Bill Withers Came up With This Signature Song While Stationed in Thailand

The late-great Bill Withers wrote many songs that became national treasures. Songs such as “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lean On Me,” and “Lovely Day” are well-known tunes that seemingly everyone knows. “Ain’t No Sunshine” is one of the most covered songs of all time and is ingrained in American society.

Looking back at an interview with John Abbey from Blues & Soul in 1972, it was predicted early on that “Ain’t No Sunshine” would be around for a long time. In this 1972 interview, Bill explained how he came up with his signature song.

Withers Spent Nine Years in The Navy

Coming from a small coal-mining town in West Virginia, Bill Withers sought any chance to get out. At age 17, Withers joined the US Navy and was stationed in the Far East. During this time, he felt he was unable to find songs that accurately conveyed his feelings. Withers began coming up with his own tunes, humming them to himself. One of those tunes became “Ain’t No Sunshine.”

In this 1972 interview, Bill Withers told Blues & Soul, “I really got the idea for the song in Thailand; I was out there in the U.S. Navy for some years. Well, I was in the Orient for some years, and I spent some of the time in Thailand, I should say. I listened a great deal to the Oriental music and, if you hum the actual melody to ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, you’ll find it’s got a very Eastern flavor to it. I took my native Blues rhythm and put it behind the melody, and along came ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’.”

Success After The Navy

After his 1965 discharge, Withers moved to Los Angeles to attempt a career in music. He recorded a demo in 1970 while working odd jobs, such as making toilets for Boeing aircraft carriers. Discouraged, he wasn’t sure his attempt would be successful until he caught a lucky break.

“I did a test on it a couple of years ago and took it around to nearly every record company in the States, and they all turned me down one at a time. Then the people at Sussex Records heard something in it that the others couldn’t, and they believed in what I was trying to do. So I signed, recorded, and you know the rest. But I’m just happy that the company’s faith was rewarded because they’ve done so much to encourage me, and I hope I continue to justify their faith in me.”

Withers released his debut album Just As I Am in 1971. The album produced three hits, and “Ain’t No Sunshine” became a gold-certified record. The song earned Withers a Grammy for Best R&B Song. In 1999, “Ain’t No Sunshine” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

(Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns)