Stand By Me Chords
Chords in this song
Chords for Stand By Me by Ben E. King, in the key of A, around 118 BPM. The song is built on A, F#m, D, E. Press play — the chord sheet above highlights in time with the track, and you can click any bar to jump there.
How to play Stand By Me
A is the key you actually hear on the record. No capo needed — the chords are played in open position as written.
Difficulty: Easy — mostly open chords, with F#m as the one tricky shape.
Classic I-vi-IV-V. Amaj7/Eadd9 are decoration, not real chords.
Chords you need
Chord progression through the song
The bar-by-bar timeline above is detected from the audio by EarChords and can include passing voicings the songbooks simplify away — the key, the core chords and the capo position on this page are checked against published sheet music and audio-analysis sources.
Frequently asked
What key is Stand By Me in?
Stand By Me by Ben E. King is in the key of A, at around 118 BPM. That's the key the recording actually sounds in.
What chords do I need for Stand By Me?
The core of the song is A, F#m, D, E.
Is Stand By Me good for beginners?
Easy. Mostly open chords, with F#m as the one tricky shape.