Use Me, Bill Withers, 1972
I was sitting at work Saturday morning trying to entertain myself while waiting/hoping a few new/admitted students would stop by our gallery next door and … I couldn’t stop thinking about this song. I’m pretty sure it was the last song I heard as I parked.
You see, I have these “burned” CDs from seriously 20 years ago with all my favorite songs in alphabetical order. I don’t know how they’ve survived this long. A few songs skip a little but for the most part, they’re still in decent shape and I have one pretty much playing every single time I’m in the car. It’s crazy – the song progression is so bizarre because they’re in abc order – but I’m so used to the flow that I’m thinking maybe I should build an exact playlist for when these CDs die.
I digress … back to Bill Withers and Use Me. I can honestly say I’ve never really felt used in a relationship before – at least not in the sense that Bill sings about in this song. I remember reading somewhere that he didn’t write Use Me about a specific person or situation. I like that.
Bill really is singing about human nature. We can all relate to making choices that no one else seems to understand. We can all relate to being judged for those choices. We can all relate to staying in a relationship for selfish reasons.
Bill Withers’ gift as an authentic storyteller is beyond compare. How this song is written is so stealthy and simple – we actually get both sides of the story without it being too wordy or convoluted. It’s so understandable and relatable. Then, there’s the funky groove and Bill’s silky-smooth voice. It’s that dirty unapologetic soul vibe – such an empowering/cool song.
Has anyone seen the Bill Withers documentary – Still Bill? Absolute legend.
https://youtu.be/g3hBYTkI-sE
Comments