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"'''Ain't No Sunshine'''" is a song by [[Bill Withers]] from his 1971 album ''[[Just As I Am (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 [[Billboard Black Singles|U.S. R&B]] chart and number three on the [[Billboard Pop Singles|U.S. Pop]] chart. Withers was still working at a factory that made [[toilet seat]]s for [[Boeing 747|Boeing 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."<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6596125/aint_no_sunshine Ain't No Sunshine : Rolling Stone<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Withers told [[Songfacts]].com that he was inspired to write this song after watching the 1962 movie [[Days of Wine and Roses (film)|Days of Wine and Roses]].<ref name="songfacts">{{cite web
"'''Ain't No Sunshine'''" is a song by [[Bill Withers]] from his 1971 album ''[[Just As I Am (1971 album)|Just As I Am]]'' produced by [[Booker T. Jones]]. The record featured MGs [[Donald "Duck" Dunn]] on bass and drummer [[Al Jackson, Jr.]] and was released as a single in September 1971 and became a breakthrough hit for Withers, reaching number six on the [[Billboard Black Singles|U.S. R&B]] chart and number three on the [[Billboard Pop Singles|U.S. Pop]] chart. Withers was still working at a factory that made [[toilet seat]]s for [[Boeing 747|Boeing 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."<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6596125/aint_no_sunshine Ain't No Sunshine : Rolling Stone<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Withers told [[Songfacts]].com that he was inspired to write this song after watching the 1962 movie [[Days of Wine and Roses (film)|Days of Wine and Roses]].<ref name="songfacts">{{cite web
| url = http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=664
| url = http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=664
| title = Ain't No Sunshine
| title = Ain't No Sunshine

Revision as of 05:01, 27 July 2009

"Ain't No Sunshine"
Song
B-side"Harlem"

"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 MGs Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass and drummer Al Jackson, Jr. and 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 Boeing 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."[1] Withers told Songfacts.com that he was inspired to write this song after watching the 1962 movie Days of Wine and Roses.[2] "Ain't No Sunshine" is ranked 280th on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[3]

Cover versions

Pop singer Michael Jackson covered the song in 1972[4] , and released it as the fourth single from his debut album Got to Be There. While his version failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, it found more success in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, reaching the top ten in the latter.

Other cover versions

The song has also been covered by many other artists, including:

There are also several songs sharing the same name and many lyrics from the hook but aren't true covers, such as by Akon, Cuban Link, Kid Frost and DMX. The last in particular is more "inspired by" than a true cover like the artist renditions listed in the above paragraph.

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. Another German version, entitled Allem Anschein nach bist Du's, was published in 2003 by Stefan Gwildis.

Use in pop culture

The song has appeared in the films Notting Hill, Old School, Amy, Crooklyn, and Munich. In 2001, DMX covered the song under the title "No Sunshine", for the film Exit Wounds.[5]

On television it is briefly heard in the animated series Drawn Together (episode titled "Dirty Pranking No. 2), during the sound analysis in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "Anonymous", and is also featured on an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and LAX (episode titled "Secret Santa"). It was also sung karaoke-style on the USA Network show, Monk, by Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) in the episode "Mr. Monk Goes to Vegas". It also was briefly played at the end of an episode of "One on One" with Kyla Pratt.

"Ain't No Sunshine" was used as music for a rumba in So You Think You Can Dance during season 3. Kris Allen covered the song during the eighth season and the finale of American Idol. At Last sung their version on the talent showcase America's Got Talent and later released it as a single on the website.

On Britain's Got Talent, finalist Shaun Smith sang "Ain't No Sunshine" in both the audition and in the final. On Italian XFactor, too, Noemi sang it during the fifth episode.

The song was used in a widespread television campaign in Australia for skin cancer. UFC fighter and current UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva uses the song as his entrance music for all his UFC fights.

In 2007 the track was sampled by Drum & Bass artists Bachelors of Science [6]

References

  1. ^ Ain't No Sunshine : Rolling Stone
  2. ^ "Ain't No Sunshine". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
  3. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs/page/3
  4. ^ Cadman, Chris (2007). Michael Jackson: For the Record. Authors OnLine. ISBN 978-0-7552026-7-6. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0242445/soundtrack
  6. ^ http://www.trackitdown.net/genre/drum_and_bass/track/380454.html
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