Ain't No Sunshine

About this song

The song was released as the B-side to "Harlem" in 1971. Bill Withers was working at a factory making toilet seats for Boeing 747 planes when he recorded it, and he was inspired to write it after watching the film Days of Wine and Roses. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, reached the top 40 in Australia, Canada and the UK, and won a Grammy in 1972 for Best R&B Song.

What it's about

Withers has said the song is about missing things that were not good for you. He wrote it from a thought sparked by that film and possibly by something else in his own life.

Fun facts

• Sampled in 34 other songs, like “I Know What You Did Last Summer by Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello”.
• Covered 88 times, including “Ain't No Sunshine by The Lettermen”.
• Written by Bill Withers.
• Produced by Booker T. Jones.
• Recorded at Sunset Sound Wally Heider Studios.