"Just the Two of Us" is a song written by
Bill Withers
William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including " Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), " Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (197 ...
, William Salter, and
Ralph MacDonald
Ralph Anthony MacDonald (March 15, 1944 – December 18, 2011) was a Trinbagonian-American percussionist, songwriter, musical arranger, record producer, steelpan virtuoso and philanthropist.
His compositions include "Where Is the Love", a Gra ...
, and recorded by
Grover Washington Jr. with Withers on vocals. It was released in February 1981 through
Elektra Records.
Background
The song originally appeared on Washington's album ''
Winelight
''Winelight'' is a 1980 studio album by jazz musician Grover Washington Jr. The record received the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance in 1982. The album was released by Elektra Records. It includes the Grammy Award-winning hit "Ju ...
'' (1980). An edited version reached number 2 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, staying there for three weeks, behind "
Morning Train (9 to 5)" by
Sheena Easton
Sheena Shirley Easton (; born 27 April 1959) is a Scottish singer and actress. Easton came into the public eye in an episode of the first British musical reality television programme '' The Big Time: Pop Singer'', which recorded her attempts to ...
and "
Bette Davis Eyes
"Bette Davis Eyes" is a song written and composed by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon in 1974. It was originally recorded by DeShannon in that year for her album '' New Arrangement'' but it was made popular by American singer Kim Carnes in 1981 w ...
" by
Kim Carnes
Kim Carnes (; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a sess ...
. It was Washington's only Top 40 hit. The song won a
Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Ba ...
. Bill Withers included the edited version on the 1981 compilation ''
Bill Withers' Greatest Hits'' and many subsequent greatest hits collections.
The
Fender Rhodes electric piano, played in the introduction and throughout, is performed by
Richard Tee
Richard Edward Tee (born Richard Edward Ten Ryk; November 24, 1943 – July 21, 1993) was an American pianist, studio musician, singer and arranger, who had several hundred studio credits and played on such notable hits as "In Your Eyes", " Sl ...
.
Composition
The tuning of the song is set to around A=444 Hz, as opposed to the standard A=440 Hz tuning. The song is in the key of
F minor
F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp mi ...
. The main chord progression is D♭ major 7, C7, F minor, E♭ minor 7, A♭7. The song is played at around 96
beats per minute
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery ...
.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
All-time charts
Certifications
Toshinobu Kubota version
"Just the Two of Us" was covered by Japanese singer
Toshinobu Kubota
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, musician, music producer, and radio personality. He has produced six million-seller records and thirty-three Top 40 singles during his career. Kubota is currently part of Sony Music Japan. In addition, he has co ...
as a duet with
Caron Wheeler in 1991, for his album ''
Kubojah: Parallel World I''. The song was listed as "Just the 2 of Us", featuring a reggae-style beat. In 1995, Kubota re-recorded the song with a more R&B-style beat for his album ''
Sunshine, Moonlight''. In 1996, he released the song as the second single from the album. The song charted at number 30 on the Oricon Weekly Singles chart and remained on the charts for five weeks. It was included in the setlist during the Oyeees! Tour. During the tour,
Joi Cardwell
Joi Cardwell (born October 8, 1967) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she performed in various singing competitions as a child and rose to fame in the early 1990s as a guest vocalist for Lil Louis on the num ...
, who sang backing vocals during the tour, performed the song as a duet with Kubota. In 2007,
Double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* ...
performed the song on the MTV Japan Icons Special; during the performance, Kubota walked onto the stage to complete the song with her. In 2012, Kubota performed the song with Japanese singer Yuri, who was also a background vocalist during his "Party Ain't A Party Tour". The performance was included on his concert DVD "Party Ain't A Party", which was released in May 2012.
Music video
In 1996, Toshi Kubota and Caron Wheeler shot a music video for the song. The video is set at night, at a party in Kubota's apartment. Wheeler watches the party from the fire escape of the next apartment building. The single version was used for the audio format of the video. There are also shots of other musicians playing their instruments during the party, a group of elderly men playing cards outside the apartment on the sidewalk, and a couple dancing in another room of the apartment.
Formats and track listing
*CD single
#"Just the Two of Us" (Butcher Bros. LP remix) (duet with
Caron Wheeler)
*Maxi single
#"Just the Two of Us" (Butcher Bros. LP remix)
#"Just the Two of Us" (Smooth R&B mix)
#"Just the Two of Us" (So So Def remix)
#"Just the Two of Us" (club mix radio edit)
#"Just the Two of Us" (Street mix) (featuring Fat Man Scoop and E. Bros.)
Other cover versions
*
Bill Cosby
William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...
did a parody version, "Just the Slew of Us", as the theme music for his movie ''
Bill Cosby: Himself''. Ralph MacDonald was the writer/producer.
*In 1992, the New York City R&B vocal trio Around the Way sampled the song in "Really Into You". They reached No. 89 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the fall of that year.
*Between 1995-1996, the rapper
Don't Try To Xerox (DTTX) sampled "Just the Two of Us" for their song "Tha 2 Of Us", featuring
Christopher Williams singing its chorus. The song was part of 1996
Bulletproof
Bulletproofing is the process of making an object capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles (e.g. shrapnel). The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protecti ...
film's
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
and it is played on ending (casting list) of the film.
*
Tiro de Gracia
Tiro de Gracia is a Chilean Hip-Hop group formed by the MC's: Lenwa Dura and Zaturno
"Tiro de Gracia" was known for their raw lyrical style. They initially performed using cassette tapes looped by "DJ Raff" former member of " La Pozze Latina ...
sampled "Just the Two of Us" for their song "El Juego Verdadero", off their 1997 ''
Ser humano!!
''Ser Humano!!'' (English: ''Human Being!!'') is the debut studio album by Chilean hip-hop group Tiro de Gracia, released on 1997 through EMI Odeon. It was produced by Camilo Cintolesi and Patricio "Adonai" Loaiza, both members of the group, and G ...
'' album.
*
Will Smith
Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...
released
a single in 1997 which samples and incorporates lyrics from the original. Instead of love between a couple, "Just the Two of Us" focuses on the relationship between a father and son. Smith originally wrote a children's book with the same title and lyrics. For his album, he performed it in rap form.
*
Anal Cunt
Anal Cunt, also known as AxCx and A.C., was an American grindcore band that formed in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1988. From its inception, the band underwent a number of line-up changes and never had a bass player. The band, known for its flippan ...
jokingly performed the song as a duet between singer
Seth Putnam
Seth Edward Putnam (May 15, 1968 – June 11, 2011) was an American musician who was the founder, vocalist and occasional guitarist of grindcore band Anal Cunt. He was known for his high-pitched screamed vocals and lyrics that either shock, of ...
and Hillary Logee on their 1997 album ''I Like It When You Die''. It features dissonant out of key keyboard noodling and mocking vocals from Putnam. The writers of the song are credited as "Some Fucking Retard" in the CD booklet.
[I Like It When You Die Liner Notes]
*
Dr. Evil
Douglas Powers, commonly known as Dr. Evil, is a fictional character portrayed by Mike Myers in the ''Austin Powers'' film series. He is the main antagonist and Austin Powers' nemesis (and secret twin brother). He is a parody of James Bond vill ...
parodied the Will Smith version in the
Mike Myers
Michael John Myers OC (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. His accolades include seven MTV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollywoo ...
James Bond parody film ''
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me''.
*Adult Swim's online show entitled
FishCenter Live
''FishCenter Live'' (also shortened to ''FishCenter'' or ''FC Live'' or just ''FCL'') was an American talk show hosted by Dave Bonawits, Andrew Choe, Matt Harrigan, Christina Loranger, and Max Simonet. It premiered on the official website of Ad ...
made a parody of the song entitled "Just the Ten of Us" about the fish.
*
Matt Dusk
Matthew-Aaron Dusk (born November 19, 1978) is a Canadian jazz vocalist. He has four certified gold albums: ''Two Shots'', ''Good News (Matt Dusk album), Good News'', ''Old School Yule!'' and ''JetSetJazz'', and two certified platinum albums; '' ...
and
Margaret released a single to promote their collaborative jazz album ''
Just the Two of Us
Just or JUST may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People
* Just (surname)
* Just (given name)
Arts and entertainment
* ''Just'', a 1998 album by Dave Lindholm
* "Just" (song), a song by Radiohead
* "Just", a song from the album ''Lost and Found'' by Mudvayne ...
''.
*
Eminem sampled the song on 97’ Bonnie & Clyde off of his debut major label album
The Slim Shady LP
''The Slim Shady LP'' is the second studio album and major label debut by American rapper Eminem. It was released on February 23, 1999, by Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. Recorded in Ferndale, Michigan following Eminem's recruitm ...
.
*
Johnny Mathis covered the song on his 2008 album, ''
A Night to Remember''.
*
Fanfare Ciocărlia
Fanfare Ciocărlia is a twelve-piece Romani Balkan brass band from the northeastern Romanian village of Zece Prăjini. They are known for their fast, high-energy music with complex rhythms and high-speed staccato clarinet, saxophone, and tr ...
's cover of the song was played over the end of the final scene and the beginning of the credits of
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
Appearances in media
In 2020, "Just the Two of Us" started trending on
TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version o ...
, which prompted Withers' granddaughter, Jada Salter, to upload a video to the platform commemorating his work. The song appeared in the opening sequence of the 2022 film ''
Hotel Transylvania: Transformania''.
It has appeared in numerous
TV commercial
A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
s.
References
External links
*
AllMusic Guide link
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
*
{{authority control
1980 songs
1981 singles
1996 singles
2015 singles
Bill Withers songs
Male vocal duets
Songs written by Bill Withers
Toshinobu Kubota songs
Songs written by Ralph MacDonald
Elektra Records singles
Margaret (singer) songs
Magic Records singles
Sony Music Entertainment Japan singles
Music videos directed by David Dobkin