Stand By Me... And Turn Up The Volume

by Joey Angerone

Well January and February have come and gone since the last A/V Connection. 300 is still a kick-ass flick, and No Country For Old Men went on the win best picture at the Oscars. Kudos to the Coen Bros. Now it’s time to take it back. How far back you ask? How bout to 1986... An actor was in the White House, the New York Mets won the World Series (and haven’t since), and a big, little film named Stand By Me hit the theaters. Now I touched upon this film slightly in my first post, but this is a film that most certainly deserves its own post.



What set this movie apart from most others from an A/V perspective was its ability to incorporate well known, popular songs without distracting the viewer from what is unfolding on screen. Many films have fallen victim to using songs whose popularity completely outweighed the scenes in which they were used. See: Devils Rejects and its use of a familiar tune name "Freebird" for its dramatic closing scene. Comparatively, S.B.M. was able to make use of classic doo-wop tracks that we’ve all sung along to, by using them to immediately set up a scene without overpowering it.

If you don’t already know, Stand By Me is a coming-of-age story based on a novella by Steven King entitled "The Body." Rob Reiner's impeccable directing techniques paired with beautifully crafted acting and gorgeous cinematography make S.B.M. stand out in a class of its own, and in my opinion is one of the last films to achieve such an overwhelmingly masterful connection of sight and sound.

When Bobby Day's only hit single, "Rockin Robin," is blasting out of the treehouse where Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern are playing cards and smoking cigarettes, the 1950’s nostalgia immediately kicks in. Wait... I was born in 1981, interesting... ANYWAY. The opening taps to Buddy Holly’s "Everyday" never sounded as good as they did when they were paired with the visuals of the four young men starting out on a seemingly care-free journey.

Much like any pre-pubescent punk, when I first saw this film I wanted to be with those kids on that trip. It seemed like so much fun to be singing along with The Chordettes’ "Lollipop" making that POP sound along with the chorus, shit that was a great scene, and killer dialogue. And I highly doubt that any ‘mailbox baseball’ scene in any movie couldn’t be improved by The Coasters’ 1958 hit "Yakety Yak." And lest we forget:

When the night has come
and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

- Ben E. King, "Stand By Me"

Beautiful words, beautiful film, beautiful crust… cake.

- Joey Angerone

Download: Buddy Holly - "Everyday" [MP3]
Download: The Chordettes - "Lollipop" [MP3]
Download: The Coasters - "Yakety Yak" [MP3]
Download: Ben E. King - "Stand By Me" [MP3]
Buy: Stand By Me: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [Amazon]
Buy: Stand By Me [Amazon]