Ben E. King and the Accidental Anthem: Stand By Me
Starting out with The Drifters, Ben E. King found great success between 1959 and 1960 with There Goes My Baby, This Magic Moment, and Save The Last Dance For Me.
As he left to embark on a remarkable solo career, he offered the boys his latest composition, Stand By Me—but they turned it down.
His first single as a solo artist, Spanish Harlem (1961), was a hit and has since been covered by Aretha Franklin, Cliff Richard, Tom Jones, and, ironically, The Drifters.
In the same session as he recorded Spanish Harlem, famed producers and songwriters Leiber & Stoller asked Ben if he had anything else, as they’d finished early for the day.
Ben played Stand By Me. The songwriters came up with the bass line, called the session musicians back in, and recorded one of the most famous tunes in the history of music.
As Stand By Me followed Spanish Harlem, and Ben would never release anything of the same calibre again, his best years were arguably 1959–61.
The lack of another massive tune wasn’t for lack of trying—Ben released many more albums and singles and kept touring for decades. While some efforts charted, his greatest songs remained those with The Drifters and his first two singles as a solo artist.
In 1986, when Stephen King’s film Stand By Me was released, Ben’s old hit was the obvious choice. It re-entered the charts, reaching #1 in the U.K.
On the covers band set list, Stand By Me has been a regular ever since—hugely popular as a first dance, but also perfect for finishing off the night and calming everyone down.
Ben E. King Tunes | Related Pages
Stand By Me | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Stand By Me by Ben E. King using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| A | A | F#m | F#m |
When the night has come, and the land is dark…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Stand By Me (Ben E. King) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
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