{"id":52662,"date":"2025-11-25T16:36:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T16:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/25\/best-covers-of-ben-e-kings-classic-hit-2\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T16:36:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T16:36:37","slug":"best-covers-of-ben-e-kings-classic-hit-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/25\/best-covers-of-ben-e-kings-classic-hit-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Covers of Ben E. King&#8217;s Classic Hit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>From John Lennon and Tina Turner to Miley Cyrus and Stephen Wilson Jr., the most eclectic renditions of the 1961 hymn<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n\t\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBen E. King scored lasting hits with records like \u201c<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OGd6CdtOqEE\">Spanish Harlem<\/a>\u201d and the Drifters\u2019 \u201c<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nsLa0eND_uA\">Under the Boardwalk<\/a>,\u201d but the New York native, who died in 2015, will always be best known for \u201cStand by Me,\u201d a Psalm-inspired ballad co-written with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tMore than six decades after its release, the song has become a modern standard, reinterpreted countless times across genre, era, and culture. From Otis Redding and Muhammad Ali\u2019s early attempts to Stephen King and Miley Cyrus\u2019 later revisions, the song continues to find artists eager to reinvent it. Most recently, that\u2019d be the country singer Stephen Wilson Jr., who turns \u201cStand by Me\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-country\/stephen-wilson-jr-stand-by-me-cover-1235178112\/\">into a howl<\/a>. These are the must-hear versions.<\/p>\n<div id=\"pmc-gallery-vertical\">\n<div class=\"c-gallery-vertical-loader u-gallery-app-shell-loader\">\n<ul class=\"pmc-fallback-list-items lrv-a-unstyle-list lrv-u-margin-t-2\">\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Muhammad Ali<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-muhammad-ali.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 22: Heavyweight contender Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali) is gesturing how handsome he looks as he attempts to get to the ring to further taunt Sonny Liston who has just defeated former champion Floyd Patterson to retain his heavyweight crown) on July 22, 1963 at the Convention Center in Las Vegas Nevada. (Photo by Stanley Weston\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-muhammad-ali.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-muhammad-ali.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Stanley Weston\/Getty Images)\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>Chuck D once hosted an ESPN documentary that made the case for Ali&#8217;s influence on hip-hop, but before the heavyweight champ claimed to have tussled with a whale, handcuffed lightning and thrown thunder in jail, he recorded this Ben E. King cover. The track appeared toward the end of his modestly-titled 1963 LP <em>I Am the Greatest!<\/em> and nearly cracked the top 100.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Otis Redding<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"1964:  Soul singer Otis Redding poses for a portrait in 1964. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-otis-redding.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-otis-redding.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-otis-redding.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-otis-redding.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"1964:  Soul singer Otis Redding poses for a portrait in 1964. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-otis-redding.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-otis-redding.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>Otis Redding cut &#8220;Stand By Me&#8221; in 1964, just three years after Ben E. King, so maybe that&#8217;s why he doesn&#8217;t treat the song like a sacred text. The bass line remains, but the overall attitude is lighter, even mischievous, thanks to a horn section that offers color rather than punctuation. Steve Cropper spins out winding, inventive riffs on his guitar, and then there&#8217;s Otis, who sings with passion but pointedly avoids turning the lyrics into a desperate plea: He seems to be enjoying the groove as much as the rest of us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>The Kingsmen<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"CIRCA 1965:  Rock and roll band &quot;The Kingsmen&quot; pose for a portrait in circa 1965. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-kingsmen.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-kingsmen.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-kingsmen.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-kingsmen.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"CIRCA 1965:  Rock and roll band &quot;The Kingsmen&quot; pose for a portrait in circa 1965. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-kingsmen.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-kingsmen.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>The Kingsmen were just two years past &#8220;Louie Louie&#8221; when they cut &#8220;Stand by Me.&#8221; In the Sixties, that was an eternity, but where other garage bands had gotten tougher, aiming to sound like the Yardbirds or Rolling Stones, the Kingsmen stayed true to their frat roots, layering cheapo organ over an insouciant crawl through the classic bass riff. It sounds like the obligatory slow number at a Saturday night dance where the band is anxious to return to the ravers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Ike &amp; Tina Turner<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Ike and Tina Turner performing 'Nutbush City Limits' on the German television program Musikladen, Bremen, West Germany, 1973. (Photo by Peter Bischoff\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-ike-and-tina-turner.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-ike-and-tina-turner.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-ike-and-tina-turner.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-ike-and-tina-turner.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Ike and Tina Turner performing 'Nutbush City Limits' on the German television program Musikladen, Bremen, West Germany, 1973. (Photo by Peter Bischoff\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-ike-and-tina-turner.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-ike-and-tina-turner.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Peter Bischoff\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>It\u2019s not easy to find the funk in \u201cStand by Me,\u201d but leave it to Ike &amp; Tina Turner to discover it in a place where nobody else was looking. Slowing the tempo down and adding thick washes of organ (plus Ike\u2019s chicken-scratch guitar), this groove is so heavy that it almost makes Tina\u2019s vocals seem beside the point. That\u2019s not to say she doesn\u2019t tear into them: Tina sings with so much passion that you have to wonder whether she needs somebody to stand by her at all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Gene Clark<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"UNSPECIFIED - CIRCA 1970:  Photo of Gene Clark  Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Gene-Clark.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Gene-Clark.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Gene-Clark.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Gene-Clark.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"UNSPECIFIED - CIRCA 1970:  Photo of Gene Clark  Photo by Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Gene-Clark.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Gene-Clark.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>Former Byrd Gene Clark recorded his version of &#8220;Stand by Me&#8221; during the sessions for 1971&#8217;s <em>White Light <\/em>and while it lay in the vaults until 2002, it&#8217;s a thing of beauty. Clark is faithful to the fragile sentiment of the song but he completely recasts composition, abandoning the signature bass line and gospel undertones as he turns it into a loping country-rock song for southern Californian canyons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>John Lennon<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Singer, musician and songwriter John Lennon (1940 - 1980), a former member of British pop group The Beatles, attends the Grammy Awards at the Uris Theater in New York City, 1st March 1975. He is wearing an 'Elvis' brooch and a corsage. (Photo by Tim Boxer\/Archive Photos\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-John-Lennon.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-John-Lennon.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-John-Lennon.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-John-Lennon.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Singer, musician and songwriter John Lennon (1940 - 1980), a former member of British pop group The Beatles, attends the Grammy Awards at the Uris Theater in New York City, 1st March 1975. He is wearing an 'Elvis' brooch and a corsage. (Photo by Tim Boxer\/Archive Photos\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-John-Lennon.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-John-Lennon.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Tim Boxer\/Archive Photos\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>The Beatles rambled through a shambolic version of &#8220;Stand by Me&#8221; during the never-ending <em>Get Back<\/em> sessions, a bunch of old friends obliviously singing about friendship. Half a decade later, John Lennon and Paul McCartney brought this same vibe to an even looser rendition ultimately released on aptly-titled bootleg <em>A Toot and a Snore in &#8217;74<\/em>. Recorded during the Lennon-produced sessions for Harry Nilsson&#8217;s <em>Pussy Cats<\/em>, this was the last time John, Paul and Ringo were ever in the studio together, and a blitzed Lennon keeps haranguing the engineer about his headphone mix, eventually badgering the crew to adjust the levels so his vocals can&#8217;t be heard at all.<\/p>\n<p>He redeemed himself when he revived &#8220;Stand by Me&#8221; for his 1975 <em>Rock &#8216;n&#8217; Roll<\/em>. Repeating some of the superstar jam excesses of <em>A Toot and a Snore<\/em>, the production is sharpened by Phil Spector, and Lennon&#8217;s vocals tap into an inner anguish absent on his previous attempts. This time around, it feels like he&#8217;s offering a plea for the friends he once took for granted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Mickey Gilley<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Mickey Gilley at the Memphis in May Festival in Memphis, Tennessee, May 30, 1981. (Photo by Paul Natkin\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Mickey-Gilley.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Mickey-Gilley.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Mickey-Gilley.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Mickey-Gilley.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Mickey Gilley at the Memphis in May Festival in Memphis, Tennessee, May 30, 1981. (Photo by Paul Natkin\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Mickey-Gilley.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Mickey-Gilley.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Paul Natkin\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>John Travolta steps into a nightclub, walks over to a girl and asks her to dance. Three years earlier, the couple would have boogied to the Bee Gees, but here, in <em>Urban Cowboy<\/em>, they sway to Mickey Gilley&#8217;s country cover of &#8220;Stand by Me&#8221; \u2013\u00a0painfully ironic because Travolta&#8217;s Bud has pulled this maneuver in order to make Debra Winger&#8217;s Sissy, posted up across the bar, feel jealous.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>The Isley Brothers, \u201cMy Little Girl\u201d<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"(L-R) Ronald Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Jr. and Rudolph Isley pose for a portait as they sign their label T-Neck records to a distriburtion deal with Neil Bogart's Buddah Records at Buddah Records offices with a 3 headed Buddah mural in the background in 1969 in New York. (Photo by PoPsie Randolph\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-isley-bros.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-isley-bros.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-isley-bros.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-isley-bros.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"(L-R) Ronald Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Jr. and Rudolph Isley pose for a portait as they sign their label T-Neck records to a distriburtion deal with Neil Bogart's Buddah Records at Buddah Records offices with a 3 headed Buddah mural in the background in 1969 in New York. (Photo by PoPsie Randolph\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-isley-bros.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-isley-bros.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: PoPsie Randolph\/Michael Ochs Archives\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"p1\">Long before Kendrick Lamar&#8217;s &#8220;i&#8221; sampled the guitar line from A side &#8220;Who&#8217;s That Lady,&#8221; the Isleys ripped Ben E. King&#8217;s bass groove for B side &#8220;My Little Girl.&#8221; Harmonies boom over the track, and the sweet, romantic arrangement gives it a gospel-gone-pop feel. An alternate take even speeds up the tempo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Meat Loaf<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"(Original Caption) : Picture shows a headshot of singer\/performer, Meatloaf, wearing a black leather jacket.   (Photo by Lynn Goldsmith\/Corbis\/VCG via Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-meatloaf.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-meatloaf.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-meatloaf.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-meatloaf.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"(Original Caption) : Picture shows a headshot of singer\/performer, Meatloaf, wearing a black leather jacket.   (Photo by Lynn Goldsmith\/Corbis\/VCG via Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-meatloaf.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-meatloaf.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Lynn Goldsmith\/Corbis\/VCG\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>Meat Loaf cut one of the weirdest versions of &#8220;Stand by Me&#8221; song during the sessions for <em>The Rocky Horror Picture Show<\/em> soundtrack. It sat in the vault for another decade, and maybe for good reason: Loaf gives the elegant original an ornate reggae reinvention filled with over-the-top accents: the overheated backing vocals, a liquid fretless bass that mimics a French horn and a saxophone ripped from <em>Aladdin Sane<\/em>. Just when you think things can&#8217;t get any more ridiculous, his voice gets phased through a tremolo, the desperation palpable from every angle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>U2 and Bruce Springsteen<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"U2 and Bruce Springsteen\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-springsteen-bono.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-springsteen-bono.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-springsteen-bono.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-springsteen-bono.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"U2 and Bruce Springsteen\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-springsteen-bono.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-springsteen-bono.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Images Press\/IMAGES\/Getty Images; Neil H Kitson\/Redferns\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>After Bono broke his shoulder on U2&#8217;s <em>Joshua Tree<\/em> tour, he began inviting fans to come onstage and play guitar. When he made this offer to Philadelphia&#8217;s JFK Stadium, one Bruce Springsteen took him up on it, joining the band for a performance of &#8220;Stand by Me.&#8221; &#8220;I guess you guys know him,&#8221; Bono quipped. &#8220;Is he a local boy or something?&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Maurice White<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"LOS ANGELES - 1985: Singer Maurice White poses for a portrait in 1985 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Harry Langdon\/Getty Images)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Maurice-White.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Maurice-White.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Maurice-White.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Maurice-White.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"LOS ANGELES - 1985: Singer Maurice White poses for a portrait in 1985 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Harry Langdon\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Maurice-White.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-Maurice-White.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Harry Langdon\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>Maurice White&#8217;s &#8220;Stand by Me&#8221; \u2013\u00a0a Top 10 R&amp;B hit in 1985 \u2013 is full of surprises. The track opens with smooth Lionel Richie synths, but much like Lionel himself, it can&#8217;t slow down: A small drop introduces a new dance rhythm, then White adds an extra verse to the original lyrics. &#8220;Lets keep on believin&#8217;\/you give me a reason,&#8221; he sings before jumping into that Earth, Wind and Fire falsetto. &#8220;A reason to smile!&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Stephen Wilson Jr.<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Stephen Wilson Jr. at The 59th Annual CMA Awards held at the Bridgestone Arena on November 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/BUC_7179_878624.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/BUC_7179_878624.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/BUC_7179_878624.jpg?resize=300,214 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/BUC_7179_878624.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Stephen Wilson Jr. at The 59th Annual CMA Awards held at the Bridgestone Arena on November 19, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/BUC_7179_878624.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/BUC_7179_878624.jpg?resize=300,214 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Michael Buckner\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe country singer and guitarist, who mixes grunge with twang, is renowned for his highly personal, yet relatable, songwriting on albums like <em>Son of Dad<\/em>. But Wilson is expert in reimagining classics too, from Temple of the Dog\u2019s \u201cHunger Strike\u201d to Ben E. King\u2019s signature. \u201cI knew it was something very special to me when I first started playing it,\u201d he told <em>RS<\/em> of \u201cStand by Me.\u201d Performing it onstage at the 2025 CMA Awards, the song helped introduce Wilson to a wider audience, one mesmerized by his howling vocal and otherworldly stare. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Junior Murvin<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Reggae singer Junior Murvin poses outside Greensleeves Records, London, 13th October 1986. (Photo by David Corio\/Redferns)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-junior-murvin.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-junior-murvin.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-junior-murvin.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-junior-murvin.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Reggae singer Junior Murvin poses outside Greensleeves Records, London, 13th October 1986. (Photo by David Corio\/Redferns)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-junior-murvin.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-junior-murvin.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: David Corio\/Redferns\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p><span dir=\"ltr\">Recorded for the <em>Bam on the Roof<\/em> compilation in 1992, Junior <span id=\"0.275770703536079\" class=\"highlight\">Murvin<\/span>&#8216;s &#8220;Stand by Me&#8221; is a rare rendition that strips away the trademark bass line, a move that forces attention elsewhere. Here, the focus is on a tight rhythm anchored by a drum machine and an insistent single-note guitar riff, a spare bed that gives <span id=\"0.024864664356746613\" class=\"highlight\">Murvin<\/span> plenty of room to roam. He doesn&#8217;t plead, he seduces: There&#8217;s never a doubt that his intended won&#8217;t stand by him, at least for the night.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Timon and Pumbaa<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"THE LION GUARD: RETURN OF THE ROAR, from top: Timon, Pumbaa, (aired November 22, 2015). \u00a9Disney Channel\/courtesy Everett Collection\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-timon-and-pumba.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-timon-and-pumba.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-timon-and-pumba.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-timon-and-pumba.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"THE LION GUARD: RETURN OF THE ROAR, from top: Timon, Pumbaa, (aired November 22, 2015). \u00a9Disney Channel\/courtesy Everett Collection\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-timon-and-pumba.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-timon-and-pumba.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: \u00a9 Disney Channel\/Everett Collection \t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>The <em>Lion King<\/em>&#8216;s Timon and Pumbaa helped bring &#8220;Stand by Me&#8221; to a new generation of young cartoon-watchers. In a music video that preceded theatrical showings of 1995&#8217;s <em>Tom and Huck<\/em>, the inseparable meerkat-warthog combo traverse Pride Rock while Timon sings King&#8217;s tune. Along the way, Pumbaa is struck by lightning, shot from a cannon and trampled by a stampede, but that doesn&#8217;t stop him from sticking close to \u2013 standing by, if you will \u2013 his best friend.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Stephen King<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Stephen King\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rs-194528-h_00000219243730.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rs-194528-h_00000219243730.jpg 5609w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rs-194528-h_00000219243730.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rs-194528-h_00000219243730.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Stephen King\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rs-194528-h_00000219243730.jpg 5609w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rs-194528-h_00000219243730.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Franz Bischof\/laif\/Redux\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p class=\"p1\">In 1998, Don&#8217;t Quit Your Day Job Records released a covers compilation recorded by a collection of writers and rock critics. Alongside Ben Fong-Torres&#8217; parody of &#8220;Rainy Day Women&#8221; (titled &#8220;Rainy Day Bookstores&#8221;) and Maya Angelou&#8217;s &#8220;Right, Said Fred,&#8221; Stephen King does &#8220;Stand by Me&#8221; Lou Reed-style, adding some spoken word over Warren Zevon keys.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Sean Kingston, \u201cBeautiful Girls\u201d<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 27:  Music recording artist Sean Kingston performs at 102.7 KIIS FM's Homecoming Concert at the Honda Center on October 27, 2007 in Anaheim California.  (Photo by Jesse Grant\/WireImage)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-sean-kingston.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-sean-kingston.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-sean-kingston.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-sean-kingston.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"ANAHEIM, CA - OCTOBER 27:  Music recording artist Sean Kingston performs at 102.7 KIIS FM's Homecoming Concert at the Honda Center on October 27, 2007 in Anaheim California.  (Photo by Jesse Grant\/WireImage)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-sean-kingston.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-sean-kingston.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Jesse Grant\/WireImage\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>Will someone please stand by Sean Kingston? On &#8220;Beautiful Girls,&#8221; the then 17-year-old used Ben E. King&#8217;s riddim to express his high school self-pity, warning a possible girlfriend that her good looks will make him want to kill himself if they break-up. Teenage angst paid off well, though: The song went to Number One on three continents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Lemmy Kilmister<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 28: Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead performs at the Hammersmith Apollo on November 28, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Broussely\/Redferns)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-lemmy.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-lemmy.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-lemmy.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-lemmy.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 28: Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead performs at the Hammersmith Apollo on November 28, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Broussely\/Redferns)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-lemmy.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-lemmy.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Marc Broussely\/Redferns\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>Skate videos have exposed generations of flanneled teens to mind-blowing music that would have otherwise passed them by \u2013 classic punk, rap and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IvqgS2a-Jbs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">the Moody Blues<\/a>. So it&#8217;s funny to imagine how many young slackers first heard &#8220;Stand by Me&#8221; when Lemmy Kilmister (with Slayer&#8217;s Dave Lombardo on drums) covered it for the soundtrack to Flip&#8217;s <em>Extremely Sorry<\/em>. The Mot\u00f6rhead singer&#8217;s cracked voice does the song justice \u2013 and apparently goes well with kickflips.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Ronnie Milsap<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 08:  Ronnie Milsap performs at LP Field during the 2012 CMA Music Festival on June 8, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee.  (Photo by Frederick Breedon IV\/WireImage)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-ronnie-milsap.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-ronnie-milsap.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-ronnie-milsap.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-ronnie-milsap.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"NASHVILLE, TN - JUNE 08:  Ronnie Milsap performs at LP Field during the 2012 CMA Music Festival on June 8, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee.  (Photo by Frederick Breedon IV\/WireImage)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-ronnie-milsap.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-ronnie-milsap.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Frederick Breedon IV\/WireImage\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>Most singers direct &#8220;Stand by Me&#8221; to a friend or a lover. Not Ronnie Milsap. When\u00a0the self-identified Stand by My Woman Man covered the song in 2009, he sang for Jesus \u2013 a reasonable interpretation considering the song&#8217;s themes of faith and love. Milsap&#8217;s version rolls easy, carrying light reggae accents in the rhythm and slathering on a shimmering electric piano that recalls his early-Eighties crossover hits. But it&#8217;s the casual delivery that sells the performance: Ronnie doesn&#8217;t push the religious overtones, so they feel sincere.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Prince Royce<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"LAS VEGAS - NOVEMBER 11:  Singer Prince Royce arrives at the 11th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on November 11, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Photo by Rodrigo Varela\/WireImage)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-prince-royce.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-prince-royce.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-prince-royce.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-prince-royce.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"LAS VEGAS - NOVEMBER 11:  Singer Prince Royce arrives at the 11th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on November 11, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Photo by Rodrigo Varela\/WireImage)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-prince-royce.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-prince-royce.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Rodrigo Varela\/WireImage\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>Baby-faced New York bachatero Prince Royce scored his first hit with a swooning, bi-lingual take on King&#8217;s classic. &#8220;I wanted to do it in bachata because we&#8217;ve seen covers by John Lennon, Lady Gaga, Usher, but I&#8217;d never heard the song in Spanish with that tropical feeling,&#8221; he explained. A few Number Ones later, he would sing it in\u00a0arenas across the country when he opened for Pitbull and Enrique Iglesias. After Royce left the tour, Iglesias began covering the song himself, and upon reaching the final chorus, he would be curl up in a ball at the front of the stage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Miley Cyrus feat. Future, \u201cMy Darlin\u2019\u201d<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 25:  Miley Cyrus performs during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center on August 25, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.  (Photo by Jeff Kravitz\/FilmMagic for MTV)\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-miley.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-miley.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-miley.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-miley.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 25:  Miley Cyrus performs during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center on August 25, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.  (Photo by Jeff Kravitz\/FilmMagic for MTV)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-miley.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/stand-by-me-miley.jpg?resize=300,200 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Jeff Kravitz\/FilmMagic\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>Pharrell, Dr. Luke and Mike Will Made-It get top billing, but a little further down, the <em>Bangerz<\/em> writing credits include the names Leiber, Stoller and King. Their unlikely contribution comes when the former Disney star cuts lyrics from &#8220;Stand by Me&#8221; into the chorus of &#8220;My Darlin&#8217;,&#8221; she and the perpetually Auto-Tuned Future rhyming the older song&#8217;s title with a promise to make a movie in the 3D. A molly-popping Trinidad James reference dates the track as quintessentially 2013, but Ben E.&#8217;s 1961 soul classic remains the source of its tenderness.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<article class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item\">\n<h2>Blowfly, \u201cDon\u2019t Suck Me No Mo\u2019\u201d<\/h2>\n<figure>\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Blowfish\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rs-194526-170624379.jpg?w=300\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rs-194526-170624379.jpg 4314w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rs-194526-170624379.jpg?resize=300,185 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"185\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rs-194526-170624379.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Blowfish\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rs-194526-170624379.jpg 4314w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/rs-194526-170624379.jpg?resize=300,185 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"\/><figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Isaiah Trickey\/FilmMagic\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-not-a-paywall\">\n<p>For many artists, &#8220;Stand by Me&#8221; has become something of a sacred text. Blowfly is not one of them. On his 1974 live album, the foul-mouthed R&amp;B heel turned King&#8217;s sentimental hit into a desperate plea directed at an overeager lover. The title reveals his earnest request, and he follows it by suggesting that this companion move around back and pay some attention to the place where the moon is the only light she&#8217;ll see.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-lists\/stand-by-me-best-covers-ben-e-king-172351\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From John Lennon and Tina Turner to Miley Cyrus and Stephen Wilson Jr., the most eclectic renditions of the 1961 hymn Ben E. King&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":52657,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop","article","has-excerpt","has-avatar","has-author","has-date","has-comment-count","has-category-meta","has-read-more","thumbnail-"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52662\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}