"There is nothing more powerful than a song that conveys what the written or spoken word can’t&

#SongsIWishIWrote Series Vol.1 Issue 1 by Singer Songwriter Dana Carmel

My choice for this #songsiwishiwrote might sound cliché, but “Stand by Me”, truly is a song I wish I wrote (as do many others as it’s been recorded over 400 times). The song was performed and made famous by Ben E. King, and written by King, Lieber, and Stoller in 1960.

The inspiration for the song was a gospel hymn of the same name written by the Philadelphia minister Charles Albert Tindley in 1905. (songfacts.com) (Though King said it was inspired by a spiritual composition by Sam Cooke called “Stand by My Father”.)

There are three reasons I love this song.

It is incredibly simple.
The simplicity enhances it’s so beauty
The author’s intention of the song is crystal clear.

When you dig deeper you find, that like most pop songs, it is only 4 chords. The bass line is an entity of its own: a melodic component alongside the vocals (Stoller’s idea). Its role is even bigger than that of the vocals. (Think, the bass in Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean”.) And the vocal melody is what makes the chorus lift, and the verses emote.

The lyrics are simple, poetic, and provide vast imagery. The story is laser clear. “Should all of these terrible things happen, I’ll be alright as long as you’re standing by my side.”

And what’s interesting to note here is, he’s not saying “love me forever”. He’s asking only for a humble request to “stand by me”. A simple gesture and as it is sung, becomes Poetic.

The emotion yielded by the words is a yearning. It’s a plea to “please stand by my side”. It becomes, in essence, a romantic love song. And that captures the deep desire that listeners have to experience authentic love songs, and boy do I have a weakness for romantic love songs.

It’s so simple. The metaphors beautiful. A lot of songwriters have a hard time with imagery. And simplicity. It’s common to talk about feelings. “I’m sad when you’re not here. Please Stay. Don’t Go.” (Which can be beautiful and make a statement in a different way.) It’s less common and more difficult for songwriters to say such things by showing and not telling. The 3 songwriters of this song accomplish this with lines like “When the sky that we look upon, should tumble and fall. And the mountains should crumble to the sea…”

“When the night that we look upon, and the land is dark. And the moon is the only light we see. I won’t be afraid. No I won’t be afraid. Just as long as you stand by me”

Beautiful word pictures.

There’s a lot to learn from a song like this.

1. Complicated does not always equal better.

2. Be clear with your intention. My preference is to choose one emotion that you’re trying to convey and then convey it. (here it’s a declaration of love).

3. Use metaphors (show don’t tell).

4. A good bass line goes a long way

5. Tell a story (or show one)

All the songs that #iwishiwrote move me in some way. Emotionally, physically, or mentally. I’ll leave you with this: there is nothing more powerful than a song that conveys what the written or spoken word can’t.

When the night has come And the land is dark And the moon is the only light we'll see No, I won't be afraid Oh, I won't be afraid Just as long as you stand Stand by me So darlin', darlin' Stand by me, oh, stand by me Oh, stand, stand by me Stand by me If the sky that we look upon Should tumble and fall Or the mountain should crumble to the sea I won't cry, I won't cry No, I won't shed a tear Just as long as you stand Stand by me And darlin', darlin' Stand by me, oh, stand by me Oh, stand now, stand by me Stand by me Darlin', darlin' Stand by me, oh, stand by me Oh, stand now, stand by me Stand by me Whenever you're in trouble, won't you stand by me? Oh, stand by me Won't you stand now? Oh, stand, stand by me When all of our friends is gone

Dana Carmel is a Professional Musician, Song Writer for Commercials, TV and Film, Lyricist, Producer, Music Consultant, Singer, One Woman Show Performer, and Author.

Dana has been profiled in both Bleep, Pen’s Eye View, Independent Spotlight and received accolades from songoftheyear.com, where her song “Fighter” was a semi-finalist and “Castle” was praised as a runner-up. She is a dedicated songwriter— completing her 2013 “Song in a Box” project where she wrote a song a week for a full year—and boasts more than 100 unique songs in her repertoire.