The song ranked at number 94 in VH1's 100 Greatest One-hit Wonders of the 80s. This version of "Lean on Me" is known for the addition of the faux-reggae refrain "We be jammin'! We be jammin'!". It won a Grammy award in 1987 for Bill Withers, as the writer, for Best R&B Song. It also reached number one on the dance charts, and number two on the Black Singles charts, kept out of the top spot by Jody Watley's " Looking for a New Love". 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 charts in March 1987. Script error: No such module "Unsubst-infobox". Jay King General information Navigation guide Previous song ^shipments figures based on certification aloneįile:Double-dagger-14-plain.pngsales+streaming figures based on certification alone Raymond Jackson – Wurlitzer electric piano, string arrangementĬharts Weekly charts Chart (1972).Some radio versions cut the number of "Call Me's" to six times before the song's end. Several radio stations, as well as the single version, fade out during the repeated coda, due to time limits as well as the repetition of the lyrics. Withers's version is noted for its bridge section: ("Just call on me, brother"), as well as the coda section, where the words ”call me” are repeated a total of 14 times, before the song ends on a cadenza on the strings. A string section was also included as well. Several members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band were used for the recording session in 1972. Withers stated in the same interview that he made an effort to keep the lyrics simple. 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.'" "I bought a little piano and I was sitting there just running my fingers up and down the piano. Withers recalled to SongFacts the original inspiration for the song: He had lived in a decrepit house in the poor section of his town. In conjunction with Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble, ArtistsCAN’s rendition of Lean On Me was released as a charity single to raise funds for the Canadian Red Cross’s COVID-19 initiatives.Bill Withers's childhood in the coal mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, 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.
Earlier this month, the two enlisted the massive, star-studded roster of Canadian musicians to record Lean On Me from the comfort of their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The collective artist initiative, known officially as ArtistsCAN, was organized and set up by Juno Award-nominated singer-songwriters Tyler Shaw and Fefe Dobson.
The 1972 soul classic was not only covered by the likes of Canuck legends Avril Lavigne and Michael Bublé but Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan and a heavily autotuned Justin Bieber, too.
WHO SINGS LEAN ON ME SONG TV
Send this page to someone via email emailĪs a final musical treat during Sunday evening’s all-Canadian charity TV special Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble, more than two dozen artists - old and new - banded together for a virtual ensemble of the late Bill Withers‘ Lean On Me.