SATURDAY'S SINGLES : BILL WITHERS and THE HUMAN LEAGUE

[maggot]

Good morning gang and welcome back to the return of Saturday's Singles, a Number Ones Edition. First up under our needle is the song that was #1 on this day in 1972. "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers was released April 21, 1972 on the Sussex label. The song was written and produced by Withers and hails from his 2nd record, Still Bill. The tune peaked at #24 in Australia, #20 in Canada, #18 in the UK, and #1 on the Cash Box, the Easy Listening charts, the Hot Soul Singles, and the Hot 100. It is b/w "Better Off Dead" from his first LP, Just As I Am.  The song was inspired by Bill's childhood, growing up in the coal mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia. Withers was born July 4, 1938 and passed away March 30, 2020, age 81, from heart complications. 

Bill Withers – Piano, Vocals
Benorce Blackmon – Guitar
Raymond Jackson – Wurlitzer electric piano, string arrangement
Melvin Dunlap – Bass
James Gadson – Drums

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Our second #1 was topping the charts on this day in 1982. "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League was released November 27, 1981 on Virgin Records. The song was written by 
Jo Callis, Philip Oakey, and Philip Adrian Wright and then produced by Martin Rushent. It hjails from their third studio album, Dare and reached #13 in France, #7 in Italy, #5 in the Netherlands and West Germany, #4 in Australia, Spain,  and on Billboard's Top Tracks, #3 in Sweden and on the Hot Dance/Disco charts, #2 in South Africa, and #1 in Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, the UK, and the Hot 100. The song's flip side is traditionally the song,  "Seconds", but our copy is a 12" promotional copy with "Don't You Want Me" on both sides. The lyrics were inspired by an article lead singer Philip Oakey read in a teen-girl's magazine.

The Human League

Ian Burden – synthesizers
Jo Callis – synthesizers
Joanne Catherall – vocals
Philip Oakey – vocals, synthesizers
Susan Ann Sulley – vocals
Philip Adrian Wright – slides, occasional synthesizer