STAND BY ME LYRICS - BEN E. KING | DON'T PLAY THAT SONG!

Ben E. King's 1961 soul classic "Stand By Me", written with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, was inspired by the spiritual "Stand by Me Father" and the early-20th-century gospel hymn by Charles Albert Tindley, itself based on Psalm 46. It peaked at No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1961 and returned to UK No. 1 in 1986, driven by a Levi's 501 jeans advert and Rob Reiner's film "Stand by Me".

Image: YouTube / RHINO — official "Stand By Me" vinyl video still.

Stand By Me Song Credits

Song: Stand By Me
Singer: Ben E. King
Writers: Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller (as Elmo Glick)
Album: Don't Play That Song!
Released: 1961
Label: Atco Records

Stand By Me Lyrics

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who wrote Stand By Me?
"Stand By Me" was written by Ben E. King with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. King drew the core idea from the spiritual "Stand by Me Father" and Charles Albert Tindley's gospel hymn, and the three of them finished the song during a session originally planned for The Drifters.

When was Stand By Me released and how did it chart?
Ben E. King released "Stand By Me" as a single in 1961, and it climbed to No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It then returned to No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in 1986, twenty-five years after its debut.

How did the song return to No. 1 in 1986?
A Levi's 501 jeans television advert brought the song back into the public ear, and Rob Reiner's coming-of-age film "Stand by Me" — named after the track — used it as its title song. The advert and the film together pushed the record to UK No. 1.

Why is the song historically significant?
The Library of Congress inducted "Stand By Me" into the National Recording Registry in 2015, recognizing its cultural and historical importance. It also reached a new generation when Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir performed it at the 2018 royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

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