Italy's version of X FactorX Factor (Italy)X Factor is a successful TV show airing on prime time in Italy. The singing competition is the Italian version of The X Factor franchise...
, Noemi sang the song during the sixth episode. - In Deutschland sucht den SuperstarDeutschland sucht den SuperstarDeutschland sucht den Superstar is a German reality talent show, also commonly known by its initials DSDS. Part of the Idol franchise, it was created by English media mogul Simon Fuller as a spin-off from the British show Pop Idol, of which two series were broadcast between the years of 2001 and...
, Mark MedlockMark MedlockMark Medlock is a German singer and the winner of the season 4 of Deutschland sucht den Superstar , the German version of Pop Idol.-Early life:...
, Nevio PassaroNevio PassaroNevio Passaro is an Italo-German singer, musician and songwriter. He rose to fame after placing fourth in the third season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar, the German version of Pop Idol....
and Daniel SchuhmacherDaniel SchuhmacherDaniel Schuhmacher is a German singer. He is known most notably for winning the sixth season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar, the German edition of Pop Idol.-Personal life:...
sang this song.
"Ain't No Sunshine" was used in a major television public service announcement in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for skin cancer
Skin cancer
Skin neoplasms are skin growths with differing causes and varying degrees of malignancy. The three most common malignant skin cancers are basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer, and melanoma, each of which is named after the type of skin cell from which it arises...
. Current UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva
Anderson Silva
Anderson da Silva is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He is the current UFC Middleweight Champion and the promotion's longest reigning champion. With 14 consecutive wins, Silva holds the longest winning streak and title defense streak in UFC history...
and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell have both used the song as entrance music for their fights.
- In 2007 the track was sampled by Drum & Bass artists Bachelors of Science.
- Featured in CSI: NYCSI: NYCSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
episode "Manhattanhenge". - It is used in promotions for The CloserThe CloserThe Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...
. - Featured in German action series Alarm für Cobra 11Alarm für Cobra 11 – Die AutobahnpolizeiAlarm für Cobra 11 – Die Autobahnpolizei is a long-running, popular German television series about a two-man team of highway police, originally set in Berlin and later in North Rhine-Westphalia. The series has been broadcast in countries worldwide....
episode "Alte Freunde" (2009). - In 2010, track "Then Days Went By" by 50 Cent50 CentCurtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
from his album Before I Self DestructBefore I Self DestructBefore I Self Destruct is the fourth studio album by American rapper 50 Cent, released November 9, 2009 on Interscope Records in the United States. It is his final solo release for his current contract with Interscope Records, excluding a "greatest hits" album. A feature film, also titled Before I...
samples the Michael Jackson version. - Plays during the 2010 Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
XLIV commercial for the video game Dante's InfernoDante's Inferno (video game)Dante's Inferno is a 2010 action-adventure video game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. The game was also released on the PlayStation Portable and was developed by Artificial Mind and Movement...
. EA Games wanted the advertisement to go "beyond masses" with the song. - Neil DiamondNeil DiamondNeil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
sang the song with the Season 2 finalists of the reality show The Sing-OffThe Sing-OffThe Sing-Off is an American television singing competition featuring a cappella groups. It premiered on NBC on December 14, 2009, and is produced by Sony Pictures Television....