Song of the Day Apr 17

April 17, 2024

This month I’m focusing on One Hit Wonders of the 90s.

Today our song is:  I'll Be There for You 

Wikipedia tells us this about the song:

The title theme of Friends was initially going to be "Shiny Happy People" by American rock band R.E.M., but when the band rejected the offer, Warner Bros. Television instead decided to recreate R.E.M.'s sound by enlisting the Rembrandts, consisting of members Phil Sōlem and Danny Wilde, to record a new theme song. The music was composed by Marta Kauffman's husband, Michael Skloff. The Rembrandts did not want to record the song, but since they were the only available band on Warner Bros. Records, they relented to the company's demands. The original lyrics of "I'll Be There for You", a single verse as needed for the length of the series' opening credits, were co-written by Friends producers David Crane, and Kauffman along with songwriter Allee Willis. Skloff became inspired by hearing the Beatles song "Paperback Writer" on the radio while reading a show script and sought to capture a mid-1960s pop sound for the theme. The handclaps at the end of the first line of the song were a last-minute addition, with Sōlem admitting that it was a wise decision and naming it the best part of the track.

The original theme, which is under one minute long, was later re-recorded as a three-minute pop song. After a radio announcer in Nashville, Tennessee, looped the original short version into a full-length track and broadcast it, the song became so popular that the Rembrandts had to re-record it, as well as helping to write the second verse and bridge. Sōlem said, "Our record label said we had to finish the song and record it. There was no way to get out of it." The three-minute version of "I'll Be There for You" was serviced to American contemporary hit radio on May 23, 1995. In the United Kingdom, a CD single and cassette single were issued on August 7, 1995. On May 12, 1997, the CD and cassette were re-issued in the UK to commemorate the video release of the first season of Friends.

Enjoy!