In 1961, Ben E. King wrote his hit song, Stand by Me.  Rolling Stone has this tune as number 131 of all time.  It’s behind Etta James, Bono, and the crew but ahead of Madonna’s Vogue, which is saying something.  I remember renting the movie from Blockbuster Video and watching it with my friend Doug, who lived across the street.  I was just 13, and I thought that it was about time that my son and I caught up with that old flick.  During the shutdown, I watched the old 10-year-old motion pictures with him – The Mighty Ducks- and about a couple of minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark.  He wasn’t ready for that one yet. 

After I saw Stand by Me, the song and its lyrics meant something to me.  And, if I can recall correctly, Rick Dees had it on the Top 40 during those weeks – resurging a rare song that my own parents and I could agree upon.  The song's lyrics speak of unwavering support and reassurance in facing challenges and uncertainty. The central message is companionship and loyalty, with the narrator asking their loved one to stand by them no matter their difficulties.

The chorus, Stand by Me, Stand by Me, Stand Now, Stand by Me, is familiar for adults – a plea for constancy and presence in times of trouble. The verses describe a world that can be intimidating and unpredictable, where the only constant is the companionship and support of a loved one. This is captured in lines like, When the Night has Come, and the Land is Dark, and the Moon is the Only Light We'll See.

And I have to do it.  He’s at the age where I think he is ready to watch another classic, with another great song that resurged in 1990.  The song is Unchained Melody.  Can you guess the movie?  I am not telling you, and you’ll have to Google it.  We got one of those popcorn makers that you put on the stove and twirl the handle on the top of the pot.  My son loves making popcorn now.  My thought tonight is that with the really cold days coming, it is going to be fun to get on Netflix or Prime and pull up a few timeless movies. 

This is a great thing we can do with our kids – where we can share a little bit about our own childhoods and let them know that before the 4K streaming video, TikTok, the Disney App, and DreamWorks, there was Blockbuster.  And don’t forget to tell them that we were charged a fee if we didn’t rewind our videos.  Or that, in some cases, when renting, we had to sell the Schwinn to pay the late fees.