Not a Lovely Day: A Bill Withers Tribute
[Originally Published on April 3, 2020]
My alarm clock jerks me out of my sleep, each unwelcomed buzz clearing away my thick morning haze. I look over to see that my college roommate is already dragging himself to the bathroom and is first in-line for a morning shower. He’d beat me there again.
Shifting my weight to my right shoulder, I turn to face the wall and contemplate the day ahead. What will I wear? My favorite khakis have faded from a bad wash, but I’ll probably climb into them anyway. What will be today’s racial microaggression entrée at the PWI I patronize? Invisibility, back-handed compliments about my intellect, and fearful body language are always on the menu. I quickly swat away a call from an 800-number attempting to collect my credit card bill. It’s muscle memory by now. A text I failed to respond to last night flashes across my screen. I groan and place my phone on its face. Still don’t know what to say. There’s only one thing that will move me to place my bare feet on the icy floor tiles.
I connect to my speaker and play Bill Withers “Lovely Day” as loud as it can go. My bro emerges from the bathroom dressed for the day and joins in singing our anthem, as horribly I. My arms dance into a swirl and he spins in extravagant circles in his office chair on wheels. We were being extra as hell, but that’s just what Bill Withers brings out of you. Our uptight neighbors bang on the wall loudly, desperate for us to keep it down. We barely manage to hush our hysterical laughter. Maybe today won’t be so bad.
The audience rises to its feet in applause. We’ve just graduated from the eighth grade and our black and brown families couldn’t be prouder. Not all of us made it this far. Bill Withers “Lean on Me” blares from the speakers as we hug each other and celebrate from the front of the auditorium. We are a tightknit crew. We line up and sway back and forth in solidarity towards the exit sign, making our first strides towards the real world. In this moment, it feels like we can lean on each other forever.
Bill Withers was a legendary soul artist with a unique talent to create moments with his music. Its infectious sound and genuine lyrics hold equal weight. His optimistic outlook brightens our outlook on the darkest of days. His unwavering loyalty stitches us together in a crispy Coogi sweater. His soulful baselines nudge us into a silky two-step. Bill Withers was less discussed than his contemporaries but made an impact that was just as felt around the world. Today is not a lovely day with his passing, but tomorrow can be. A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and versatile songwriter, his iconic tunes will forever remain our soundtrack.
