I'll Stand by You
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| "I'll Stand by You" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"I'll Stand by You" is a 1994 song recorded by The Pretenders from their sixth studio album, Last of the Independents. Written by Chrissie Hynde in collaboration with the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, it was the Pretenders' most recent significant hit single.
The song is a ballad that pledges love and faithful assistance in times of personal darkness. Since its initial release, "I'll Stand by You" has also become a major hit for British girl group Girls Aloud in 2004 and Carrie Underwood in 2007, both times recorded as a charity single.
The Pretenders original
I'll Stand by You" was released as the second single from the album Last of the Independents in 1995, and it reached number sixteen on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the top forty on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart and number ten in the United Kingdom. It charted higher in the UK and the U.S. than "Night in My Veins", the album's first single.
The "I'll Stand by You" music video was released in 1994 and features Chrissie Hynde caring for an ill man.
Charts
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 8 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 16 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 21 |
| Swedish Top 60 Singles | 21 |
Girls Aloud version
| "I'll Stand by You" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Real Life" |
British girl group, Girls Aloud recorded a cover of the song that served as the official Children in Need song of 2004. It was released as a single on 15 November 2004. The single was announced on 5 November 2004, just ten days before its release.[1] The song appears on Girls Aloud's second studio album What Will The Neighbours Say?.
The Girls Aloud version of "I'll Stand By You" was not well received by critics. The Guardian praised Girls Aloud's album, but said that the song was "a thing of death-dealing tedium."[2]
Music video
The video for Girls Aloud's version of "I'll Stand by You" begins with each member of the group lying or sitting motionless in a parched desert. At the song's climax, a thunderstorm begins, and the group members come together and stand in a circle. A special Children in Need version of the video depicts the group members holding "Pudsey" teddy bears, the mascot of the organisation, towards the end of the video.
Track listings and formats
These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "I'll Stand by You" by the Girls Aloud.
| CD1: Polydor / 9869129 (UK) | ||
| 1. | "I'll Stand by You" | 3:42 |
| 2. | "Real Life" | 3:41 |
| CD2: Polydor / 9869130 (UK) | ||
| 1. | "I'll Stand by You" | 3:42 |
| 2. | "I'll Stand by You" [Tony Lamezma's Club Romp] | 5:05 |
| 3. | "What Will the Neighbours Say? Album Medley" | 3:14 |
| 4. | "I'll Stand by You" [video] | 3:44 |
| 5. | "I'll Stand by You" [karaoke video] | 3:44 |
| 6. | "I'll Stand by You" [game] | |
Versions and release appearances
These are the official Girls Aloud versions and remixes and the release they appear on, of:
"I'll Stand by You"
| Version | Release appearance |
|---|---|
| Album Version | What Will the Neighbours Say?, "I'll Stand by You" single, The Sound of Girls Aloud |
| Tony Lamezma's Club Romp | "I'll Stand by You" single |
| Video | "I'll Stand by You" single, Girls on Film [DVD], Style [DVD] |
| Gravitas Vocal Dub Mix Edit | "Wake Me Up" single |
"Real Life"
| Version | Release appearance |
|---|---|
| Album Version | What Will the Neighbours Say?, "I'll Stand by You" single |
| Live at Hammersmith Apollo | "Long Hot Summer" single |
Charts
"I'll Stand By You" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Girls Aloud's second single to do so.[3] It sold 57,597 copies in its first week. The song also remained at the top for a second week.[4] It stayed in the UK top forty for nine weeks, and it was ranked thirty-fourth on the year-end chart (see 2004 in British music). In the Republic Ireland, the song peaked at number three for four consecutive weeks. In total, the single remained nine weeks in the top ten and fifteen weeks in the Republic of Ireland's top fifty.
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 3 |
Live Performances
The band performed the song at the following events:
- What Will the Neighbours Say? Live
- Chemistry Tour
- The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits Tour
- Tangled Up Tour
- Children in Need 2004
- The Girls Aloud Party
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Compilation albums | |
| Other albums | |
| Film and television | |
| Video albums | |
| Tours | |
| Related articles | |
Rod Stewart version
The song was also recorded by Rod Stewart on his album Still The Same... Great Rock Classics Of Our Time.
Carrie Underwood version
| "I'll Stand by You" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"I'll Stand by You" was covered in 2007 by Carrie Underwood as a charity single, recorded for the show Idol Gives Back which aired on April 25, 2007.
Carrie Underwood performed the song during her visit to Africa, which was used as soundtrack for a video vignette, where Underwood is seen singing to children and doing different activities with them. The single and the video were released on the U.S. iTunes Store on April 26, 2007. Ryan Seacrest announced that all money made on digital downloads would be donated to charity to help millions of poor children at the time.
On its first days of release, the song sold over 124,000 digital downloads,[citation needed] prompting a debut on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number six, Underwood's highest Hot 100 position since her 2005 debut single "Inside Your Heaven", which debuted at number one.
It was eventually removed from iTunes, leading the single to have one of the biggest falls in Hot 100 history. The single collected over 300,000 digital downloads in the time period it was available for download. As announced, all profits from the sale of the single were donated to charity. The single also received unsolicited airplay on U.S. country music radio stations, despite not being officially released to country radio.
Underwood performed the song on the American Idol Season Six Finale on May 23, 2007.
Music video
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The music video was filmed in Africa. Underwood is seen singing to young children and helping them with different art projects, such as painting. At one point in the video, she is seen walking into a cemetery with a girl on her arms, and a boy by her hand who is carrying flowers. Underwood is also seen crying towards the end of the video, when she is helping an ill person. This music video was made available for download on the U.S. iTunes Store.
Charts
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[5] | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Christian Adult Contemporary | 29 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 54 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country SongsA | 41 |
| Canadian Country SinglesA | 40 |
| Canadian Hot 100 | 10 |
- A Charted from unsolicited airplay.
References
- ^ "Girls Aloud help Children In Need". CBBC Newsround. 2004-11-05. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ^ "Girls Aloud, What Will The Neighbours Say?". The Guardian. 2004-11-26. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ^ "Girls Aloud seize number one slot". BBC News. 2004-11-21. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ^ "Girls Aloud - I'll Stand By You". The Official UK Charts Company. 2004-11-27. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ^ "Carrie Underwood - I'll Stand By You". aCharts.us. Retrieved May 6 2007.