Stand By Me

The song Stand by Me by Ben E. King is in the key of A major. It was released in 1961 and co-written by Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller. King originally intended the song for the Drifters, but ended up recording it as a solo artist. A trivia point is that the song was inspired by a spiritual with the same title and Psalm 46 from the Bible. It became a hit multiple times, including a resurgence in popularity after its use in the 1986 film Stand by Me. The melody features a simple, repeating bass line, gentle string arrangements, and a steady rhythm supporting King's soulful vocal line.