Song Clearance Sheet
3 sources citedUse Me
See all Bill Withers in the catalogue →
Funk1970s77BPM
E minKey
More around 80 BPM → · More in E minor →
Tempo/key via GetSongBPM →, Deezer →
The verdict
Documented Sampling History
Confirmed songwriter of record (Bill Withers), no dispute found — same artist as “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lovely Day” in this catalogue.
Quick Facts
Released1972
AlbumStill Bill
GenreFunk, Soul, R&B
LabelSussex Records
ProducerBill Withers
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriter of record — Bill Withers
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — Sussex (defunct); needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Unknown · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
A much-sampled and much-placed funk-soul groove (Anchorman, American Beauty, Starsky & Hutch); same artist as “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lovely Day” here.
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; confirmed songwriter of record and no dispute found.
Related Songs
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Same artist (this batch)
Same artist (this batch)
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Bill Withers
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
Written on the spot over a five-minute groove
Withers had such chemistry with his band (the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band) that he skipped an outside producer entirely. Drummer James Gadson played a groove for about five minutes in the studio and Withers wrote the whole song on the spot. He’s called “Still Bill” — recorded in ~8 hours for $7,500 — his favourite recording experience. No lyrics reproduced.
American Songwriter · read it →
Kept from #1 by Ben and My Ding-a-Ling
The song was kept from #1 in consecutive weeks by Michael Jackson’s “Ben” one week and Chuck Berry’s “My Ding-a-Ling” the next.
Wikipedia · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
A much-sampled funk-soul groove
Covers
—
First flip
Who to Contact
UM
Bill Withers (Sussex, now defunct)
The confirmed songwriter of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
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Page history · 3 updates
Jul 2026BPM set to 77 (feel tempo) — the two-source pass read the 155 double-time octave; halved to this song’s natural tempo. Key E min confirmed.
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 14)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass