Stand By Me Lyrics And The Stand By Me Movie

Interested in learning more about Stand By Me lyrics? It is an interesting contrast, the one between Ben E. King’s Stand By Me and the Rob Reiner-directed movie, which used the 1961 song for its theme in the year 1986. The film only uses the song in the closing credits. For some reason however, Reiner believed the theme song was the point of the whole movie. How so?

Perhaps Reiner, like many of us today, think Ben E. King’s Stand By Me lyrics are not just about the love between a man and a woman, but about the intimacy and the protection of friendship. The movie tells the coming of age story about a group of youths growing up in Castle Rock, Oregon in the late 1950s. Each of the youths have a troubled home life in some way or another. However, their experience of discovering a dead body unites them and influences their impressionable minds. Though the movie was actually based on “The Body” by Stephen King, the song was such an influence to Reiner that he named the movie “Stand By Me” as the subtext of the story—friendship between boys (in particular Chris and Gordie, as played by River Phoenix and Wil Wheaton).

Like the song, the film has some dark imagery in it, none more disturbing than Chris’ willingness to break up fights, an act which eventually gets him killed in his adult life. The song Stand By Me, its lyrics in particular, are very dark, summoning up imagery of the sky falling, a dark land in nightfall, and mountains crumbling into nothing.

Of course, Stand By Me is not a dark or negative song. Its final message is positive: friends stick together and weather the storm. Friends are selfless, and each one will risk his/her life to take care of his brother. This is what many people get out of Ben E. King’s song, and probably to Mr. King’s (not Stephen) surprise!

Ben E. King actually wrote the Stand By Me lyrics as a love song between a man and a woman, expecting that the song would be performed by the band The Drifters. However, King was eventually given the chance to record the single himself, following his success with “Spanish Harlem.” Since 1961, the song has become one of the most covered singles of all time, attracting the A-Z list of famous artists like Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, US, Green Day, Lady Gaga, Sting and even Timon and Pumbaa from The Lion King.

Why not download the song right now and reminisce? The sky won’t fall if you do!

By: Jayme Jones

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Lyrics are available for all of your favorite songs, including Stand by Me lyrics by Ben E. King.