Stand by Me (song)
"Stand by Me" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Ben E. King | ||||
from the album Don't Play That Song! | ||||
B-side | "On the Horizon" | |||
Released | 1961 | |||
Format | 7" single, 12" single | |||
Recorded | October 27, 1960 | |||
Genre | Soul, rhythm and blues | |||
Length | 2:57 | |||
Label | Atco | |||
Writer(s) | Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | |||
Producer(s) | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | |||
Ben E. King singles chronology | ||||
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"Stand by Me" | ||||
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Single by John Lennon | ||||
from the album Rock 'n' Roll | ||||
B-side | "Move Over Ms. L" | |||
Released | March 10, 1975 | |||
Format | 7" vinyl | |||
Recorded | 1974 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 3:26 | |||
Label | Apple | |||
Writer(s) | Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | |||
Producer(s) | John Lennon | |||
John Lennon singles chronology | ||||
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"Stand by Me" | ||||
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Single by Mickey Gilley | ||||
from the album Urban Cowboy | ||||
B-side | "Here Comes the Hurt Again" | |||
Released | May 31, 1980 | |||
Format | 7" | |||
Recorded | 1980 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:35 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Writer(s) | Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | |||
Producer(s) | Jim Ed Norman | |||
Mickey Gilley singles chronology | ||||
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"Stand by Me" | |
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Single by Maurice White | |
from the album Maurice White | |
Released | 1985 |
Format | 7", 12" |
Genre | Rhythm and blues, soul |
Length | 4:07 |
Label | Columbia |
Writer(s) | Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller |
Producer(s) | Maurice White |
"Stand by Me" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by 4 the Cause | ||||
from the album Stand by Me | ||||
Released | September 18, 1998 | |||
Format | CD | |||
Recorded | 1997 | |||
Genre | Soul, Hip hop music | |||
Length | 3:44 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Writer(s) | Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | |||
Producer(s) | Michael Vitoria, Funky Be | |||
4 the Cause singles chronology | ||||
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"Stand by Me" | ||||
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Single by Prince Royce | ||||
from the album Prince Royce | ||||
Released | 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2009 | |||
Genre | Bachata | |||
Length | 3:25 | |||
Label | Top Stop Music | |||
Writer(s) | Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | |||
Producer(s) | Sergio George | |||
Prince Royce singles chronology | ||||
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"Stand by Me" is a song originally performed by American singer-songwriter Ben E. King, written by King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. According to King, the song title is derived and was inspired by a spiritual composition by Sam Cooke called "Stand by Me Father" (although Mike Stoller has stated differently). This spiritual was sung by The Soul Stirrers with Johnnie Taylor singing lead. The third line of the second verse of "Stand by Me" derives from Psalms 46:2c.[1] There have been over 400 recorded versions of "Stand by Me" performed by many artists. The song has been featured on the soundtrack of the 1986 film Stand by Me.
In 2012 it was estimated that the song's royalties had topped £17 million, making it the sixth highest earning song as of that time. 50% of the royalties were paid to King.[2]
In 2015, King's original version was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant",[3] just under five weeks before King's death. Later in the year the 2015 line up of The Drifters covered the song in tribute to King.
Song information
According to the documentary History of Rock 'n' Roll, Ben E. King had no intention of recording the song himself.[4] King had written it for The Drifters, who passed on recording it. After the "Spanish Harlem" recording session, he had some studio time left over. The session's producers, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, asked if he had any more songs. King played "Stand by Me" on the piano for them. They liked it and called the studio musicians back in to record it.
Stoller recalls it differently:
I remember arriving at our office as Jerry and Ben were working on lyrics for a new song. King had the beginnings of a melody that he was singing a cappella. I went to the piano and worked up the harmonies, developing a bass pattern that became the signature of the song. Ben and Jerry quickly finished the lyrics ... .[5]
In another interview, Stoller said:
Ben E. had the beginnings of a song—both words and music. He worked on the lyrics together with Jerry, and I added elements to the music, particularly the bass line. To some degree, it's based on a gospel song called "Lord Stand By Me". I have a feeling that Jerry and Ben E. were inspired by it. Ben, of course, had a strong background in church music. He's a 50% writer on the song, and Jerry and I are 25% each.... When I walked in, Jerry and Ben E. were working on the lyrics to a song. They were at an old oak desk we had in the office. Jerry was sitting behind it, and Benny was sitting on the top. They looked up and said they were writing a song. I said, "Let me hear it."... Ben began to sing the song a cappella. I went over to the upright piano and found the chord changes behind the melody he was singing. It was in the key of A. Then I created a bass line. Jerry said, "Man that's it!" We used my bass pattern for a starting point and, later, we used it as the basis for the string arrangement created by Stanley Applebaum.[6]
The personnel on the song included Romeo Penque on sax, Ernie Hayes on piano, Al Caiola and Charles McCracken on guitars, Lloyd Trotman on double bass, Phil Kraus on percussion, and Gary Chester on drums, plus a wordless mixed chorus and strings. Songwriting credits on the single were shown as King and Elmo Glick—a pseudonym used by Leiber and Stoller.
King's record went to No. 1 on the R&B charts[7] and was a Top Ten hit on the U.S. charts twice—in its original release in 1961, when it peaked at No. 4, and a 1986 re-release coinciding with its use as the theme song for the movie of the same name following its appearance in the film, when it peaked at No. 9, and also in an advertisement for Levi Jeans. It also reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in 1987 after its re-release, mostly because of the jeans spot, originally reaching No. 27 on its first release.
The song was not released on an album until it had been out as a single for two years. The song appeared on King's Don't Play That Song! album.
"Stand by Me" was ranked 122nd on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 1999, BMI named it as the fourth most-performed song of the 20th century, with about seven million performances.[8]
On March 27, 2012, the Songwriters Hall of Fame announced that "Stand by Me" would receive its 2012 Towering Song Award and that King would be honored with the 2012 Towering Performance Award for his recording of it.[9]
Structure
The song uses a version of the common chord progression now called the 50s progression, which has been called the "'Stand by Me' changes" after the song.[10]
Notable remakes
- Adriano Celentano's 1962 Italian version, "Pregherò" (meaning "I will pray") reached no. 1 on the Italian charts.[11]
- Otis Redding included a soulful cover of the song in his 1964 debut album, Pain in My Heart.[12]
- Spyder Turner's 1967 version climbed to No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Black Singles chart and No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[13]
- John Lennon recorded his version of the song for his 1975 album Rock 'n' Roll. Lennon's remake was his last hit prior to his five-year retirement from the music industry. This version had a more rock sound than R&B. Lennon filmed a performance of the song for The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1975.[14] On May 3, 1975 this version peaked at #20 on the Hot 100, right in front of King's comeback hit "Supernatural Thing - Part I" at #21. The B-side of the single was "Move Over Ms. L," a rare and raucous track also remade by The Who drummer Keith Moon.[15]
- Mickey Gilley released his version of the song in 1980, it was included in the movie Urban Cowboy. It was his eighth #1 on the country charts and also reached #22 on the Hot 100.
- George Lam released his Cantonese version of the song in 1986 in his album One hundred billion nights, while Anita Mui released her version in 1988 on the album, Drunk in Dreams Together.
- Maurice White's 1985 remake peaked at number 6, 11 and 50 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, Adult Contemporary and Billboard Hot 100 charts, respectively.[16]
- A version of the song released by American R&B group 4 The Cause in 1998 was a #1 hit in Switzerland, reached No. 2 of the Austrian and German singles charts and number three in New Zealand, and was a top-ten hit in several other countries.[17][18]
- Prince Royce recorded a bachata version of the song as his debut single, changing parts of the lyrics into Spanish. This version peaked No. 8 on Hot Latin Tracks and No. 1 on Tropical Airplay. At the Latin Grammy Awards of 2010, Royce performed a live version of the song along with Ben E. King.[19] Royce's remake received a Lo Nuestro award for "Tropical Song of the Year".[20]
- Melbourne Victory Football Club adopted "Stand by Me" as their pre-game song before kick-off in the A-League.[21]
- Italian singer Rita Pavone made an Italian remake entitled "Stai con me" (Stay with me) in 1970.[22]
- A classical cover of the song by Florence and the Machine serves as the opening theme and ending credits intro for the Square-Enix action role-playing game Final Fantasy XV.
Chart performance
Ben E. King
Chart (1961) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard Hot R&B Singles[23] | 1 |
US Billboard Hot 100[23] | 4 |
UK Singles Chart[24] | 27 |
Chart (1986) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard Hot 100 | 9 |
For the year-end charts in the US, the song was the #63 song of 1961[25] and #67 of 1987.[26]
Chart (1987) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles Chart[24] | 1 |
Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
German Top 75 | 2 |
Swiss Music Charts | 3 |
Dutch Top 40 | 7 |
Austria Top 40 | 7 |
Sweden Singles Chart | 8 |
Norway Singles Chart | 9 |
John Lennon
Chart (1975) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian RPM Singles Chart | 10 |
US Billboard Hot 100[27] | 20 |
US Cashbox Top 100[27] | 20 |
UK Singles Chart | 30 |
German Singles Chart | 22 |
Mickey Gilley
Chart (1980) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 22 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 3 |
Canadian RPM Country Chart | 3 |
Canadian RPM Singles Chart | 51 |
Maurice White
Chart (1985)[16] | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 6 |
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 11 |
U.S. Billboard Billboard Hot 100 | 50 |
4 the Cause
Chart (1998) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Billboard Hot 100 | 82 |
UK Single Charts | 12 |
German Single Charts | 2 |
Austrian Single Charts | 2 |
Swiss Single Charts | 1 |
Prince Royce
Chart (2010)[28] | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Tracks | 8 |
U.S. Billboard Latin Tropical Airplay | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Heatseekers Songs | 17 |
U.S. went to 102 on the charts with Cassius Clay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtIF0OqRnOE
See also
- List of number-one R&B singles of 1961 (U.S.)
- List of UK Singles Chart number ones
- List of number-one singles of 1987 (Ireland)
- List of number-one Billboard Hot Tropical Songs of 2010
References
- ↑ Laurence Ourac. "Stand by Me: Digging The Oldies Part 3". Retrieved 2016-10-08. (The actual reference is Psalms 46:2c rather than all of Psalms 46:2-3.)
- ↑ "BBC4…The World's Richest Songs". Did You Watch It?. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ↑ "New Entries to National Recording Registry | News Releases - Library of Congress". Loc.gov. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Good Rockin' Tonight". (c) 1995 Time-Life Video.
- ↑ Leiber, Jerry; Stoller, Mike; Ritz, David (2009). Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography. Simon & Schuster. p. 174. ISBN 978-1-4165-5938-2.
- ↑ "May 2012". JazzWax. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 325.
- ↑ "BMI Announces Top 100 Songs of the Century | News". BMI.com. December 13, 1999. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Stand By Me Named Towering Song, Ben E. King Towering Performance, Lance Freed Abe Olman Publisher". SongHall. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ↑ Moore, Allan (1995). "The So-Called 'Flattened Seventh' in Rock". Popular Music. Cambridge University Press. 14 (2): 185–201. doi:10.1017/S0261143000007431.
- ↑ "Hit Parade del 24 Novembre 1962". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- ↑ Redding, Otis. "Stand by Me." Pain in My Heart, Atco, 1964.
- ↑ "Deep Online April 2010". Soulexpress.net. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ↑ The Old Grey Whistle Test (DVD). Warner Home Video. 2003.
- ↑ Blaney, John (2005). "1973 to 1975: The Lost Weekend Starts Here". John Lennon: Listen to This Book (illustrated ed.). [S.l.]: Paper Jukebox. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-9544528-1-0.
- 1 2 The album Maurice White on AllMusic
- ↑ Steffen Hung. "4 The Cause - Stand By Me". Austriancharts.at. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts". Musicline.de. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Prince Royce All Set To Touch The Sky". Thaindian.com. November 12, 2010. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Premio Lo Nuestro 2011 Winners List". Nochelatina.com. February 18, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Stand By Me". Melbourne Victory. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
- ↑ "Rita Pavone - Stai Con Me / Ieri Avevo Cento Anni". Discogs.com. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- 1 2 "Ben E. King awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
- 1 2 "Ben E. King". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
- ↑ "1961". Longbored Surfer. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ↑ "1987". Longbored Surfer. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- 1 2 Blaney, John (2005). John Lennon: Listen to This Book (illustrated ed.). [S.l.]: Paper Jukebox. p. 326. ISBN 978-0-9544528-1-0.
- ↑ Prince Royce Billboard Singes, AllMusic
Preceded by "Dancin' Cowboys" by The Bellamy Brothers |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single (Mickey Gilley version) August 9, 1980 |
Succeeded by "Tennessee River" by Alabama |
Preceded by "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" by Aretha Franklin and George Michael |
UK number one single Ben E. King version February 21, 1987 (for three weeks) |
Succeeded by "Everything I Own" by Boy George |