"
Stand by Me" is a song originally performed by American singer-songwriter
Ben E. King, written by King,
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. According to King, the song title is derived and was inspired by a spiritual composition by
Sam Cooke called "Stand by Me Father" (although Mike Stoller has stated differently). This spiritual was sung by
The Soul Stirrers with
Johnnie Taylor singing lead. There have been over 400 recorded versions of "Stand by Me" performed by many artists. The song has been featured on the soundtrack of the 1986 film
Stand by Me.