Stand by Me

Ben E.King's recording of Stand by Me went to number one on the R&B charts and was a Top Ten hit on the U.S. charts twice—in its original release in 1961, when it peaked at #4, and a 1986 rerelease coinciding with its use as the theme song for the movie of the same name, when it peaked at #9, and also in an advertisement for Levi Jeans. Stand by Me was ranked number 122 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song uses a version of the common chord progression now called the 50s progression, also known as a "turn-around," which have been called the "'Stand by Me' changes" after the song.
There have been over 400 recorded versions of "Stand By Me." Some of the more notable ones include:

• Muhammad Ali released a 45 rpm version of the song, a track which also featured on his 1963 Columbia album I Am the Greatest(released under the name Cassius Clay).
• Otis Redding recorded a version for his album Pain in My Heart
• Jimi Hendrix also recorded his version that is most like the original, but with more use of the guitar.
• John Lennon recorded his version of the song for his 1975 album Rock 'n' Roll. Lennon's cover of "Stand by Me" was his last hit prior to his five-year retirement from the music industry.
• U2 has covered it many times while on tour, and once with Bruce Springsteen during the The Joshua Tree Tour.
• Timon and Pumbaa performed a rendition, though during the song sequence when Timon's singing, Pumbaa ends up getting into dangerous situations, as we can see here.