The verdict
Documented Sampling History
Confirmed songwriters of record (Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller). The federal suit filed by Artists Rights Enforcement Corp. against King’s estate after his 2015 death, over rights to this song and “There Goes My Baby,” is flagged clearly as filed litigation, not an assumed or confirmed resolved outcome.
Quick Facts
Released1961
AlbumDon’t Play That Song!
GenreSoul, Rhythm And Blues, Pop
LabelAtco Records
ProducerJerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
Recorded atNew York City
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriters of record — Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Contested pending the AREC v. King-estate litigation
Courthousenews → · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
One of the most-played songs of the century (BMI); revived by the 1986 film of the same name. A real post-2015 estate rights dispute is flagged as filed, not resolved.
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; confirmed songwriter(s) of record.
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
A litigated dispute — filed, not confirmed resolvedFollowing Ben E. King’s death on April 30, 2015, a federal lawsuit was filed by Artists Rights Enforcement Corp. (AREC) against King’s estate over rights to this song and “There Goes My Baby.” AREC claimed King contracted with them in July 2014 to negotiate a sale, which they say they completed in April 2015 (to the Music Sales Group), but that the estate then allegedly wrongfully terminated the agreements. The case’s final resolution was not confirmed in this research pass — presented as filed litigation, not a settled outcome.
The recording (current administrator)Genuinely contested pending the litigation above
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
Written for The Drifters, played on a leftover session
King originally wrote it for his former group, The Drifters, but their manager refused it — after a leftover session for “Spanish Harlem” in 1960, Leiber and Stoller asked King for any other songs and he played this one on piano; they liked it immediately. No lyrics reproduced.
Wikipedia · read it →
A gospel-hymn lineage
King stated the title was inspired by a gospel hymn co-written by Sam Cooke, itself based on an earlier Charles Albert Tindley hymn, grounded in the biblical text of Psalm 46.
Wikipedia · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
A #1-revived standard; 4th most-played song of the 20th century (BMI)
Covers
—
First flip
Who to Contact
SB
King, Leiber & Stoller (Atco)
The confirmed songwriters of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 19/20)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass