If the American flag had her own anthem, no offense to the “Star- Spangled Banner,” I think she’d choose “Stand By Me.”
Originally recorded in1961 by Ben E. King, it topped the charts twice, was central to the movie of the same name, and a quick search states that it has been covered more than 400 times. I’ve been listening to it on repeat today, letting it work its way into my bones. This R&B original is at once elegant, soulful, and aspirational. Which sounds a lot like America to me.
Recently, a friend sent me a rendition performed by Stephen Wilson Jr. I listened to it non-stop for 6 hours, letting it work its way into my bones. Wilson’s version is rock meets country with a dash of prayer and a shot of whiskey, and is at once tender, gritty, and raw. Which sounds a lot like America to me, too.
“Stand By Me” has stood the test of time because it strikes a cord in our beautiful and broken hearts. We need each other. We need people to stand by us, and they need us to stand by them, come what may. It’s when we forget this that we get into trouble. Which sounds a lot like America to me, too.
Because we love our country, come what may, we fly the flag. Ours is a hard country to love right now, and the flag we’ve flown for the past few years came to look a lot like what America feels like. Tattered, faded, weather- beaten, and so bound up by division she could hardly fly. Just wrapped herself around the flagpole and hung there in despair. She tried mightily to remind us of the we-the-people-ness of our country, of our need to stand by rather than against one another, until she couldn’t do it anymore. It was time for her to rest in peace, letting a new flag take up her old song.
No one is forcing us to turn away from each other. No one is coercing us to stay in our silos, confirm our own biases, blame and/or hate the other side, use disparaging/dehumanizing/demeaning language, or choose an us-vs-them mindset. If we do that, it is on no one but us.
Another friend sent me the “Playing For Change” version. A compilation performed by musicians recorded in their own neighborhoods, streets, plazas, alleyways, deserts, and mountainsides. I’ve had it on repeat as I finish writing this, letting it work its way into my bones. A blend of styles, cultures, countries, instruments, and voices, it is at once joyful, sorrowful, and hopeful. Which sounds a lot like America to me, too.
As I finish this, it is a beautiful day. The sky is blue, the sun bright, and the wind is blowing enough to let our bright new flag take flight. She’s out there singing her song to anyone who will listen. If you close your eyes, maybe you can hear her. Stand by me. Stand by me. Stand by me. Which sounds a lot like America to me, too.
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Molly L. Davis worked for more than 25 years as a corporate facilitator and coach, helping people connect who they are at their best with how they live in the world. She is the author of two books, and now lives in Glenwood.
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