Ain't No Sunshine is a soul ballad written and composed by Bill Withers, who first recorded it in 1971 for his debut album Just As I Am on the Sussex label. Booker T. Jones produced the track, with Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass, Al Jackson Jr. on drums and Stephen Stills on guitar, and Jones also arranged the strings. It was recorded in Los Angeles, with overdubs made in Memphis by engineer Terry Manning. Originally the B-side of "Harlem", it was preferred by disc jockeys and released as a single in 1971, reaching number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 6 on the US R&B chart and number 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was the first of Withers' three US gold records and won the Grammy for Best R&B Song in 1972.
The bridge is built on a repeated phrase: Withers had meant to write more lyrics there, but the other musicians advised him to keep the repetition. Among the many covers are versions by The Lettermen, Nancy Wilson, The Temptations, Michael Jackson, Freddie King, The Shirelles, Isaac Hayes and Tom Jones. Kris Allen's version, performed on American Idol, reached the UK Top 40 in 2009. Rolling Stone ranked the song 285th on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and it was added to the National Recording Registry in 2024.
