Ben E. King's 'Stand By Me:' A '60s Classic That Keeps Coming Back

By | October 31, 2019

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R&B singer Ben E. King poses for a portrait in circa 1975. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Ben E. King wrote “Stand by Me” in 1960, and over time, it has become the 6th highest earning song of its era. Released in 1961, it went to #4 on the pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart; upon its re-release in 1986, off the soundtrack of the film of the same name, it again was a top-ten pop hit. The movie Stand By Me, based on a Stephen King story and starring starring River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Wil Wheaton, was set in 1959 (making the title track an anachronism) and revived interest in a number of songs from the era, including "Everyday" by Buddy Holly, "Let the Good Times Roll" by Shirley and Lee, and "Yackety Yack" by the Coasters. 

More than 50 years after it was written, the Library of Congress inducted the song into the National Recording Registry, an honor that shows its recognition as a song that is "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2014.

'Stand By Me' Is Rooted In Gospel

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Ben E. King, who along with Leiber and Stoller, is credited with writing the song. Source: (nme.com)

King wrote "Stand by Me" for his soon-to-be wife and initially offered it to the Drifters, the band he was performing with until he left over a dispute about money. When he left the band, the producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller helped him to finish the music and lyrics, so he could release it as a solo artist. Although he wrote it for his future wife, the song does have some roots in the gospel song, “Stand By Me” written in 1905 by the Rev. Charles Albert Tindley. Its religious roots can also be traced to Psalm 46:2.

Although the sound of the song has been altered during the various covers of the song, its bass line is so recognizable that the chord progression is sometimes referred to as the “’Stand By Me’ changes”.