O’er rotted Soil, under blighted sky, A dread Plague the Wicked hath wrought. In the Light of the Gods, Sword-Sworn at his Side ‘Gainst the Dark the King’s Battle is fought. From the Heavens high, to the Blessed below, Shines the Beam of a Peace long besought. ‘Long live thy Line, and this Stone divine, For the Night when All comes to Naught.’ 15:2 ‘Nadir’
‘Stand by Me’ might sound like an odd choice, until you listen to the lyrics. In this case, it actually gives it away. No doubt the song inspired the developers when making the story. Or maybe it was just so coincidence?
Verse 1:
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
This is what Ben E. King originally wrote. And there’s a lot to unpack in this verse.
First, we know it’s about the brotherhood Noctis and his bros share. But this verse is more than just the gratitude Noctis Lucis Caelum feels towards his friends and cannot find the words to express. It’s about the ten years of Starscourge:
The Starscourge (星の病, Hoshi no yamai?, lit. Scourge of the Star) is a plague upon the world of Eos in Final Fantasy XV that lengthens the night. Its scientific definition is a mutant strain of plasmodium malariae. It is a plague that has afflicted the denizens of Eos since antiquity. The plasmodium responsible for the contagion mutated from insect-borne malarial parasites that had incubated within human hosts.
The Night has come, the land is dark, and the Moon is the only thing Noctis sees.“
Noctis must “walk tall” in the face of danger. “Noctis” himself is the night. He stands by us in our time of need. And we, as Comrades, have to rely on each other during this time.
Also consider that Noctis originally set out to see Lunafreya, a name signifying the moon. Now let’s analyze the chorus:
So darlin’, darlin’, stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Stand stand by me, stand by me
Pretty straightforward; the bros are to stand together. Luna wanted Noctis to stand by her for their wedding, but…
Verse 2:
If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
And the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won’t cry, I won’t cry, no I won’t shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
Verse 2 is about Noctis’ transition from a boy to a king. The sky literally “tumbles and falls” with a “cloud of photosynthetic organisms that drink light before it reaches the ground”. The mountain refers to the mighty kingdom of Insomnia has crumbled into the vast “ocean” of Starscourge.
Don’t forget, Lunafreya was his “rock”, which kept him going, and she, and Noctis’ hopes, metaphorically crumbled into the sea. And Noctis makes the decision to remain resolute, walk tall, and stand by his friends.
After this, the chorus repeats itself to emphasise the theme of brotherhood. Yet, the song doesn’t seem to fit the game’s nature perfectly by coincidence. The song ‘Stand by Me’ seems to be inspiration for Final Fantasy XV!
It makes you wonder if Tetsuya Nomura listens to oldies.
Sam Cooke’s ‘Stand by Me Father’: possible Regis connection?