Released May 1, 1995 Recorded 1994 Label East West, Atlantic | Length 3:09 | |
Writer(s) |
"I'll Be There for You" is a song recorded by the American duo The Rembrandts. It is best known as the theme song to the American sitcom Friends, which premiered during 1994 and ended in 2004. The song was also released as the first single from the group's third studio album LP.
Contents
Song information
"I'll Be There for You" was co-written by Friends producers David Crane and Marta Kauffman, Kauffman's husband, composer Michael Skloff, and songwriter Allee Willis, along with Phil Sōlem and Danny Wilde, both of the Rembrandts. It is strongly influenced by The Beatles, especially reminiscent of the "I Feel Fine" guitar riff, and is also highly reminiscent of The Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday."
The original theme, which is under one minute long, was later re-recorded as a three-minute pop song. After Nashville program director Charlie Quinn, along with radio announcer and music director Tom Peace, looped the original short version into a full-length track and broadcast it on radio station WYHY, it became so popular that they had to re-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 Sōlem said.
Music video
The music video of the song featured the six main stars of Friends, taking the singing and dancing roles of the band after, amusingly, attacking them all and bemusing everyone else on the set with their daft behaviour. The video was included as a bonus feature on several of the show's Complete Season DVD Boxsets.
Track listing
- "I'll Be There for You" – 3:09
- "Fixin' to Blow" – 5:03
- "Just the Way It Is Baby" – 4:06
- "Snippets Medley" – 6:46
Chart performance
In the United States, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart for eight weeks. When the single was released 1995, it peaked at #3 on the UK Singles Chart in the United Kingdom and at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States as the flipside to "This House Is Not a Home". It also peaked at #1 on the U.S. Top 40 Mainstream and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts.
The song was the most successful in Canada where it peaked at number 1 for 5 consecutive weeks.
In April 2004, the song was ranked at #15 on Blender magazine's list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever".
Compilation usage
"I'll Be There for You" has been included on the following compilation albums: