Just The Two Of Us – Grover Washington, Jr. (with Bill Withers) | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#2 for 3 weeks) and R&B (#3); 1981
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
When Bill Withers sang “Use me” in 972, little did he know that that’s exactly how he’d reach #2 again almost nine years later. The vehicle for Bill’s chart return came in the form of a 37 year old jazz/ R&B saxophonist. Grover Washington, Jr. had been a much sought after sideman before breaking through solo with 1972’s Inner City Blues, which included a version of Withers’ Ain’t No Sunshine.
In 1975 Mister Magic kicked off a string of nine long-players that performed well on the pop list, culminating in the platinum selling Winelight.
Tucked away on Winelight was a tune composed by Ralph MacDonald, William Salter, and Bill Withers; Just The Two Of Us. On it Washington used Withers’ voice to craft a brilliant fusion of contemporary R&B and jazz. Ironically, Winelight included another tune written by the three that gave Bill his final chart appearance in 1984 when Ralph MacDonald used him as vocalist on In The Name Of Love (#13; R&B).
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- William Salter
- Ralph MacDonald
Lyrics Written by:
- Bill Withers
- William Salter
- Ralph MacDonald
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).