Close

Ain’t No Sunshine

[Verse]
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
It’s not warm when she’s away
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
And she’s always gone too long
Anytime she goes away

[Verse]
Wonder this time where she’s gone
Wonder if she’s gonna stay
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
And this house just ain’t no home
Anytime she goes away

[Bridge]
And I know, I know…

[Verse]
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
Only darkness everyday
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
And this house just ain’t no home
Anytime she goes away

[Outro]
Anytime she goes away
Anytime she goes away

Song Length: 3:22

Writer: Bill Withers
Publisher: Songs of Universal, Inc. Obo Interior Music Corp.

Jody Whitesides: Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Synths, Piano, Drum Loops

Recording Info:
Cover Art: Jody Whitesides
Recording Engineer: Jody Whitesides
Mixing Engineer: Jody Whitesides
Mastering Engineer: George Leger III
Vocal Engineer: Chris Hellstrom
Producer: Jody Whitesides

Tracked at: Dancin Deer Audio in Reseda CA
Mac G5
MOTU 828 MkII
GrooveTubes MD1a
Shure SM57beta
Neumann U87a (modified)
GrooveTubes Vipre
Avalon 737
Guitar(s): Taylor 615ce: The beauty of this guitar can’t be measured. It’s as if it just plays itself and I’m just there. This is hands down the greatest acoustic I’ve ever played.

Fender Guitar: my first guitar that I subsequently torn apart changed parts, repainted and rebuilt. Up from the ashes came a guitar that has since been on numerous recordings and records, more than me. It sounds great. I stocked it with a single Seymour Duncan Custom Humbucker. Strung with Dean Markley Blue Steels medium gauge.

Joe’s Guitar: Diner Series prototype guitar. It’s sorta like a telecaster style body but with more of an Ibanez style neck. The body is alder wood, the neck is a single piece of maple with a trussrod thru the back. Says “Eat At Joe’s” on the front finger board area, and they are glow in the dark letters. A single bridge pickup that is a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom Zebra style, wound for me. A single volume knob, nothing more. Straight tone. Strung with Dean Markley Blue Steel medium gauge.

The Amps Setup:
GrooveTubes Trio & Solo 150
GrooveTubes Dual 75 power amp
Korg Micro Amp (a little amp simulator)

Bass(s): Hohner B Bass V: Recorded thru Line 6 Bass Pod Pro. Strung with Dean Markley.

Drums: Battery by Native Instruments

Vocal: Mic’d with Neumann U87a

Synths: EXS Sampler: Bosendorfer Piano
EXS Sampler: Miroslav String Samples

Song Story:
There once was a songwriter’s organization that had a pretty huge reach. I was friends with the guy that started the whole thing and he would hold events all over the world. It was pretty nice to be connected to the top of something that big. In a sense it may have even been bigger than NARAS but only with songwriters. I can’t confirm that claim though.

On more than one occasion I had very late night hangs with other writers and the leader of the organization. Sometimes it would just whittle down to just he and I chatting about life, the universe and everything.

During one of those late night chats, he specifically thought I should do a cover of the classic Bill Withers song “Ain’t No Sunshine”. I wasn’t so sure. Mainly because that song has been covered ad nauseam by tons of artists. I also wasn’t all that sure the song really spoke to me. And yet he was persuasive enough to get me to try my hand at doing it.

This is one of those instances where I felt lost in the direction I could take the song. I figured I would do it more in the flavor of instrumentation that I was working on at the time. Rock with a heavy hand in crunch. And yet the song fought back at me. What you’re hearing is my fight. Which isn’t really the way music should work in my mind.

There will come a point where I will dig it back out and do a proper mix on it. Until said time, I hope you enjoy this. For if you do – that would make me happy about something I needed to spend more time with.

Factoids:
1. Trying to straighten out Bill Withers is a fool’s errand.
2. I like the way I upped the intensity in the bridge.
3. The cover art was taken on tour during a late night stop for fuel. It was the only fitting image I could conjure up about no sunshine.

Copyright:

ISRC: US32P0600002

ISWC:

SESAC Song ID:

Harry Fox ID:
Harry Fox Publisher ID: P8938Q

UPC: 654433001020

Close