In 1958, Ben Nelson joined a doo wop group, The Five Crowns. Later that same year, The Drifters' manager fired the members of the group and replaced them with The Five Crowns, who had performed several engagements with The Drifters. He co-wrote the first hit by the new version of The Drifters, "There Goes My Baby" (1959). He also sang lead, using his birth name, on "Save the Last Dance for Me," a song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, "Dance With Me," "This Magic Moment," "I Count the Tears," and other The Drifters hits.
In 1960 he left the group after failing to gain a salary increase and a fairer share of the group's royalties. At this point he assumed the more memorable stage name Ben E. King in preparation for a solo career. Remaining on Atlantic, King scored his first solo hit with the stylish, Latin-tinged ballad "Spanish Harlem" (1961). "Stand by Me" was his next recording. "Stand by Me", written by King along with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller was voted one of the Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America. "Stand by Me" and "Spanish Harlem" were named as two of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and were both also given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.
King's records continued to place well on the pop charts until 1963, when British pop bands began to dominate the popular music scene. His hits after 1963 were "What is Soul?" (1967), "Supernatural Thing, part 1" (1975), and the re-issue in 1986 of "Stand by Me" following the song's use as the theme music to the movie of the same name.
Frenesi
Ben E. King Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No puedo sacarte de mi mente siento que es un frenesí,
Del cual no puedo salir,
Tomando pastillas pa dormir,
Hace tiempo sigo pensando en ti,
No puedo sacarte de mi mente siento que es un frenesí,
Del cual no puedo salir,
Tomando pastillas pa dormir,
Hace tiempo que no estás y aún te extraño,
Sigo viéndote aunque sea por retrato,
Sigo pensando en lo que podíamos ser,
No entiendo porque te alejaste no lo sé,
Perdí la fe,
De volverte a ver,
De nuevo mujer,
Otra ve
Cómo aquella ve,
Extraño mirarte y que me digas que me amas,
O al menos eso lo jurabas,
Ahhhh
Hace tiempo sigo pensando en ti,
No puedo sacarte de mi mente siento que es un frenesí,
Del cual no puedo salir,
Tomando pastillas pa dormir,
Hace tiempo sigo pensando en ti,
No puedo sacarte de mi mente siento que es un frenesí,
Del cual no puedo salir,
Tomando pastillas pa dormir,
Soñando que estás, pero no puedo verte,
Imaginándote que estás aquí presente,
Noche de desvelo,
Pensando que yo hice mal,
Los demonios me quieren atacar,
Y ahora quién será la que me sana, la que me salva, si no estás más
Ahhhh
Sigo pensando en lo que podíamos ser,
No entiendo porque te alejaste no lo sé,
Perdí la fe,
De volverte a ver,
De nuevo mujer,
Otra ve
Cómo aquella ve,
Hace tiempo sigo pensando en ti,
No puedo sacarte de mi mente siento que es un frenesí,
Del cual no puedo salir,
Tomando pastillas pa dormir,
Hace tiempo sigo pensando en ti,
No puedo sacarte de mi mente siento que es un frenesí,
Del cual no puedo salir,
Tomando pastillas pa dormir.
The lyrics to Ben E. King's song "Frenesi" touch upon the themes of longing, obsession, and lost love. The singer expresses that they have been thinking about someone for a long time and they cannot get them out of their mind. This constant thinking about the person feels like a frenzy from which they cannot escape. The singer even confesses to taking pills to help them sleep, indicating the toll the obsession is taking on their mental and emotional well-being.
The absence of the person they long for is deeply felt, and the singer admits to still seeing them in their mind, even if it's just through a photograph. They continue to think about what their relationship could have been, questioning why the person distanced themselves without understanding the reason. Their faith in seeing the person again and reigniting their relationship is waning, as they express losing hope. The absence of this person has left a void in their life, and they yearn for their presence and love.
Line by Line Meaning
Hace tiempo sigo pensando en ti,
For a while now, I've been constantly thinking about you
No puedo sacarte de mi mente siento que es un frenesí,
I can't get you out of my mind, it feels like a frenzy
Del cual no puedo salir,
I can't escape from it
Tomando pastillas pa dormir,
Taking pills to sleep
Hace tiempo que no estás y aún te extraño,
It's been a while since you're not here and I still miss you
Sigo viéndote aunque sea por retrato,
I still see you, even if it's just through a picture
Sigo pensando en lo que podíamos ser,
I keep thinking about what we could have been
No entiendo porque te alejaste no lo sé,
I don't understand why you left, I don't know
Perdí la fe,
I lost faith
De volverte a ver,
In seeing you again
De nuevo mujer,
As my woman once more
Otra ve Cómo aquella ve,
Another time, like that time
Extraño mirarte y que me digas que me amas,
I miss looking at you and hearing you say you love me
O al menos eso lo jurabas,
Or at least that's what you swore
Soñando que estás, pero no puedo verte,
Dreaming that you're here, but I can't see you
Imaginándote que estás aquí presente,
Imagining you're here, present
Noche de desvelo,
A sleepless night
Pensando que yo hice mal,
Thinking that I did something wrong
Los demonios me quieren atacar,
The demons want to attack me
Y ahora quién será la que me sana, la que me salva, si no estás más
And now who will be the one to heal me, the one to save me, if you're not here anymore
Sigo pensando en lo que podíamos ser,
I keep thinking about what we could have been
No entiendo porque te alejaste no lo sé,
I don't understand why you left, I don't know
Perdí la fe,
I lost faith
De volverte a ver,
In seeing you again
De nuevo mujer,
As my woman once more
Otra ve Cómo aquella ve,
Another time, like that time
Hace tiempo sigo pensando en ti,
For a while now, I've been constantly thinking about you
No puedo sacarte de mi mente siento que es un frenesí,
I can't get you out of my mind, it feels like a frenzy
Del cual no puedo salir,
I can't escape from it
Tomando pastillas pa dormir,
Taking pills to sleep
Hace tiempo sigo pensando en ti,
For a while now, I've been constantly thinking about you
No puedo sacarte de mi mente siento que es un frenesí,
I can't get you out of my mind, it feels like a frenzy
Del cual no puedo salir,
I can't escape from it
Tomando pastillas pa dormir,
Taking pills to sleep
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joe Sampson
Outstanding.