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Just one poster's opinion ...
"Ain't No Sunshine" is great for many reasons ... but mainly because it is clandestinely and surreptitiously simple. The lyrical hook is, of course, phenomenal in that it says everything you need to know about the writer/singer in a mere six words and conveys an emotion that everyone has felt (at some point) using a metaphor that is universal. Big points for that.
Then there is the base line that punctuates and accentuates the hook. Just a simple 3 note run that brings you back to the I in the progression. Very "Beatlesesque" in that way. The wonder and delight is that it's so simple, direct, and entirely adequate to emphasize the hook as well as the second and last line of each verse. Why use 4 notes when 3 will do? Some might call it "basic". I call it "elegant".
It's also written entirely in a minor key and uses minor chording throughout. Very few songs don't rely (at some point) on a major chord anywhere in a song in order to offset, emphasize, and augment the minor key. This one does, however. It keeps the song simple while maintaining the mournful, plaintive, overall tone of the message. Pretty unique in that way.
Finally, there is the break. It's proto-rap. That's what it is. A complete breakdown in which the tonal instruments are absent and the writer/singer uses the rhythm section and the syncopation of his voice to draw the listener deeper into the message and set up the hook once more. It's a classic application of mandating listener anticipation. And, of course, it's memorable as hell.
Simply a standout song that any writer of any era would be proud to call their own.
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