"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. The song reached No. 1 on both the soul and Billboard Hot 100 charts. It stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in July 1972. Billboard ranked it as the No. 7 song of 1972. In 2010, Rolling Stone listed it as No. 208 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time." Many other versions of the song have been recorded. It is one of only nine songs that have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with versions recorded by two different artists. A 1987 cover by Club Nouveau also reached No. 1. In 2007, the 1972 recording of the song by Bill Withers on Sussex Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Background and writing

Bill Withers grew up in Slab Fork, a coal mining town in West Virginia. This experience inspired him to write the song "Lean on Me" for his album Still Bill. He wrote the song after moving to Los Angeles and feeling homesick for the strong sense of community in his hometown. As a child, he lived in an old and run-down house in the poorer part of his town.

In an interview with Songfacts, Withers explained that the song was inspired by his memories of growing up in Slab Fork. He also said he tried to keep the song's lyrics simple and easy to understand.

For the 1972 recording of "Lean on Me," several members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band participated. Musicians who play string instruments, such as violins and cellos, were also part of the recording session.

Personnel

• Bill Withers – Performed piano and vocals
• Benorce Blackmon – Performed guitar
• Raymond Jackson – Performed Wurlitzer electric piano and string arrangement
• Melvin Dunlap – Performed bass
• James Gadson – Performed drums

Club Nouveau version

The R&B group Club Nouveau performed a version of the song with a go-go beat on their album Life, Love & Pain. This version reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1987. It also reached No. 1 on the Dance Club Play chart and No. 2 on the Hot Black Singles chart. Bill Withers, the song’s writer, won a Grammy Award in 1987 for Best R&B Song at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards. The song was listed at No. 94 in VH1’s 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80s.

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

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

2-4 Family version

In 1999, the group 2-4 Family released "Lean on Me (With the Family)," a new version of the song with a hip hop style and added lyrics, from their album Family Business. Epic Records released a 12-inch single and a CD maxi single in Germany.

In 2008, several years after 2-4 Family ended, original member Mike Johnson performed the song with supporting singers and dancers at the Eurovision Song Contest in Bulgaria.

• "Lean on Me (With the Family)" (special radio version) – 3:58
• "Lean on Me (With the Family)" (DSP mix) – 4:04
• "9 Lives" (album version) – 4:06
• "Stay" (special radio version) – 4:12
• "Lean on Me (With the Family)" (lounge mix) – 6:38
• "Stay" (Jay's D-Style mix) – 4:15

• "Lean on Me (With the Family)" (radio version) – 3:38
• "Lean on Me (With the Family)" (DSP mix) – 4:04
• "Lean on Me (With the Family)" (lounge mix) – 6:38
• "Lean on Me (With the Family)" (special radio version) – 3:58
• "Stay" (Jay's D-Style mix) – 4:15
• "9 Lives" (album version) – 4:06

In popular culture

• The song appears in the ending scene of the 1995 season 7 episode of The Simpsons titled "Radioactive Man."
• Mary J. Blige performed the song during the HBO special We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009. The next day, people sang the song together in the Purple Tunnel of Doom under the National Mall while waiting for the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
• On October 3, 2015, Hillary Clinton appeared on Saturday Night Live during her presidential campaign in a comedy sketch with Kate McKinnon, who often imitated Clinton on the show. At the end of the sketch, Clinton and McKinnon sang "Lean on Me" together.
• In the animated series Amphibia, the song plays during the important part of the first-season finale titled "Reunion."
• The German comedy and drama movie 791 km uses the song during an important scene where all the main characters sing it together. The end credits include a version of the song performed by Little Swift and Larissa Pesch.

Notable cover versions

In 1989, the song "Lean on Me" was performed by the Winans and Sandra Reaves-Phillips for the film Lean on Me. For the same movie, Big Daddy Kane reworked the song into a hip-hop style.

In 1976, the English glam rock band Mud released their version of "Lean on Me." It reached the top 10 on both the UK singles chart and the Irish singles chart, reaching No. 7 in the UK and No. 6 in Ireland.

In 2016, for BBC Children in Need, 1,580 children from choirs across nine towns in the UK sang "Lean on Me" together live. The choirs performed at the same time, with the broadcast alternating between the choirs. Each choir had either a 20-second segment or two 10-second segments on the show. The performances took place in locations such as Elstree Studios near London, Sefton Park in Liverpool, Swansea University Bay Campus, Bridlington Spa, Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, BBC Pacific Quay in Glasgow, Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, Salisbury Arts Centre, and Titanic in Belfast.

In 2020, a group of Canadian musicians called ArtistsCAN recorded "Lean on Me" as a tribute to the song’s creator, who had recently passed away. The recording also raised money for the Canadian Red Cross during the COVID-19 pandemic. Artists who participated 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.

In 2023, Japanese-American singer Ai performed "Lean on Me" live at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park during the 49th G7 summit. Ai also sang the song during a surprise performance at the G7 youth symposium later that day. Her version of the song was later added to her thirteenth studio album, Respect All.