Just the Two of Us (Grover Washington, Jr. song)
| "Just the Two of Us" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Grover Washington, Jr. & Bill Withers | ||||
| from the album Winelight | ||||
| B-side | "Make Me a Memory (Sad Samba)" | |||
| Released | 1981 | |||
| Genre | R&B, Jazz, smooth jazz | |||
| Length |
7:23 (album version) 3:58 (7" edit) | |||
| Label | Elektra Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Bill Withers, Ralph MacDonald, William Salter | |||
| Grover Washington, Jr. singles chronology | ||||
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"Just the Two of Us" is a 1981 R&B song written by Bill Withers, William Salter and Ralph MacDonald, which was recorded by Grover Washington, Jr. and Bill Withers. The song appeared on Washington's album Winelight. It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and stayed there for 3 weeks. The song won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.[1] Bill Withers recorded another version of the song which is included on a CD of his greatest hits.
Cover versions
- José José recorded the song in Spanish titled "Sólo Tú y Yo", included in his album Gracias of 1981.
- In 1991 CKBE-FM David Tyler
- Bill Cosby 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.
- Regina Belle covered "Just the Two of Us" in 1991 on the tribute album To Grover, With Love, produced by Jason Miles, which reached number four on Top Contemporary Jazz Albums Chart in Billboard.
- Christian McBride covered the song with overdubbed basses only in a hidden track included in the album Philadelphia Experiment, released on Rope-A-Dope Records.
- Mietta in 1995 recorded an Italian language "Just the Two of Us (Dentro L'Anima)" for her album Daniela è Felice.
- Tiro de Gracia sampled this song for their song "El Juego Verdadero", included in their record Ser humano!! of 1997.
- A 27-second-long novelty cover of the song appears on I Like It When You Die, a 1997 album by Boston-based grindcore band Anal Cunt.
- Will Smith sampled "Just the Two of Us" in 1998. This version was parodied in the film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
- In 2004 Rebirth Brass Band released a New Orleans brass band style cover on their album The Main Event: Live at the Maple Leaf
- In episode 11 of the second season of The Office (titled "Booze Cruise), the song is played by a band on the cruise.
- Keri Hilson sampled "Just the Two of Us" for her song "Pretty Girl Rock", off her 2010 No Boys Allowed album.
- The South Korean K-Pop Indie band Urban Zakapa (어반 자카파) covered this song for their album Beautiful Day.
- The Japanese band Exile covered this song for their 2011 EXILE COVER album.
- Jazz band, Toph-E & The Pussycats, recorded "Just the Two of Us" live for their album, Live in Detroit. Late Show bassist, Will Lee, provided the vocals.
- The song was played in episode 8 of the season 9 of King of Queens ("Offensive Fowl")
Charts
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary Tracks | 2 |
Toshinobu Kubota version
| "Just the Two of Us" | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by Toshi Kubota featuring Caron Wheeler | |||||||||||||||||||
| from the album Kubojah: Parallel World I and Sunshine, Moonlight | |||||||||||||||||||
| Released | June 25, 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Format | CD, digital download | ||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded |
1991 1995 (re-recorded) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Genre |
Reggae (Kubojah version) R&B, soul (Sunshine, Moonlight version) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Length |
4:28 (album version) 3:33 (single version) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Label | Sony Music Entertainment Japan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Bill Withers, Ralph MacDonald, William Salter | ||||||||||||||||||
| Producer(s) | Toshinobu Kubota, Ralph MacDonald, William Salter, Bill Withers | ||||||||||||||||||
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"Just the Two of Us" was covered by Japanese singer Toshinobu Kubota as a duet with Caron Wheeler in 1991, for his album Kubojah: Parallel World I. The song was credited as "Just the 2 of Us", featuring a reggae-style beat. In 1995, Kubota re-recorded the song, which appeared on his album Sunshine, Moonlight, with a more R&B-style beat. 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 a duration of five weeks.[2]
Music video
In 1996, Toshi Kubota and Caron Wheeler shot a music video for the song. The video setting takes place during the 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 video 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.
Live performances
In 1996, Kubota included the song into the setlist during the Oyeees! Tour. During the tour, Joi Cardwell, who sang backing vocals during the tour, performed the song as a duet with Kubota. In 2007, Double performed the song the MTV Japan Icons Special. During the performance, Kubota walk onto the stage to complete the song with her.[3] 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.[4]
It is noted that while Toshinobu Kubota and Caron Wheeler have recorded this song, they have never performed the song together in concert.
Formats and track listing
- CD Single[5]
- Just the Two of Us (Butcher Bros. LP Remix) (duet with Caron Wheeler)
- Maxi Single[6]
- 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.)
Personnel
- Toshinobu Kubota – Vocals, Producer
- Caron Wheeler – Vocals
- Dirk Grobelny – Engineer (for Butcher Bros. LP Remix)
- Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo – Producer (for Butcher Bros. LP Remix)
- Mike Patterson – Bass, Guitar, Piano (for So So Def Remix)
- Brian Frye – Engineer (for So So Def Remix)
- Terrance Wooten – Keyboards (for So So Def Remix)
- Phil Tan, Shannon Houchins – Mixing (for So So Def Remix)
- Jermaine Dupri – Producer (for So So Def Remix)
- Fiona – Additional vocals [rapping] (for So So Def Remix)
- Bert Price – Mixing (for Smooth R&B Mix)
- Co'Dee – Producer (for Smooth R&B Mix)
- David Darlington – Engineer (for Club Mix)
- James Preston – Keyboards (for Club Mix)
- David Darlington, David Shaw – Programmed By [Rhythm] (for Club Mix)
- David Shaw – Remix (for Club Mix)
References
- ↑
- ↑ 久保田利伸のシングル売り上げランキング. Oricon Style. Retrieved on November 4, 2012
- ↑ Just the Two of Us (Live). Youtube. Retrieved on November 4, 2012
- ↑ 久保田利伸 - Just the two of us 2012. Youtube. Retrieved on November 4, 2012
- ↑ http://www.amazon.com/TOSHI-KUBOTA-JUST-THE-TWO/dp/B003UUNZGI
- ↑ http://www.amazon.com/Just-Two-Us-Butcher-Bro/dp/B000A3H6U4
External links
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