Stand by Me (Ben E. King song)

"Stand by Me"
One of side-A labels of the original 1961 US single
Single by Ben E. King
from the album Don't Play That Song!
B-side"On the Horizon" (1961)
"Yakety Yak" by the Coasters (1986)
Released1961
RecordedOctober 27, 1960
Genre
Length2:57
LabelAtco
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Jerry Leiber
  • Mike Stoller
Ben E. King singles chronology
"First Taste of Love"
(1961) 		"Stand by Me"
(1961) 		"Amor"
(1961)
Official vinyl video
"Stand by Me" by Ben E. King on YouTube
Ben E. King singles chronology
"Souvenirs of Love"
(1981) 		"Stand by Me"
(1986) 		"Spanish Harlem"
(1987)

"Stand by Me" is a song originally performed in 1961 by American singer-songwriter Ben E. King and written by him, along with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who together used the pseudonym Elmo Glick. According to King, the title is derived from, and was inspired by, a spiritual written by Sam Cooke and J. W. Alexander called "Stand by Me Father", recorded by the Soul Stirrers with Johnnie Taylor singing lead.

"Stand by Me" was featured on the soundtrack of the 1986 film Stand by Me, and a corresponding music video, featuring King along with actors River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton, was released to promote the film. The song was also featured in a 1987 European commercial of Levi's 501 jeans, contributing to greater success in Europe. In 2012, its royalties were estimated to have topped $22.8 million (£17 million), making it the sixth highest-earning song of its era. 50% of the royalties were paid to King.[3] In 2015, King's original version was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant",[4] just under five weeks before his death. Later in the year, the 2015 lineup of the Drifters recorded it in tribute.

There have been over 400 recorded versions of the song, performed by many artists, notably Otis Redding, John Lennon, Muhammad Ali,[5] 4 the Cause, Tracy Chapman, musicians of the Playing for Change project, Florence and the Machine, Weezer, and the Kingdom Choir.

  1. ^ Huey, Steve. "Ben E. King | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  2. ^ "The 40 best basslines of all time". Bass Player. January 8, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  3. ^ "BBC4 The World's Richest Songs". Did You Watch It?. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  4. ^ "New Entries to National Recording Registry | News Releases – Library of Congress". Loc.gov. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  5. ^ Worth, Fred L. (1985). Rock Facts. "Muhammad Ali had a minor hit with the Ben E. King classic "Stand By Me" with "I Am The Greatest" as the flip side.