Ben E. King's Stand By Me opens with one of the most instantly recognisable chord progressions in popular music: A, F#m, D, E, cycling with a calm, inevitable logic that feels both simple and deeply satisfying. The movement from the warm stability of A major into the tender ache of F#m gives the progression its emotional centre, before D opens the harmony outward and E pulls everything back home with gentle authority. That loop never strains or surprises — it reassures, which is entirely the point. Released in 1961, the song sits at the heart of early soul and R&B, where melodic directness and emotional honesty were the hallmarks of the era. For any guitarist or pianist, settling into that progression immediately feels like arriving somewhere you already know.