That feeling of "community" in "Lean On Me"

Bill Withers wrote the classic soul song "Lean On Me" in part because he missed the strong community ethic of his small hometown in West Virginia after he moved to Los Angeles.

"Community ethic."  People pulling together to help each other, especially when friends are in need.

Angie Briceno, Anika Constantino, Hainite Matangi and Alicia Miller perform "Lean On Me."

That's one thing that's made Withers' classic piece an enduringly timeless and memorable song.  It's a tune that's known among the younger generation today.  My daughter Alicia goes to Summit Christian Academy, a small Christian school in Salt Lake City, and she recently started singing "Lean On Me" around her friends when one of them said she liked it a lot.  Two more friends joined in and started working on it to get it ready for a future performance.

They ended up singing it together with Alicia accompanying on piano last week for an eighth grade graduation ceremony for two of their friends.  At Alicia's school, it's small enough that there's a strong sense of "community," learning to help each other out when a friend is in need.

The song about "community" was appropriate.