Watch Canadian Artists Sing “Lean On Me” For COVID-19 Relief
We have a new entry in the nascent genre of “remotely-recorded quarantine-era all-star TV-special singalongs.” Last night, a whole lot of Canadian celebrities participated in Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble, a Canadian TV special dedicated to raising money for Food Banks Canada. It culminated in a grand group-sung version of “Lean On Me,” the 1972 classic from the late Bill Withers, who died earlier this month. It was weird.
Last night’s “Lean On Me” singalong featured a bunch of big stars, and all of those big stars were Canadian. The group included Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne, Geddy Lee, Bryan Adams, Michael Bublé, Sarah MacLachlan, and Buffy Saint-Marie, as well as a bunch of people who are presumably mostly famous in Canada. It offered plenty of surreal spectacle, like the image of Justin Bieber and Geddy Lee singing together in split-screen. (Bieber sang the whole song while hunching over and clutching a couch cushion, which is a choice. He sounded good.)
Other Canadian celebs appeared on the special but didn’t take part in the “Lean On Me” group-sing. Drake, Céline Dion, Shania Twain, and Ryan Reynolds were all on there offering messages of support to health-care workers. Justin Bieber and Hayley Baldwin said they’re spending the quarantine in Canada. Ex-couple Amy Poehler and Will Arnett appeared together. You can watch the “Lean On Me” situation below.
Presumably, this was meant to fill us all with a feeling of mutual love and determination. Speaking personally, it mostly filled me with a feeling of damn, look at all those Canadians.