Bill Withers – Lean On Me

I played this single so much when I was around 7 years old. I wore it out and know every nuance of this song. Just a great vocal by Withers on this. The simple piano riff makes this song so powerful to me. Still one of my favorite songs. Sometimes less is better. 

It’s been covered by many other artists, but this is my go-to version. Bill Withers wrote this song after he left his childhood town of Slab Fork, West Virginia, to live in Los Angeles in a poor section of town. Members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band were used on the recording.

Producer Ray Jackson (who doubled as the keyboard player) and engineer Bob Potter kept the recording dry and uncluttered. No strings, no brass, no unnecessary sweetening. Just voice, piano, bass, drums, and a touch of guitar. It’s like Bill is in your living room singing to you.

What’s remarkable is how this song has transcended its era. It’s been sung at weddings, funerals, movies, and classrooms. It’s part of the American pop culture now, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with songs such as Amazing Grace and This Land Is Your Land.

The musicians on this recording were Ray Jackson, Benorce Blackmon, Melvin Dunlap, and James Gadson. Some of these musicians were in The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100, #18 in the UK, and #20 in Canada in 1972. 

Bill Withers: “This was my second album, so I could afford to buy myself a little Wurlitzer electric piano. So 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.’ So you go back and say, ‘How do I arrive at this as a conclusion to a statement? What would I say that would cause me to say Lean On Me?’ At that point, it’s between you and your actual feelings, you and your morals and what you’re really like. You probably do more thinking about it after it’s done.”

Lean On Me

Sometimes in our lives we all have pain 
We all have sorrow 
But if we are wise 
We know that there’s always tomorrow 

Lean on me, when you’re not strong 
And I’ll be your friend 
I’ll help you carry on 
For it won’t be long 
‘Til I’m gonna need 
Somebody to lean on 

Please swallow your pride 
If I have faith you need to borrow 
For no one can fill those of your needs 
That you won’t let show 

You just call on me brother, when you need a hand 
We all need somebody to lean on 
I just might have a problem that you’ll understand 
We all need somebody to lean on 

Lean on me, when you’re not strong 
And I’ll be your friend 
I’ll help you carry on 
For it won’t be long 
‘Til I’m gonna need 
Somebody to lean on 

You just call on me brother, when you need a hand 
We all need somebody to lean on 
I just might have a problem that you’ll understand 
We all need somebody to lean on 

If there is a load you have to bear 
That you can’t carry 
I’m right up the road 
I’ll share your load 

If you just call me (call me)
If you need a friend (call me) call me uh huh(call me) if you need a friend (call me)
If you ever need a friend (call me)
Call me (call me) call me (call me) call me 
(Call me) call me (call me) if you need a friend
(Call me) call me (call me) call me (call me) call me (call me) call me (call me)

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

40 thoughts on “Bill Withers – Lean On Me”

  2. When Bill Withers released “Ain’t no Sunshine” we counted the number of times he sang “I know”, and joked about whether there was an extended version for FM radio with even more repetition. The next year, “Lean on me” hit home. We didn’t make fun of this one.

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    1. Thats funny…I see why you did that. It’s like “Hi Bob” with the Bob Newhart Show…students used to drink everytime they heard Hi Bob.
      Yea this one is just so powerful.

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  3. So I sit with my pet parrot Eli in the morning while he eats his breakfast oatmeal-yes I did just say that. Anyway I am listening to CBC radio and the oft discussed issue of Canada/US relations comes up. Thematically they often insert a song on this program. It was “Lean On Me”. And here just minutes later I discovered you have posted it. I will take it as a positive sign!

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  5. Pingback: Bill Withers – Lean On Me – MobsterTiger

  6. Excellent song from a great guy. As you say, its comparative sparseness couple with his strong voice really make it work and feel timeless. A song that would’ve been worthy of Al Green. But Bill does a good enough job on it, no other is required

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      1. there’s a time and place for everything, soundwise… I was just listening to George Harrison’s ‘What is Live’ this morning and thought A) what was Phil Spector thinking bringing in mariachi horns to a song like that, and B) how the hell did he know that they would work perfectly? But this song resonates as you say with its simplicity and its focus on the words. I think both sparse productions and meaningful words are things you seldom find on today’s top 40s.

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      2. Yea I agree…it’s like they have to make everything cluttered…they sometimes don’t allow the song to breathe…but to be fair…it’s hard to resist when recording a song…oh a fourth guitar would be GREAT right here! LOL…but it’s the truth…it’s hard to resist.

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      3. I agree, sometimes it’s too easy to throw in an extra riff here, a flugelhorn there, a big bass drum to kick in before the full choir raises the roof. Less can be more. Restraint. Which I guess its good to see a live act or a busker doing it basically.

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      4. Restraint is so hard to do…hard for me to do. That song of mine you listened to of mine….that is what I’m going to do to it…its 6 guitars in it…

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      5. A writer/songwriter always wants to re-tweak, revamp, reduce, redo their work. There’a always that ‘if I just do this it will sound right. Well, now it sounds slightly off-beat; lemme…’

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    2. Patches to Bill Withers? I must say, I don’t know why either. But I also know that the connection is gonna stay in my head right next to Why is a Raven like a Writing Desk? Hmmmm

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  13. Love this man and his music. Everything in this song is distilled down to the essence. If you haven’t seen the documentary about him from a few years ago (can’t remember the name of it), check it out. There’s a touching scene where he goes to a school with kids who stutter (he grew up with a bad stutter) and is brought to tears. A great song.

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    1. I will hunt that down…I love this guy….heck I grew up with him.

      I did stutter as well…so I know I’ll like that. My stutter was more of I froze and couldn’t say anything….calling row…john-here, joe-here-Max-……uh….. sometimes it comes back at weird moments.

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      1. It’s called Still Bill, and I think I saw it on YouTube, but it doesn’t look like it’s there now. It’s well worth your time. You’re in good company. A lot of famous people have dealt with the same thing.

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  14. Total classic. I loved this record when it came out and I was 14 years old – topped my personal charts – I was already 3 years into doing those, and it’s such a great message it can tolerate any genre of cover. Probably my fave cover is Glam Rock band Mud, they took it top 10 in the UK in 1976.

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