ChiefsPlanet Mobile
Page 2 of 3
< 12 3 >
Nzoner's Game Room>RIP Bill Withers
2bikemike 08:25 AM 04-03-2020
https://news.yahoo.com/lean-lovely-d...140145453.html

Bill Withers, who wrote and sang a string of soulful songs in the 1970s that have stood the test of time, including “ Lean On Me, ” “Lovely Day” and “Ain’t No Sunshine,” has died from heart complications, his family said in a statement to The Associated Press. He was 81.
[Reply]
FD 10:17 AM 04-03-2020
One of the all-time greats. Did his own thing, too. Underappreciated.
[Reply]
FAX 10:30 AM 04-03-2020
Crap.

Had a good, long life, though.

RIP to a great songwriter.

FAX
[Reply]
2bikemike 10:36 AM 04-03-2020
Originally Posted by threebag02:
It’s his schtick.
Yep, Since all you need to know is in the OP
[Reply]
gblowfish 10:40 AM 04-03-2020
I had a girlfriend in college that fit perfectly into "Use Me" lyrics. Always loved that song. Bill Withers was the black Bruce Springsteen. RIP, 81 years is a good run for a guy from backwoods West Virginia.
[Reply]
Randallflagg 10:40 AM 04-03-2020
....I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know - ain't no sunshine when she's gone, and she's always gone too long, anytime she goes away.


RIP Bill
[Reply]
PunkinDrublic 11:00 AM 04-03-2020
Ain’t no sunshine is perfect. RIP.
[Reply]
Cosmos 11:04 AM 04-03-2020
And into Grandma’s Hands....

RIP
[Reply]
FAX 11:14 AM 04-03-2020
Originally Posted by PunkinDrublic:
Ain’t no sunshine is perfect. RIP.
Pretty much.

I can't think of a single flaw in that song.

FAX
[Reply]
srvy 11:59 AM 04-03-2020
Sad news RIP Mr Withers though you are gone your music lasts forever.
[Reply]
ModSocks 12:03 PM 04-03-2020
The reaper got a good one.
[Reply]
Shag 12:20 PM 04-03-2020
Sad. :-) Fantastic musician - lost a good one.
[Reply]
scho63 01:25 PM 04-03-2020
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Who?
A black guy, so you wouldn't know him. :-)
[Reply]
FAX 01:40 PM 04-03-2020
Just one poster's opinion ...

"Ain't No Sunshine" is great for many reasons ... but mainly because it is clandestinely and surreptitiously simple. The lyrical hook is, of course, phenomenal in that it says everything you need to know about the writer/singer in a mere six words and conveys an emotion that everyone has felt (at some point) using a metaphor that is universal. Big points for that.

Then there is the base line that punctuates and accentuates the hook. Just a simple 3 note run that brings you back to the I in the progression. Very "Beatlesesque" in that way. The wonder and delight is that it's so simple, direct, and entirely adequate to emphasize the hook as well as the second and last line of each verse. Why use 4 notes when 3 will do? Some might call it "basic". I call it "elegant".

It's also written entirely in a minor key and uses minor chording throughout. Very few songs don't rely (at some point) on a major chord anywhere in a song in order to offset, emphasize, and augment the minor key. This one does, however. It keeps the song simple while maintaining the mournful, plaintive, overall tone of the message. Pretty unique in that way.

Finally, there is the break. It's proto-rap. That's what it is. A complete breakdown in which the tonal instruments are absent and the writer/singer uses the rhythm section and the syncopation of his voice to draw the listener deeper into the message and set up the hook once more. It's a classic application of mandating listener anticipation. And, of course, it's memorable as hell.

Simply a standout song that any writer of any era would be proud to call their own.

FAX
[Reply]
MahiMike 01:43 PM 04-03-2020
I always thought Jose Feliciano sang this.
[Reply]
Dartgod 01:54 PM 04-03-2020
Originally Posted by MahiMike:
I always thought Jose Feliciano sang this.
Well to be fair, there never was any sunshine for Jose.
[Reply]
Page 2 of 3
< 12 3 >
Up