Chimesfreedom previously reported on how Bruce Springsteen was inspired by the Harry Potter books to write a song that he later offered to one of the films in the franchise. But, as fate would have it, director Christopher Columbus turned down the offer. But now the song, “I’ll Stand By You,” has finally found a movie home in the upcoming Blinded by the Light (2019).
“I’ll Stand By You” is one of seven Springsteen songs that will appear on the soundtrack to the coming of age story in Blinded by the Light. Reportedly, in addition to some official versions of songs, the soundtrack will include some rarities (including the first performance of “The River” from the No Nukes 1979 concert at Madison Square Garden).
For anyone who found Bruce Springsteen’s music as a young person, you will relate to the upcoming movie, Blinded by the Light (2019). Not only does the movie include Springsteen’s music, but the music plays a major role in the main character’s life.
Blinded by the Light follows a British-Pakistani youth, played by Viveik Kalra, finding his way in 1987 England. One day, he discovers the music of Bruce Springsteen. And it changes his life.
Blinded by the Light is based on Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir, Greetings from Bury Park. Manzoor also co-wrote the screenplay for the movie, which is directed by Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha.
If the rest of the movie makes me smile as much as the trailer, I think I’m going to love Blinded by the Light. Check out the trailer below.
Blinded by the Light hits theaters on August 14, 2019. For an early review out of Sundance, check out this one on Collider.
What do you think of the trailer for Blinded by the Light? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Bruce Springsteen finally officially released his song “I’ll Stand By You” on one of his albums on “Tracks II,” but he wrote it for a Harry Potter movie.
One of the songs to finally appear on an official Bruce Springsteen album in the massiveTracks IIset is “I’ll Stand By You” (called “I’ll Stand By You Always” in other places). The track appears on the Twilight Hours “lost album.” The song had appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Blinded by the Light, but it was originally intended for one of the Harry Potter films.
The Harry Potter films had almost everything. They had magic and adventure. They had a story beloved by children and adults. But they did not have a Bruce Springsteen song, although they could have.
Bruce Springsteen offered his song “I’ll Stand By You Always” to the franchise, but filmmakers turned him down. Reportedly, Springsteen wrote the song between 1998 and 2000 after reading the first Harry Potter book to his eldest son, Sam. He then made the song available to director Christopher Columbus for either Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) or Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002).
Springsteen explained to BBC Radio 2 that “I’ll Stand By You Always” “was a big ballad that was very uncharacteristic of something I’d sing myself.” He added, though, that “it was something that I thought would have fit lovely.”
The song’s rejection had nothing to do with the quality of the song. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s contract stipulated that no commercial songs could be used in the movies.
“I’ll Stand By You Always” almost had a second life when Marc Anthony planned to include it on his album Mended (2002). But ultimately Anthony left the song off the album.
In Springsteen’s demo version, “I’ll Stand By You Always” is a quiet ballad. The lyrics contain no overt references to Harry Potter, but they do sound like they were written from a parent to a child.
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 about the things that the night had us so frightened of; And until then,
I’ll stand by you always, always, always.
Around the time that Springsteen was shopping the song to the Harry Potter folks, a CD-R with the song was given to some executives at Columbia Records. But the song is not generally available. Springsteen’s demo of “I’ll Stand By You Always” hit the Internet for a brief period recently, but for now it is gone.
Springsteen does tend to release old songs eventually, so we eventually did get an official release of “I’ll Stand By You Always.” But before it was released we had to imagine how it sounded as Conan O’Brien does below (“Let’s raise our wands to all the wizards and steel workers. . . “).
Post updated in 2025. Leave your two cents in the comments.
