Number one on 13 March 1987, Jonny's 22nd birthday
Stand by Me
Ben E. King
Pressing play loads YouTube's player. YouTube and Google will then set cookies and see your IP address. Nothing loads until you press it. More in the privacy notice.
- Reached number oneweek ending 21 February 1987
- Weeks at number one3
- LabelAtlantic
- Decade1980s
The song
"Stand by Me" is a song originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Ben E. King in 1961, and written by him, along with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who together used the pseudonym Elmo Glick. According to King, the title is derived from, and was inspired by, a spiritual written by Sam Cooke and J. W. Alexander called "Stand by Me Father", recorded by the Soul Stirrers with Johnnie Taylor singing lead.
Ben E. King
Benjamin Earl King was an American soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence as one of the principal lead singers of the R&B vocal group the Drifters, singing the lead vocals on three of their biggest hit singles: "There Goes My Baby", "This Magic Moment", and "Save the Last Dance for Me".
This decade's look
Neon and Memphis: a dark indigo ground, cyan, hot pink and yellow, a neon-tube display face, a geometric sans and hard square shadows.