It charted higher in the UK and the US than "Night in My Veins", the album's first single. "I'll Stand by You" was released as the second single from the album Last of the Independents (1994), and it reached number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 21 on Billboard 's Modern Rock Tracks chart, and number 10 in the United Kingdom. In 2021, Guernsey band Methodical Madness released a version in memory of Girls Aloud member Sarah Harding, all profits of the song go to various cancer charities. Colombian singer Shakira performed the song for the live charity telethon Hope for Haiti Now in 2010 her cover version was released on the charity benefit album, which was also entitled Hope for Haiti Now. It also became a major hit for British girl group Girls Aloud in 2004 and American country singer Carrie Underwood in 2007, both times recorded as a charity single. Released on April 11, 1994, "I'll Stand by You" reached the top 20 in several countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The song is a ballad in which the singer pledges love and faithful assistance to a loved one in times of personal darkness.
The song was written by Chrissie Hynde and the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, and produced by Ian Stanley. " I'll Stand by You" is a song recorded by English-American rock band the Pretenders from their sixth studio album, Last of the Independents (1994).