Five Good Covers: “Ain’t No Sunshine” (Bill Withers)

Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.

Hard to believe we haven’t done this, given the myriad reprises and reinventions it has received over the years. I know, I know, I know, I know, I know*, you may think we have, but we haven’t, something to remedy right now. (*And in case you have never counted, the answer is 26 times…….)

The breakthrough hit for Bill Withers, “Ain’t No Sunshine” was originally the B-side of “Harlem,” the initial single drawn from his debut long player Just As I Am. DJs started playing the flip more; this led to a re-release and bingo, it hit #3 on the Billboard chart, in the summer of 1971. Quadruple platinum sales have accrued in the intervening years, in both the US and the UK, performing nearly as well in other markets, often getting a second surge of sales whenever some of the cover versions themselves cracked the charts, from Michael Jackson’s in 1972 to the one by American Idol‘s Kris Allen in 2009.

Before we delve into this selection, a brief consideration as to the factors that led to the song hitting such a chord with original listeners, it being a toss-up between Withers’ world-weary delivery and the stellar production of no les than Booker T. Jones. Yup, that one, with two of his MGs also playing, Donald “Duck” Dunn and Al Jackson, on bass and drums. No Steve Cropper this time, but Stephen Stills provides a no less adequate alternative. I think also that the 26 “I know”s hook played no small part, in much the same way as the uber-prolonged “Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay,” in Withers’ later hit, “Lovely Day.”

Talking of arrangements, such is the indelible footprint of the dum daa dum bass pattern, followed often by a majestic swoop of strings, so too the vast majority of the 400-plus covers out there take that lead, replicating in one form or another. This essentially removes these from my consideration, however classy the vocals. So, anyone hoping for karaoke, please leave now. (Unless you are Freddie King, who, despite near replicating the original scaffolding, by virtue of the exquisite essence of the blues he liberally scatters, gets a free pass.)

Daphne’s Flight – Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers cover)

I doubt if you could get much different than this, a five-piece all-female folk “supergroup” from the UK. Tackled a cappella, the arrangement is set around a lead vocal, the four other voices cooing mellifluously in the background. By removing any overt rhythm track, this gives Christine Collister the freedom to snake around her soulful delivery, that point expressly drawn to by how the tackles the “I know”s. All established performers in their own right, this comes from their 1996 debut, since which time, if with a prolonged gap, they have continued to demonstrate their worth. Collister has since left, replaced by Miranda Sykes, joining Chris While, Julie Matthews, Melanie Harrold and Helen Watson.

Horace Andy & Jah Wobble – Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers cover)

Andy has a long and illustrious career, stretching back over decades and long before he became more widely known as the little gray Rasta with the quavery voice, at the fore of Massive Attack’s vocal front line. Indeed, this is (at least) the second time he has covered this song, following the rather more orthodox root reggae version of 1973. Fast forward 51 years and, pairing up with bass maven Jah Wobble, they together released an album of both revisited glories and totally new, Timeless Roots, released last year. As well as Wobble’s idiosyncratic rumbling runs in the basement, the version here benefits from the involvement of Wobble’s two sons, on drums and Chinese two-string fiddle respectively, the latter of which provides a distinctive orientalism at odds with the otherwise directions of flow offered. Andy’s voice, needless to say, is just perfect.

Wovenhand – Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers cover)

There is deconstruction and then there is deconstruction, and, as this version starts, you might feel a step too far has been taken. However, after the monotone flat first line, a banjo splutters into some recognition of the tune. Step by step, further echoes of the original seep back, if also offset by bizarre and unexpected excursions that sound as if he is about to explore his rap side. Other moments suggest the full Ennio Morricone orchestra may be waiting in the wings, such is the spaghetti western dynamic that is all there is to otherwise latch on to. Of course it is short, that brevity being masterful, ahead any heads getting fully around the oddness.

Wovenhand is the nom de guerre of David Eugene Edwards, once of 16 Horsepower. The grandson of a traveling evangelical preacher, he continues in that shamanistic tradition, perpetuating his unique vision with images that often prove too weird (wyrd?) for both Christian and secular audiences to fully embrace.

Chris Wilson – Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers cover)

Possibly another reason why we needed to excuse Freddie King from this selection, with this maudlin mournfest rendering that version positively exuberant. Stripped back to piano and a barely-there voice, it is the other ingredient that nails it, namely the exquisite desolation of the harmonica. Chris Wilson is another who can find some gaunt gospel fumes between the lines of the song, turning a lament for the absent into an appropriate piece for Good Friday.

Chris Wilson was an Australian bluesman, who died in 2019. This song appeared on Landlocked, his debut as a solo artist, in 1992.

The Watson Twins – Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers cover)

Finally, one to cheer you up and draw you back into a relative formality. The Watson Twins have a track record of applying their sibling harmonies to music drawn right across the genre spectrum, if rarely encompassing into soul or R&B. Over a silky shimmer of electric piano, the arrangement otherwise follows the original, but the askew emphasis on the final “I know” of each line wakes the listener from any glazed-eye nod-out, the delicacy of the paired voices another unusual touch for this song. Sure, it is arguably the most conventional version here, but ain’t no “Ain’t No Sunshine” covers post complete without it.

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