Certain Songs

Listen to 'I Can't Write Left Handed' Even though a studio recording has never been officially released, the 1973 live recording of ‘I Can’t Write Left Handed’ at Carnegie Hall by the legendary Bill Withers is perhaps one of the most passionate live vocal performances ever committed to tape. The track is a politically-charged tirade, from the perspective of a soldier who fought in the Vietnam War. Withers describes his recollection of the war as “one big drag” and the track itself was inspired by Withers’ meeting with a young soldier who had lost an arm. In the introduction, Withers tells of his meeting, and how the young man told him “getting shot at didn’t bother him, it was getting shot that shook him up” . For Withers, an American born on the fourth of July ironically enough, to make such bold statements in his music at the time was almost surprising. He had previously been known as an easy-listening folk-soul singer, with massive hits ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’...