I'll Stand By You

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Disc 6 track 7 of Tracks II: The Lost Albums, 2025.

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Credits

• Blinded By The Light (Soundtrack, 2019)
  • Bruce Springsteen: vocals, piano, bass, synth, keyboards (string and orchestral samples), mellotron, percussion (cabasa, tambourine, shaker)
  • Ron Aniello: drums, bass, keyboards (string and orchestral samples)
  • Lisa Lowell: backing vocals
  • Patti Scialfa: backing vocals
  • Soozie Tyrell: backing vocals

Performances

Performed live 0 times (not including snippet performances).

Released on Album

Released on Blinded By The Light (Soundtrack, 2019) and Tracks II: The Lost Albums (2025).

On The Tracks

I'LL STAND BY YOU ALWAYS - V1	5:32	SA
SONG FOR HARRY POTTER - V2a	5:32	cdr ep
I'LL STAND BY YOU ALWAYS - V2b	5:29	O&S
I'LL STAND BY YOU - V2c	4:35	BLINDED: OST/TRACKSII

Note: A ballad originating sometime between 1998 and 2001, inspired by reading the Harry Potter books to his youngest son Sam. This is not a children's song, however. V1 is from early 2001, a rough demo version with very few lyrics written. However, Bruce finished them quickly, and recorded the completed studio version V2a on January 28, 2001 in the studio next to his Rumson home. The song was copyrighted on June 13, 2001. Sometime that year, Bruce offered the song to director Chris Columbus, who at the time was shooting the first of the Potter movies. The studio version was exclusively circulated on an in-house promo CD-R to some very few top executives at Columbia Records. The CD-R was burned on October 31, 2001, right around the time when the track was being offered up to the Harry Potter producers, about a week before the Live In New York City DVD was released. The CD-R contains three tracks: "Song For Harry Potter", "My Hometown (Live)", and "This Hard Land (Live)". However, the Springsteen song was ultimately rejected due to Harry Potter novelist/creator JK Rowling's contractual stipulation that no commercial songs of any type be used in the Potter film series. Warner Brothers Music President Gary Lemel, who was involved in the Potter music, was asked for comment by USA Today, but said he preferred not to comment publicly – but in doing so seemingly verified the basic truth in the story. V2b, which leaked on February 10, 2017, is probably this same studio recording; it uses a similar base track to V1, but with completed lyrics.

In September or October 2001, Springsteen donated the song to fellow Sony artist (and Latin/salsa star) Marc Anthony, who recorded a cover version. In late 2001 both Sony and Anthony issued press releases specifically promoting the Springsteen composition and mentioning it would be one of the tracks on Anthony's forthcoming album Mended (and likely the lead single off the album). Strangely, when the Mended album was finally released in April 2002, the song was not on the album, nor was it issued as a single. A later special edition of Mended with bonus tracks also didn't include the song. There has been no explanation as to why the Springsteen composition was not issued.

In late 2018, Ron Aniello added overdubs and effects to the base recording. It was mixed by Bob Clearmountain on February 19, 2019 at Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, NJ, specifically for the Blinded By The Light soundtrack album, and released August 9, 2019. V2c is actually the same as V2b, but fades out 50 seconds earlier, features more backing vocals (arranged by Patti Scialfa), and the mix is slightly different. It was produced by Ron Aniello and mastered by Bob Ludwig. Aniello is also credited as engineer and mixing engineer, Toby Scott is credited as engineer (2001), and Rob Lebret is credited as engineer and mixing engineer. In 2025, the song was included on the Twilight Hours disc of Tracks II: The Lost Albums, in what is apparently the identical recording released on the 2019 soundtrack.

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^{Studio Sessions: The Rising/Tracks II}

Media

Lyrics

I'll Stand By You

Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh

You wake me in the night to your tears falling down, come let me dry them for you
I wish I could tell a story, chase away all those ghosts you've got inside of you
A story of heroes that fight on at any cost of a kingdom of love to be won or lost
We'll fight here together 'til victory is won, come take my hand 'til the morning comes
Just close your eyes

I'll stand by you always, always, always
I'll stand by you always, always, always

I know here in the dark tomorrow can seem so very far away
Here the ghosts and the goblins can rise from your dreams to steal your heart away
Together we'll chase those thieves that won't leave you alone out from under the bed, out from over our home
And when the light comes we'll laugh my love at the things that the night had us so frightened of
And until then

I'll stand by you always, always, always
I'll stand by you always, always, always
(I'll stand by you always, ooh ooh, ooh ooh)
I'll stand by you always

Now I know it can feel like you're slipping away, at night you'll get lost in that deep dark place
We'll let the night come and do what it may, together we'll find the courage, we'll find faith
Until you awake

I'll stand by you always, always, always
I'll stand by you always, always, always
(I'll stand by you always, ooh ooh, ooh ooh)
I'll stand by you always

I'll stand by you always, always, always
I'll stand by you always, always
…

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.

Links

• MusicBrainz
• Bruce Springsteen's Weirdest Song Is About Harry Potter

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