Just the Two of Us (Grover Washington Jr. song)



"Just the Two of Us" is a 1981 R&B single written by Bill Withers, William Salter and Ralph MacDonald, which was recorded by Grover Washington Jr. and Bill Withers. The song originally appeared on Washington's 1980 album Winelight. An edited version reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, staying there for 3 weeks, behind "Morning Train (9 to 5)" by Sheena Easton and "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes. The song won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. Bill Withers included the edited version on the 1981 compilation Bill Withers' Greatest Hits and many subsequent greatest hits collections.

Toshinobu Kubota version
"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. The song was included 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. 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.

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.

Formats and track listing

 * CD single
 * 1) "Just the Two of Us" (Butcher Bros. LP Remix) (duet with Caron Wheeler)


 * Maxi single
 * 1) "Just the Two of Us" (Butcher Bros. LP Remix)
 * 2) "Just the Two of Us" (Smooth R&B Mix)
 * 3) "Just the Two of Us" (So So Def Remix)
 * 4) "Just the Two of Us" (Club Mix Radio Edit)
 * 5) "Just the Two of Us" (Street Mix) (featuring Fat Man Scoop and E. Bros.)

Other 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.
 * In 2004 Rebirth Brass Band released a New Orleans brass band-style cover on their album The Main Event: Live at the Maple Leaf.
 * 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.
 * Jessica Frech covered the song on her album Reality (2012).
 * The German/Italian singer/songwriter Nevio Passaro covered the song for his YouTube series "The Monday Session".
 * Adult Swim's online show entitled FishCenter Live made a parody of the song entitled "Just the Ten of Us" about the fish.
 * Matt Dusk and Margaret version was a single release, which promoted their collaborative jazz album of the same name.
 * Will Smith released a version in 1997 which samples and incorporates lyrics from the original. Instead of love between a couple, "Just the Two of Us" focuses on the relationship between a father and son. Smith originally wrote a children's book with the same title and lyrics. For his album, he performed it in rap form.
 * Dr. Evil (Mike Myers) parodied the Will Smith version in the 1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
 * Carlos Mojica recorded a salsa version of "Just the Two of Us" for his 2015 album Competencia Es Ninguna.
 * Michael Sanchez on The Voice.