STAND BY ME. (Ultimate Mix, 2020) - John Lennon

What this video is

Released on what would have been John Lennon's 80th birthday (9 October 2020), this video is part of the 'GIMME SOME TRUTH. THE ULTIMATE MIXES.' commemorative suite — a collection of 36 songs remixed from original multitracks, executive produced by Yoko Ono Lennon and produced by Sean Ono Lennon. The underlying recording is Lennon's cover of Ben E. King's 1961 classic, originally released in February 1975 as the…

Why it matters

Occupies a unique position as both a rock-and-roll cover tradition artefact (Lennon reclaiming the early rock canon in 1975) and a posthumous legacy video. Demonstrates the evolution of the 'heritage artist video' format in the streaming era, wherein archival performance footage is repackaged with…

The director

John Lennon (1940–1980) was an English musician, singer, songwriter, and peace activist, co-founder of The Beatles and prominent solo artist. He self-directed performance film footage of 'Stand By Me' at The Hit Factory, New York, in April 1975, produced for…