Songoftheday 2/16/15 - When the night has come and the land is dark and the moon is the only light we'll see

"Stand By Me" - Ben E. King
from the albums Stand By Me (Original Soundtrack) (1986) and Don't Play That Song! (1962)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #4 (two weeks, 1961) and #9 (three weeks, 1986)
Weeks in the Top-40: 24 (11 in 1961, 13 in 1986)

Today's Song of the Day is one of the most revered R&B hits of all time, from a singer/songwriter who came from one of the top vocals groups of the late 50s to his own solo success. Ben E. King got his big break when he was hired on as a replacement singer for the Drifters, who had gone through many member changes in the 50s already. Singing on such classic hits as "There Goes My Baby" and "This Magic Moment", he didn't last long before contract disputes led him to pursue a solo career.  In 1961, his song "Spanish Harlem" landed him a top-10 pop hit, and one of many to be covered by a truckload of artists since.

Ben's next single, "Stand By Me", would go on to become his "signature song", with an unforgettable bassline and classy string section (co-written with producers Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, drew upon the lessons of Phil Spector's "Wall Of Sound" but held back enough to let Ben's melody shine....

"Stand By Me" was a #1 R&B hit and top-5 pop hit back in 1961, but it holds the rare feat of returning to the pop top-10 in America thanks to horror fiction/movie master Stephen King, whose Stand By Me movie naturally included the song. The soundtrack of oldies done The Big Chill-style went into the top-40 on the albums chart, and "Stand By Me" landed in the Hot 100's top 10 in December of 1986. Also due to exposure from its use on ads from Levi's jeans, the single climbed all the way to #1 on the British singles chart in February of the following year. It would be King's final big hit, though he still periodically performs at the age of 76.

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"Stand On Me" has been covered by countless artists and groups, and returned to the charts many, many times. First, in 1964, boxer Cassius Clay (aka the future Muhammad Ali) came two notches from appearing on the Hot 100 on its "bubbling under" chart...

Pop pianist Earl Grant climbed to #75 a year later with his instrumental version..

Detroit soul singer Spyder Turner had the most successful cover of the song, reaching #12 on the pop chart and #3 on the R&B list in 1967...

Brothers David and Jimmy Ruffin (the former from the Temptations) collaborated on "Stand By Me" which went to #61 in 1970...

John Lennon made the top-20 on the American pop chart in 1975 with his cover...

 The classic again appeared in the top-40 in America courtesy of country star Mickey Gilley in 1980, who stopped at #22 and also topped the country chart and peaked at #3 on the adult contemporary chart, because of another movie, Urban Cowboy...

Earth, Wind, and Fire lead singer Maurice White had a top-10 soul hit and stopped at #50 on the pop chart with his version in 1985...

R&B vocal group 4 the Cause had a minor hit in America with "Stand By Me" that was much more successful in Europe in 1998 reaching the top-10 in Germany, Austria, and Ireland, and #12 in England...

Most recently, Latin bachata star Prince Royce "bubbled under" the pop chart and reached #1 on the "Tropical" Latin radio list in 2010...

Here's the promo video MTV played for the song in 1986..

...and finally, Ben live in 1987 at the Montreaux Jazz Festival...

 Up tomorrow: a "masquerading" punk band doesn't want to be misunderstood.