Ain't No Sunshine

'Ain't No Sunshine' (1971) was Bill Withers’ breakthrough single. Its haunting simplicity – a repeating 'I know, I know, I know...' amid verses – captures the feeling of longing when a lover is gone. Withers wrote it after a breakup, and he famously repeated 'I know' dozens of times on a whim in the studio; the producer decided to keep those repetitions as part of the song’s charm. The track climbed into the Top 10 and won a Grammy. Its appeal has endured: many artists have covered it (from Michael Jackson to Al Green), but Withers’ own gentle, heartfelt original remains the definitive version.