I recorded this 1972 tune by the great Bill Withers. (whom we lost this year) on an album produced by the Grammy nominated trombonist Wayne Wallace. Tonight I played it for the first time on my #YamahaGenos!

I got to see a live interview in person with Bill Withers and Aloe Blacc at the ASCAP EXPO in Hollywood a few years ago. This song song was used in American Beauty (1999), Anchorman (2004) and Starsky & Hutch (2004).

A little about Mr. Withers from Wikipedia: William Harrison “Bill” Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He recorded several major hits, including “Ain’t No Sunshine” (1971), “Grandma’s Hands” (1971), “Use Me” (1972), “Lean on Me” (1972), “Lovely Day” (1977), and “Just the Two of Us” (1981). Withers won three Grammy Awards and was nominated for six more. His life was the subject of the 2009 documentary film Still Bill. Withers worked as a professional musician for just 15 years, from 1970 to 1985, after which he moved on to other occupations.

Use Me

My friends
Feel it’s their appointed duty 
They keep tryin’ to tell me 
All you want to do is use me
Ah-huh but my answer 
Ah-huh 
They know all that use me stuff 
Ay-ay-ay 
Yes I want spread the news 
That if it feels this good gettin’ used 
Oh you just keep on usin’ me 
Until you use me up 

My brother 
Sit me right down and he talked to me 
He told me  
That I ought not to let you just walk on me 
And I’m sure he meant well  
Yeah but when our talk was through 
Said brother if you only knew 
You’d wish that you were in my shoes 
You just keep on usin’ me 
Until you use me up 

Sometimes 
It’s true you really do abuse me 
Ah you get me crowd of high class people
Then you act real rude to me 
But oh baby baby baby baby 
When you love me I can’t get enough 
Ah-huh and I wanna spread the news 
That it feels this good gettin’ used 
Oh you just keep on usin’ me 
Until you use me up 

Talkin’ ’bout you usin’ people 
It all depends on what you do 
It ain’t too bad the way you’re usin’ me 
‘Cause I sure am usin’ you to do the things that you do 
To do the things that you do.