Kerry Donoher

English Composition II

Professor Waggoner

June 18, 2020

Rhetorical Analysis Essay

“Lean on Me” is a very well-known song that was written by Bill Withers in 1972. He

wrote this song to encourage people to be there for others. A cover by ArtistsCAN was made in

April 2020 as a tribute to Bill Withers and fundraiser for the Canadian Red Cross. “Lean on Me”

by Bill Withers and the cover by ArtistsCAN might share the same message of being there for

others, but one of them has a stronger meaning behind it. Bill Withers’ version is about

supporting your friends or family whenever they need you, while ArtistsCAN’s version is about

helping your community and spreading hope to others during this pandemic.

Bill Withers’ inspiration for “Lean on Me” was his childhood town in West Virginia.

Withers was the youngest of six and his father died at age thirteen. He went into the United

States Navy at eighteen and served for about nine years. Once he got out of the Navy, he moved

to Los Angeles to pursue his music career. After his first album had a lot of success, he wrote

“Lean on Me” for his second album. Moving to Los Angeles was a lot different then the small

coal mining town he grew up in and helped him write “Lean on Me”. The lyrics tell you exactly

how Withers wants to people to be like. It says, “Lean on me, when you’re not strong. And I’ll

be your friend. I’ll help you carry on.” He wants people to know that they can talk to others and

get help if they need it. They shouldn’t be ashamed to ask for help. Although it was written in a

different time period, its message is still something many people can still relate to today.
 ArtistsCAN versions of “Lean on Me” was created in April to help raise money for the

Canadian Red Cross to help with Covid-19 relief. There were many different Canadian

musicians featured singing in the video including, Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne, Michael Bublé,

and many more. This version is more modern because of it was just made a couple months ago

and features all different kinds of singers. The beginning showed a tribute to the late Bill

Withers, thanking him for his inspiring message in his song. Then it showed clips of all the

different artists singing along and showing their support. They also encouraged people to lean on

music to help during this time. The lyrics could help you or just having something to distract you

might help too. Not only does the music video help raise money, but it also helps spread hope

during this tough time. Everyone is going through the same thing and it might help to know that

you are not alone. They want everyone to know that they are going to make it through this

pandemic by taking care of yourselves and everyone around you.

The cover of “Lean on Me” by ArtistsCAN has a stronger meaning and purpose behind it

compared to the original version by Bill Withers. Both versions encourage you to be there for

your friends or people who might need you, but ArtistsCAN’s version goes deeper. This version

is helping raise money for the frontline healthcare workers to help those with Covid-19 relief.

Two artists, Tyler Shaw and Fefe Dobson, organized everything and gathered the other

musicians from across Canada to help sing the cover. They chose to use “Lean on Me” because

of the message in the lyrics and thought it was something everyone needed to hear. Having

everything being virtual shows that you can still be there for others even if you can’t be there in

person. Many people haven’t been able to see their families, go to work, or finish the school

year. People needed to be able to rely on others to help them get through it all. Although both
versions have a positive message, the version by ArtistsCAN has a more important message with

it.

Both versions of “Lean on Me” used pathos to appeal to the audience. The audience for

each video is everyone. Anyone can be there for someone even if they don’t even realize it. The

version by ArtistsCAN was made to support Canada, but it still gives hope to everyone affected

by Covid-19. The creators thought the song’s message was important to hear during this time and

wanted everyone worldwide to hear it. In Bill Withers’ video, they use pathos by having him

playing on stage and others joining him on stage as the song goes on. This really embodied the

message of the song by having people be there with him and support him. He isn’t alone singing

by himself, he has others singing along with him. In ArtistsCAN version, they used pathos by

having lots of different well-known artists featured in the video. Some also held up signs saying

thanks to the healthcare workers and that they are Canada strong. This helped people have

optimism and feel like they aren’t alone.

As you can see, “Lean on Me” has a very encouraging message that many people can

learn from. It teaches you to be there for others and to not be afraid to ask for help when you

need it. Both versions of the song have the same purpose, but ArtistsCAN version has a more

significant meaning along with it. It is about helping people get through the tough times during

the pandemic, while Withers’ version is about helping others whenever they need it.
 Work Cited

Withers, Bill. “Lean on Me.” YouTube, uploaded by Numberonesongs616, 2 Jan. 2012,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBX-z8c6X9o. Accessed 14 June 2020.

ArtistsCAN. “Lean on Me- ArtistsCAN.” Youtube, uploaded by ArtistsCAN, 26 April 2020,

www.youtube.comwatch?time_continue=1&v=athd5_CW_z0&feature=emb_logo.

Accessed 14 June 2020.