Use Me (Bill Withers song)
| "Use Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Use Me - Bill Withers.jpg | ||||
| Single by Bill Withers | ||||
| from the album Still Bill | ||||
| B-side | "Let Me in Your Life" | |||
| Released | August 1972 | |||
| Genre | Soul, funk | |||
| Length | 3:45 | |||
| Label | Sussex Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bill Withers | |||
| Bill Withers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Use Me" is a song, composed and originally recorded by Bill Withers, which was included on his 1972 album Still Bill. It was his second-biggest hit in the United States, released in September 1972, and later reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[1] It was kept from No. 1 by both: "Ben" by Michael Jackson and "My Ding-a-Ling" by Chuck Berry.[2] "Use Me" also peaked at No. 2 on the soul chart for two weeks.[3] Withers performed the song on Soul Train on November 4, 1972.[4] Billboard ranked it as the No. 78 song for 1972.[5] The song was certified Gold by the RIAA.[6] The song is noted for its repeated bass figure which is heard alongside a complex rhythm in the percussion.
Music critic Robert Christgau called "Use Me" "one of the few knowledgeable songs about sex our supposedly sexy music has ever produced", featuring a "cross-class attraction" in its narrative.[7]
Grace Jones covered the song - with a reggae-influenced arrangement - on her 1981 album Nightclubbing and subsequently released the song as a single.
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Easy Listening | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 2 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 | 5 |
| Canada RPM Hot Singles | 33 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1972) | Rank |
|---|---|
| US Cash Box[8] | 100 |
Other recordings
A variety of artists have covered the song, including:
- Fiona Apple
- Patricia Barber
- Beans and Fatback
- Better Than Ezra
- Rick Braun from "Kisses in the Rain" (2001)[9][10]
- D'Angelo
- Holly Golightly
- Gwar
- Ben Harper
- Isaac Hayes
- Vincent Herring, on the album Hard Times
- Hootie & the Blowfish, on their 2000 compilation album Scattered, Smothered and Covered
- The House Jacks, a cappella, on their 2007 live album Get Down Mr. President
- Ike & Tina Turner, on their 1998 album Absolutely The Best
- Mick Jagger featuring Lenny Kravitz in his third album Wandering Spirit (1993)
- Eran James
- Al Jarreau
- Grace Jones, on her 1981 album Nightclubbing
- Kimiko Kasai
- As a duet, Alicia Keys and Rob Thomas[11]
- The Lachy Doley Group
- Lindsay Mac
- Liza Minnelli, on her 1973 album The Singer
- Ian Moss recorded a version for his sixth studio album, Soul on West 53rd (2009).
- My Brightest Diamond
- Aaron Neville
- Nicky Moore and The Blues Corporation
- Omar
- Esther Phillips, on her 1972 album Alone Again, Naturally.
- Raw Stylus
- Rockapella
- Slash's Blues Ball
- Tenth Avenue North
- UGK sampled the song for their track “Use Me Up” from their 1992 album Too Hard to Swallow
- Walter "Wolfman" Washington
- Junior Wells
- Fred Wesley & The J.B.'s
- Jim White (for the 2005 Starbucks compilation album, Sweetheart 2005: Love Songs)
- Widespread Panic
- Zoobombs
References
- ^ "Billboard Singles". All Media Guide / Billboard. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1972-10-14
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 633.
- ^ The Best of Soul Train Live (booklet). Time Life. 2011.
- ^ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1972
- ^ "RIAA searchable certification database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Bill Withers". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 30, 1972". Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
- ^ "Kisses in the Rain overview". Allmusic.com.
- ^ "Berks Jazz Fest 2007: Rick Braun & Friends". SmoothVibes.com.
- ^ "Alicia Keys and Rob Thomas performing for VH1 Save The Music Concert". Dailymotion. Retrieved 2011-10-01.