51 Years Ago, John Lennon Released a Cover of This Legendary Soul Song

By 1975, John Lennon was already one of the biggest music stars in the world, both for his work with The Beatles and as a solo artist. Lennon's own songs had garnered him plenty of acclaim, but for Rock 'n' Roll, his sixth (and ultimately final) studio album, released in February of that year, he focused exclusively on covers.

One of the tracks on Rock 'n' Roll was Lennon's take on Ben E. King's timeless 1961 soul hit, "Stand by Me." Lennon's version was released 51 years ago today, March 10, 1975.

'Stand by Me' was a solid hit for Lennon

One of two singles from Rock 'n' Roll, "Stand by Me" peaked at No. 20 on the US Hot 100 and also cracked the top 15 in Canada and New Zealand and top 30 in England.

At the time, Cash Box gave Lennon's cover a solid review, saying that it "shines" on an LP that also included remakes of "Be-Bop-a-Lula," "Sweet Little Sixteen," "Peggy Sue" and "Slippin' and Slidin," among other tracks.

"As John's serenading guitar chords herald this bright new production of one of rockdom's favorites, we return to the magical, mysterious voice of Lennon at his finest," Cash Box wrote.

In 2004, Pitchfork's Marc Hogan added that "with its staccato acoustic guitar and Lennon's fervent vocals, "Stand By Me" remains more affecting (just barely) than the Ben E. King rendition."

More on Ben E. King's iconic hit

There have been over 500 recorded versions of "Stand By Me" in the six-plus decades since King's song finished as the No. 63 song of 1961. The distinctive soul tune had a rebirth in 1986 when it served as the title track of the coming-of-age drama starring River Phoenix, Jerry O'Connell and Will Wheaton.

King, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 76, wrote "Stand by Me" along with his songwriting partners Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

"I remember arriving at our office as Jerry and Ben were working on lyrics for a new song," Stoller said, via Smooth Radio.

"King had the beginnings of a melody that he was singing a cappella. I went to the piano and worked up the harmonies, developing a bass pattern that became the signature of the song. Ben and Jerry quickly finished the lyrics."