One Great Cover looks at the greatest cover songs ever, and how they got to be that way.
Forgive me for getting a little personal, but when I first heard Club Nouveau’s cover “Lean on Me,” my reaction was simple: “What? Why?” I loved the Bill Withers original, mostly because it was released the year I was born. During my early mixtape years, I created one with the biggest songs from 1972. (Along with every year of my life up to that point.) As a side note, several other songs from that 1972 tape spawned covers within a few years, including “Without You,” “Oh Girl,” “I’ll Take You There,” “I Can See Clearly Now.”
Bill Withers wrote and recorded “Lean on Me” for his second album, Still Bill. He intentionally kept the lyrics simple. The song connected immediately, reaching #1 on both the Billboard Soul chart and the Hot 100. After its April 21, 1972 release, it earned Gold certification — more than a million copies sold — in less than two months. By year’s end, Billboard ranked it as the seventh-biggest song of 1972. Rolling Stone later included it among “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time,” and the song is part of the Grammy Hall of Fame.
So now you understand my initial reaction to a cover of this classic: “What? Why?”
Club Nouveau — French for “New Club” — traced its roots to Timex Social Club, whose 1986 hit “Rumors” became one of the year’s biggest records. Producer Jay King helped create that success. However, disputes between King and the band erupted even as “Rumors” climbed the charts. Within a year, Timex Social Club dissolved.
King responded by forming a new group he called Jet Set, before renaming it Club Nouveau. The new name signaled a fresh start while offering a subtle nod to Timex Social Club. The connection became even clearer with the group’s first single, “Jealousy,” an answer song to “Rumors.” After modest R&B success with “Jealousy” and “Situation #9,” Club Nouveau made a much bolder move: releasing a new version of a beloved classic. The gamble soon transformed the group from a footnote in the Timex Social Club story into a household name.
When Club Nouveau’s version reached #1, it became only the fifth song to top the charts for two different artists. It also hit #1 on the Dance Club Play chart and #2 on the Hot Black Singles chart. It won the Grammy for Best R&B Song, earning songwriter Bill Withers his third Grammy.
So was my original reaction justified? Maybe. Withers’ version of “Lean on Me” remains the definitive recording and one of the most beloved songs of its era. Yet Club Nouveau proved that a cover can succeed without replacing the original. By reimagining the song for a new generation, the group turned a proven classic into one of the biggest hits of the 1980s. More importantly, the song’s message proved timeless. Whether delivered through Withers’ warm, soulful original or Club Nouveau’s polished update, “Lean on Me” continued to remind listeners that we all need someone to lean on from time to time.
