Lean on Me
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Lean on Me is a 1972 soul song by Bill Withers , written and produced by him. He appeared on the album Still Bill .
History of origin
Bill Withers, still without much experience as a musician, wrote the song after doing finger exercises on a newly purchased Wurlitzer electric piano and a certain finger position reminded him of the hymns of his youth. The text was inspired by Bill Wither's childhood in Slab Fork, West Virginia . He wrote the song after moving to Los Angeles , where he missed the human. The text is based on the sense of community he felt during his childhood in his hometown.
Former members of the band Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band were involved in the recording with James Gadson (drums), Ray Jackson (keyboard), Benorce Blackman (guitar) and Melvin Dunlap (bass) . The publication took place on April 21, 1972.
In Rolling Stone's list of the 500 best songs of all time , Lean on Me reached number 205.
Cover version of Club Nouveau
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In March 1987 the song was released by Club Nouveau in a new version. In the United States, Canada and New Zealand, this version became a number one hit. Bill Withers was recognized as a songwriter at the 1988 Grammy Awards .
Other covers
- 1972: Grover Washington, Jr.
- 1973: Tom Jones
- 1976: Mud
- 1976: Aretha Franklin
- 1976: Mary Roos (Come to me)
- 1980: Ike & Tina Turner
- 1981: Barbara Dickson
- 1983: Al Jarreau
- 1986: Al Green
- 1986: Mikael Rickfors
- 1986: Club Nouveau
- 1989: Sandra Reaves-Phillips in the movie The hard-hitting principal (Lean on Me) with Morgan Freeman
- 1992: dc Talk
- 1993: Michael Bolton
- 1999: 2-4 family
- 2000: DJ BoBo
- 2001: Westlife
- 2003: Bonnie Tyler
- 2003: Jocelyn B. Smith
- 2003: Manfred Mann
- 2004: Johnny Logan
- 2007: Stefan Gwildis feat. Laith Al-Deen (I'm here)
- 2010: Sheryl Crow & Keith Urban feat. Kid rock
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chart placements for "Lean on Me" by Bil Withers: US , accessed June 11, 2011.
- ↑ a b Lean on Me in the Official UK Charts (English)
- ^ Ed Hogan: Lean on Me. Allmusic , accessed July 25, 2011 .
- ^ Lean on Me. Rolling Stone , archived from the original on June 20, 2008 ; Retrieved July 25, 2011 .
- ↑ Ranked in 500 Best Songs of All Time on Metroylyrics.com
- ↑ Chart placements for “Lean on Me” by Club Nouveau: DE / AT / CH / US , accessed on June 11, 2011.