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| Artist = [[The Rembrandts]]
| Artist = [[The Rembrandts]]
| from Album = [[LP (The Rembrandts album)|LP]]
| from Album = [[LP (The Rembrandts album)|LP]]
| Released = 1995
| Released = may 6 1995
| Recorded = 1994
| Recorded =may 9 1994
| Genre = [[Power pop]], [[pop rock]]
| Genre = [[Power pop]], [[pop rock]]
| Format = [[7"]], [[CD single]]
| Format = [[7"]], [[CD single]]

Revision as of 22:23, 8 January 2011

"I'll Be There for You"
Song

"I'll Be There for You" is a song by American rock band The Rembrandts released as the first single from their third studio album LP. The song is also well-known as the theme song to the American sitcom Friends, which premiered during 1994, and ended in 2004.[1]

Song information

"I'll Be There for You" was written by David Crane, Marta Kauffman, Michael Skloff, Allee Willis, Phil Sōlem and Danny Wilde. It was initially offered to the rock bands They Might Be Giants and R.E.M.[2]

After Nashville radio announcer and program director Billy Shears looped the original short version into a full-length track and broadcasted it on his radio station WLAC Star 106, it became so popular that they had to record it. "Our record label said we had to finish the song and record it. There was no way to get out of it," lead singer Phil Solem said.[3]

The song made it onto The Rembrandts' album LP at the last moment. The song was not initially released as a single, a then-common practice by record companies who feared it would cannibalize album sales.

Music video

The music video of the song featured the six main stars of Friends, taking the singing and dancing roles of the band. The video was included as a bonus feature on several of the show's Complete Season DVD Boxsets.

Track listing

European CD maxi-single
  1. "I'll Be There for You" - 3:09
  2. "Fixin' to Blow" - 5:03
  3. "Just the Way It Is Baby" - 4:06
  4. "Snippets Medley" - 6:46

Chart performance

The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart for eight weeks. When the single was finally released, it peaked at #3 on the UK Singles Chart and at #17 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 as the flipside to "This House Is Not a Home". It also peaked at #1 on the U.S. Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart [4].

Rarely heard on UK radio after its early popularity, the song was frequently played on UK popular radio in 2004 around the time of the series finale.

Also, in April 2004, the song was ranked at #15 on Blender magazine's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever".[5]

Most recently, in 2010, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio ranked the song at #25 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, calling it "The most dangerous song on this list. Like a panther, it can strike anywhere that reruns of 'Friends' roam free."[6]

Charts

Chart (1995) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[7] 3
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[8] 17
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay[8] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks[8] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks[8] 7
U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks[8] 23
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream[8] 1

Compilation usage

"I'll Be There for You" has been included on the following compilation albums:

  • Friends: Music From The TV Series (1994)
  • Serial TV: Les Plus Grands Hits Des Séries TV
  • Happy Songs
  • Billboard Top Hits: 1995

Cover versions

American rock band The Goo Goo Dolls recorded their own version of this song which contained slightly altered lyrics, and a more uptempo, rockier sound, as well as a glockenspiel in the rhythm track.

American punk rock band Pink Lincolns covered this song under the title "Friends" for a 1997 compilation album titled Show & Tell.

Irish pop band Westlife performed the song live on their Turnaround Tour.

References

  1. ^ "The Rembrandts: 'So no one told me it was going to be this way'". Independent. London. April 27, 2004. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  2. ^ Trivia - TMBW: The They Might Be Giants Knowledge Base
  3. ^ Nashville DJ helped turn "Friends" song into radio hit
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 202.
  5. ^ The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe! from Blender.com
  6. ^ Wilkening, Matthew (September 11, 2010). "100 Worst Songs Ever -- Part Four of Five". AOL Radio. Retrieved December 24, 2010.
  7. ^ Chart Stats - The Rembrandts - I'll Be There For You
  8. ^ a b c d e f allmusic ((( The Rembrandts > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))
Preceded by Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one single
July 8 - August 19, 1995 		Succeeded by
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