There’s been a trend in Hollyweird over the last few years of using surprising cover versions of popular songs in trailers. Mad Max: Fury Road did it with “Wild World”, Suicide Squad did it with “I Started a Joke”, even The Social Network did it with “Creep”. It turns out video games aren’t immune to the vogue either, as the new trailer for Final Fantasy XV features a cover of Ben E. King’s classic “Stand by Me” performed by Florence and the Machine.
The trailer premiered today during the Uncovered: Final Fantasy XV event. While the first half of the preview lays the ground work for the game’s story, Florence Welch’s voice comes in around the 1:08 mark. She and her band deliver a dreamy take on the song complete with lullaby harp and softly echoing knocks. As the chorus comes in, triumphant strings and horns blast out the iconic chord progression as Florence Welch bellows the eternal lyrics in her perfect vibrato. Sure, this came from a video game trailer of all places, but if the band doesn’t fold this into their live set, consider it a huge loss.
Check out the trailer (for what honestly looks like a pretty badass game) below.
There’s a slightly extended version of the cover in the second trailer below, with the main difference being a slower build into the rousing chorus. Fast forward to 2:10 to get right to the song.
Welch has also posted a video about how the song came together in the studio and what it was like recording for such an epic video game. Check it out below.
