Song of the Day — August 13
“Stand by Me” — Ben E. King
“Stand by Me” — Ben E. King
13.August.2020
Ben E. King
“Stand by Me”
1961
There are over 400 different versions, Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me.”
It’s one of the most recorded songs in history. Some of the people who have covered it include:
Otis Redding
John Lennon
Julian Lennon
Tracy Chapman
Florence and the Machine
Stephen King & Warren Zevon
Muhammad Ali — then known as Cassius Clay
Alvin & the Chipmunks
Weezer
Three things inspired the song, written by a former member of The Drifters Ben E. King, and producer/songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (they produced the song as well):
A spiritual written by Sam Cooke and J. W. Alexander called “Stand by Me Father.”
The book of Psalms second verse: “Therefore will not we fear, though the Earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.”
A hymn by a Philadelphia pastor named Charles Albert Tindley, in 1905, who had adapted that Psalm. Tindley was a slave’s son who volunteered as a janitor at an Episcopalian church in Philadelphia. He taught himself Greek through a correspondence course and learned Hebrew at a local synagogue, and eventually became pastor of the mixed-race congregation.
The third line of the second verse — “The mountain should crumble to the sea” — derives from Psalm 46:2c/3c:
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.
The significance of the Psalm can’t be understated as it’s used prodigiously by both Judaism and Christianity.
Various verses are referenced in many Jewish prayers, and the Psalm itself is the Psalm of the day for Shabbat Va’eira. It’s also recited as a prayer for the end of all wars.
Historically for Christians, Psalm 46 was recited or sung at the office of matins (canonical hour of Christian liturgy). Today, it’s sung or recited at Vespers (sunset evening prayer service) on Friday of the first week.
The Shakespeare Connection
For years, theorists have suggested that William Shakespeare helped write or translate the text of Psalm 46 as it appears in the King James Bible. However, just as many theorists discount that by saying that the translations were more than likely agreed upon by a committee of scholars.
For the more conspiracy-minded, Shakespeare was in King James’ service during the preparation of the King James Bible. He was also generally considered to be 46 years old in 1611 when the translation was completed.
And going even further out on the conspiratorial limb, as spelling was lax in those pre-standardized days, there are a few examples of Shakespeare’s actual signature. On at least one occasion, he signed it ‘Shakspeare’, which divides into four and six letters, thus ‘46’. The 46th word from the beginning of Psalm 46 is “shake” and the 46th word from the end is “spear” (“speare” in the original spelling).
Oh, what a clever bard!
There are currently no ties between William Shakespeare and the work of The Beatles or Led Zeppelin.
However, the connection with Psalm 46 and music is ancient and even tangentially rooted in rebellion. The Augustinian monk and leading figure in the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther, wrote and composed a hymn which paraphrases Psalm 46: “Ein Feste Burg ist Unser Gott”, translated as “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”
Inspired by all of that, Ben E. King began noodling out the framework of the song after leaving his former band, The Drifters. Once he had it down, he sent it to them. In a moment of historical poor judgment or bitterness, they allegedly replied with a terse, “We don’t need it” (although an updated line-up of the band would cover the song in 2015).
Although perspectives differ, after King had finished recording “Spanish Harlem” in 1960, they still had studio time. So producers Leiber and Stoller asked King if he had any other songs. He did.
The producers called in some more studio musicians, and “Stand by Me” was recorded on October 27, 1960.
King’s version went to #1 on the Billboard R&B chart and was twice a Top Ten hit on the Billboard singles chart — peaking at #4 in 1961, and then again at #9 in 1986 as the theme song to the successful movie, Stand by Me (based on a novella by Stephen King).
The 1986 version found the song having success globally as it became a Top Ten song around the world.
“Stand by Me” is so popular that the chord progression it uses, called the ’50s progression, has colloquially been referred to as the “‘Stand by Me’ changes.”
The chart success by all the other versions, international and otherwise, have varied. Still, by 2012, cumulatively, the song’s royalties had topped $22.8 million, making it the sixth highest-earning song as of its era.
In 2015, Ben E. King’s original version of “Stand by Me” was designated as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, five weeks before his death.
Stand by Me
When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we’ll see
No I won’t be afraid
Oh, I won’t be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
So darling, darling
Stand by me, oh stand by me
Oh stand, stand by me
Stand by me
If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea
I won’t cry, I won’t cry
No, I won’t shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
And darling, darling
Stand by me, oh stand by me
Oh stand now, stand by me
Stand by me
Darling, darling
Stand by me, oh stand by me
Oh stand now, stand by me, stand by me
Whenever you’re in trouble won’t you stand by me
Oh stand by me, oh won’t you stand now, stand
Stand by me…
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