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Lean on Me (song)

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This article is about the Bill Withers song. For other uses, see Lean on Me.

"Lean on Me" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bill Withers. It was released in April 1972 as the first single from his second album, Still Bill. It was a number one single on both the soul and Billboard Hot 100 charts, the latter chart for three weeks in July 1972.[2] Billboard ranked it as the No. 7 song of 1972.[3] It was ranked number 208 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2010.[4] Numerous other versions have been recorded, and it is one of only nine songs to have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with versions recorded by two different artists.[5] In 2007, the 1972 recording of the song by Bill Withers on Sussex Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[6] 1970s Glam Rock band 'MUD' recorded a cover of the song in 1976 that became a chart hit in the UK the same year.

"Lean on Me"
side-A label by Eric Records
Side A of the 1985 US Eric Records reissue
Single by Bill Withers
from the album Still Bill
B-side"Better Off Dead"
ReleasedApril 21, 1972 (1972-04-21)
Recorded1972
Genre
Length
  • 4:17 (album version)
  • 3:45 (single version)
LabelSussex
Songwriter(s)Bill Withers
Producer(s)Bill Withers
Bill Withers singles chronology
"Grandma's Hands"
(1971) 		"Lean on Me"
(1972) 		"Use Me"
(1972)
Audio
"Lean on Me" on YouTube

Background and writing

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Bill Withers' childhood in the coal mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia,[7] was the inspiration for "Lean on Me", which he wrote after he had moved to Los Angeles, and found himself missing the strong community ethic of his hometown. He had lived in a decrepit house in the poor section of his town.

Withers recalled to SongFacts the original inspiration for the song:

"I bought a little piano and I was sitting there just running my fingers up and down the piano. In the course of doing the music, that phrase crossed my mind, so then you go back and say, 'OK, I like the way that phrase, Lean On Me, sounds with this song.'"[8]

Withers stated in the same interview that he made an effort to keep the lyrics simple.[8]

Several members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band[9] were used for the recording session in 1972. A string section was also included.

Personnel

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Track listings

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7-inch single

  1. "Lean on Me" – 3:45
  2. "Better Off Dead" – 2:13

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[16] Platinum 70,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[19] Gold 2,000,000[18]

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Club Nouveau version

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"Lean on Me"
 
Single by Club Nouveau
from the album Life, Love & Pain
B-side"Pump it Up (Reprise)"
ReleasedMarch 20, 1987
Recorded1986
Genre
Length
  • 6:01 (LP version)
  • 3:58 (radio edit)
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Bill Withers
Producer(s)Jay King
Club Nouveau singles chronology
"Situation #9"
(1986) 		"Lean on Me"
(1987) 		"Why You Treat Me So Bad"
(1987)
Music video
"Lean on Me" on YouTube

The R&B group Club Nouveau covered the song with go-go beat and took it to number one, for two weeks, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1987.[21] It also reached number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart,[21] and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, kept out of the top spot by Jody Watley's "Looking for a New Love". It won a Grammy Award in 1987 for Bill Withers, as the writer, for Best R&B Song.[22]

The song ranked at number 94 in VH1's 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders of the 80s (although Club Nouveau's follow-up single, "Why You Treat Me So Bad", would reach #39 on the Hot 100 in July 1987).[23]

Track listings

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7-inch single

  1. "Lean on Me" – 3:58
  2. "Pump It Up (Lean on Me)" (reprise) – 2:38

12-inch single

  1. "Lean on Me" (remix)" – 7:42
  2. "Lean on Me" (LP version) – 5:56
  3. "Pump It Up (Lean on Me)" (remix) – 4:51
  4. "Pump It Up (Lean on Me)" (reprise – LP version) – 2:38

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Weekly chart performance for Club Nouveau's cover
Chart (1987) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [24] 5
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[25] 22
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[26] 12
Canada Top Singles (RPM) 1
Ireland (IRMA) 5
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[27] 5
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[28] 4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[29] 1
South Africa (Springbok) [30] 2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] 7
UK Singles (OCC) 3
US Billboard Hot 100[32] 1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[33] 31
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[34] 1
US Hot Black Singles (Billboard)[35] 2
West Germany (GfK)[36] 9

Year-end charts

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1987 year-end chart performance for Club Nouveau's cover
Chart (1987) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[37] 27
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[38] 4
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[39] 55
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[40] 7
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[41] 18
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[42] 3
UK Singles (OCC)[43] 41
US Billboard Hot 100[44] 29
US Crossover Singles (Billboard)[45] 6
US Hot Black Singles (Billboard)[46] 39
West Germany (Official German Charts)[47] 61

Certifications

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Certifications and sales for Club Nouveau's cover
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Platinum 1,000,000^
United States (RIAA)[49] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

2-4 Family version

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"Lean on Me (With the Family)"
 
Single by 2-4 Family
from the album Family Business
ReleasedJanuary 30, 1999 (1999-01-30)
Recorded1998
GenreHip hop
Length3:38 (radio version)
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Bill Withers
Producer(s)Alex Trime, Sven "Delgado" Jordan
2-4 Family singles chronology
"Stay"
(1998) 		"Lean on Me (With the Family)"
(1999) 		"Take Me Home"
(1999)

In 1999, 2-4 Family released "Lean on Me (With the Family)", a remake with a hip hop arrangement and additional lyrics. Epic Records published a 12-inch single and a CD maxi single in Germany.

In 2008, several years after the dissolution of 2-4 Family, founding band-member Mike Johnson performed the song with backing vocalists and dancers at the Eurovision Song Contest in Bulgaria.

Track listings

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12-inch single

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  1. "Lean on Me (With the Family)" (Special radio version) – 3:58
  2. "Lean on Me (With the Family)" (DSP mix) – 4:04
  3. "9 Lives" (Album Version) – 4:06
  4. "Stay" (Special Radio Version) – 4:12
  5. "Lean on Me (With the Family)" (Lounge mix) – 6:38
  6. "Stay" (Jay's D-Style Mix) – 4:15

CD maxi single

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  1. "Lean on Me (With the Family)" (Radio version) – 3:38
  2. "Lean on Me (With the Family)" (DSP mix) – 4:04
  3. "Lean on Me (With the Family)" (Lounge mix) – 6:38
  4. "Lean on Me (With the Family)" (Special radio version) – 3:58
  5. "Stay" (Jay's D-Style mix) – 4:15
  6. "9 Lives" (Album version) – 4:06

Charts

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Chart (1999) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[50] 6
Germany (GfK)[51] 9
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[52] 7

Year-end charts

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Chart (1999) Position
Germany (Official German Charts) [53] 82
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Notable cover versions

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In 1989, remakes of "Lean on Me" by the Winans and Sandra Reaves-Phillips provided the emotional uplift for the film Lean on Me. For the same film, the song was adapted by Big Daddy Kane in "hip hop" form.[58]

For BBC Children in Need in 2016, 1,580 children in choirs sang the song in unison, live from nine towns across the UK.[59] The choirs started singing at the same time and on the telethon, starting in the studio it cut between the choirs giving them either one 20 second slot, or two 10 second slots on air before finishing in the studio. The choirs sang from: Elstree at Elstree Studios the studio just outside London where the main telethon was held,[59] Liverpool at Sefton Park,[59] Swansea from The Swansea University Bay Campus,[59] Bridlington at Bridlington Spa,[59] Dudley at the Black Country Living Museum,[59] Glasgow at BBC Pacific Quay,[59] Milton Keynes at Stadium MK,[59] Salisbury at Salisbury Arts Centre[59] and Belfast at Titanic[59]

In 2020, the song was recorded by an ad hoc supergroup of Canadian musicians credited as ArtistsCAN, both in tribute to Withers' recent death and to raise funds for the Canadian Red Cross during the COVID-19 pandemic.[60] Participating artists included Bryan Adams, Jann Arden, Justin Bieber, Michael Bublé, Fefe Dobson, Scott Helman, Shawn Hook, Avril Lavigne, Geddy Lee, Marie-Mai, Sarah McLachlan, Johnny Orlando, Josh Ramsay, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Tyler Shaw, Walk Off the Earth, Donovan Woods, and Olivia Lunny.[61]

  • In 2023, Japanese-American singer Ai performed the song live at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park during the 49th G7 summit.[62][63] Ai additionally covered "Lean on Me" during a surprise appearance at the G7's youth symposium that took place later the same day.[64] Her cover of "Lean on Me" later was included on her thirteenth studio album, Respect All.[65]

References

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  1. ^ Coleman, Mark; Evans, Ben (2004). "Bill Withers". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 884. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 633.
  3. ^ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1972
  4. ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 25, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2007.
  5. ^ "Cover Me: Same Songs to Hit No. 1 By Two Different Artists". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 28, 2012.
  6. ^ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame | Hall of Fame Artists | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  7. ^ "Lean on Me: Bill Withers : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
  8. ^ a b "Songfacts Interview with Bill Withers". Songfacts.com. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  9. ^ Thompson, Dave (2001). "Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band." Funk. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. pp. 203-206.
  10. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 342. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on February 26, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  12. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 7/22/72". tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  13. ^ "Bill Withers – Lean on Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  14. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1972/Top 100 Songs of 1972". www.musicoutfitters.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  15. ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1972". tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  16. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  17. ^ "British single certifications – Bill Withers – Lean on Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  18. ^ Kirsch, Bob (March 17, 1973). "Label Formulate All-Out Soul Push". Billboard. p. 54. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Google Books.
  19. ^ "American single certifications – Bill Withers – Lean on Me". Recording Industry Association of America.
  20. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (February 8, 2021). "The Number Ones: Club Nouveau's "Lean On Me". Stereogum. Retrieved October 3, 2023. Ultimately, go-go deserves better than Club Nouveau's version of "Lean On Me." New jack swing deserves better, too.
  21. ^ a b "Artist Chart History - Club Nouveau". Billboard Music Charts. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  22. ^ "Bill Withers Biography". Billwithers.com. pp. 8th Paragraph, Last Sentence. Archived from the original on August 29, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  23. ^ "VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the '80s: Do You Agree?". EW.com. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  24. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 67. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and June 19, 1988.
  25. ^ "Club Nouveau – Lean on Me" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  26. ^ "Club Nouveau – Lean on Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  27. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 22, 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  28. ^ "Club Nouveau – Lean on Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  29. ^ "Club Nouveau – Lean on Me". Top 40 Singles.
  30. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  31. ^ "Club Nouveau – Lean on Me". Swiss Singles Chart.
  32. ^ "Club Nouveau Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  33. ^ "Club Nouveau Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  34. ^ "Club Nouveau Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  35. ^ "Club Nouveau Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  36. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Club Nouveau – Lean on Me" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  37. ^ "Australian Music Report No 701 – 28 December 1987 > National Top 100 Singles for 1987". Australian Music Report. Retrieved December 11, 2019 – via Imgur.
  38. ^ "Top 100 Singles of '87". RPM. Vol. 47, no. 12. Library and Archives Canada. December 26, 1987. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  39. ^ "European Charts of the Year 1987 > Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 51/52. December 26, 1987. p. 34. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  40. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1987". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  41. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  42. ^ "End of Year Charts 1987". Official New Zealand Music Chart. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  43. ^ "Gallup Year End Charts 1987: Singles" (PDF). Record Mirror. January 23, 1988. p. 36. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  44. ^ "1987 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 52. December 26, 1987.
  45. ^ "1987 The Year in Music & Video: Top Hot Crossover Singles". Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 52. December 26, 1987. p. Y-27. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  46. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1987". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  47. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  48. ^ "British single certifications – Club Nouveau – Lean on Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  49. ^ "American single certifications – Club Nouveau – Lean on Me". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  50. ^ "2-4 Family – Lean on Me (With the Family)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  51. ^ "2-4 Family – Lean on Me (With the Family)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  52. ^ "2-4 Family – Lean on Me (With the Family)". Swiss Singles Chart.
  53. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
  54. ^ Martyn, Warren; Wood, Adrian (2000). "Radioactive Man". BBC. Retrieved February 27, 2007.
  55. ^ Anderson, Erica; Kaufman, Gil. "Live from the "We Are One" Inaugural Concert". MTV News. pp. Entry titled: "Gil, 2:52 p.m.". Archived from the original on January 19, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  56. ^ "Cursed Purple Tickets (or, how I worked for two years to get Obama elected and then couldn't view the Inauguration)". Barackoblogger.com. January 20, 2009. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
  57. ^ Sederholm, Jillian; Alba, Monica (October 4, 2015). "Hillary Clinton tends bar, impersonates Trump in 'SNL' cameo". NBC News. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  58. ^ "Lean on Me: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Amazon. 1989. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
  59. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Newsroom, The. "Milton Keynes pupils to perform live for bbc children in need". {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  60. ^ Claire Shaffer, "Justin Bieber, Geddy Lee and More Sing ‘Lean on Me’ in Bill Withers Tribute". Rolling Stone, April 27, 2020.
  61. ^ Kennedy, John R. (April 26, 2020). "Canadian Artists Join Voices For 'Lean On Me'". Iheartradio.ca. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  62. ^ "AI、G7広島サミット期間中の広島から＜Lasting Peace LIVE＞配信" [Ai Broadcasts Lasting Peace LIVE from Hiroshima During the G7 Hiroshima Summit]. BARKS (in Japanese). May 21, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  63. ^ "AI、広島から世界へ平和へ願い G7サミット開催地で「アルデバラン」など大合唱" [Ai prays for peace from Hiroshima to the world]. Oricon. May 21, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  64. ^ "Hiroshima Students Discuss Peace with the Spouses of G7 Leaders". UNITAR. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  65. ^ "【インタビュー】AI、アルバム『RESPECT ALL』にあなたへ届けたいメッセージ「もっと分かり合えたら」" [(Interview) Ai wants to deliver a message on her album "Respect All" "If we could understand each other more"]. Barks (in Japanese). August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
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