The cover of the soundtrack to the movie, “Blinded by the Light.”
“I’ll Stand by You” is basically a comforting lullaby, sung by a parent to a child, but some of its lyrics sound like they could have come right from Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run or Darkness on the Edge of Town albums.
“We’ll let the night come and do what it may/Together we’ll find the courage, we’ll find faith,” Springsteen sings.
It’s a very pretty, low-key song, and packs quite an emotional wallop if you let yourself get into its spirit. It will be officially released for the first time on Aug. 9, on the soundtrack to the Springsteen-themed movie, “Blinded by the Light.”
Springsteen copyrighted the song in 2001, though he possibly wrote it a year or two before. His three children were still in the pre-teen range. He offered it for use in the 2001 movie, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” which was the first in the “Harry Potter” series. “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling had had it stipulated, though, that no commercial songs could be used in the movies, and so it was left off the soundtrack.
Marc Anthony also reportedly recorded it and was considering it for his 2002 album Mended, but ultimately left it off.
“It was a song I wrote for my eldest son,” Springsteen said in a 2016 interview. “It was a big ballad that was very uncharacteristic of something I’d sing myself. But it was something that I thought would have fit lovely (into the movie). At some point I’d like to get it into a children’s movie of some sort because it was a pretty lovely song.”
The video below is fan-made, using a bootlegged copy of the song.
Background facts: Though nearly two decades old, “I’ll Stand by You” will be officially released for the first time on the soundtrack of the movie “Blinded by the Light.” The film is about a Pakistani-British Springsteen superfan, and is based on journalist Sarfraz Manzoor’s 2007 memoir, “Greetings From Bury Park.” The soundtrack will feature 11 other Springsteen songs as well.
It has never been performed at a Springsteen concert.
On each of the 70 days leading up to Bruce Springsteen’s 70th birthday (on Sept. 23, 2019), NJArts.net will do a post on one of The Boss’ best songs of the last 30 years. We’re starting with No. 70 and working our way up. For more on the project, click here.
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