Use Me (Bill Withers song)

"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.

"Use Me"
Single by Bill Withers
from the album Still Bill
B-side"Let Me in Your Life"
ReleasedAugust 1972
GenreSoul, funk
Length3:45
LabelSussex Records
Songwriter(s)Bill Withers
Bill Withers singles chronology
"Lean on Me"
(1972)		 "Use Me"
(1972)		 "Let Us Love"
(1972)

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:

References
  1. "Billboard Singles". All Media Guide / Billboard. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
  2. https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1972-10-14
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 633.
  4. The Best of Soul Train Live (booklet). Time Life. 2011.
  5. Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1972
  6. "RIAA searchable certification database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2010-03-01.
  7. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Bill Withers". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  8. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 30, 1972". Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  9. "Kisses in the Rain overview". Allmusic.com.
  10. "Berks Jazz Fest 2007: Rick Braun & Friends". SmoothVibes.com.
  11. "Alicia Keys and Rob Thomas performing for VH1 Save The Music Concert". Dailymotion. Retrieved 2011-10-01.
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