Trying to create a COVID-19 kumbaya moment, Minnesota Public Radio is having its various stations play "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers at 5:54 p.m. Friday – and asking everybody to sing along.
It's the #BringTheSingHome event. The second one, at that.
Last Friday afternoon, MPR stations simultaneously broadcast "You've Got a Friend," the Carole King version, for a sing-along.
A No. 1 song for Withers in 1972, "Lean on Me" is a classic about offering to provide strength to others in a time of need.
Club Noveau's version of the song also reached No. 1 in 1987, making "Lean on Me" one of only nine songs to reach No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 by two different artists.
Also known for the 1970s hits "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lovely Day," Withers was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. He died March 30 at age 81.
"Lean on Me" will be broadcast on the Current (89.3 FM), MPR News (91.1 FM) and MPR Classical (99.5 FM).
Whether you're singing along on your front porch or out the window of your car, please know "Lean on Me" is in the key of C Major.
