I'll Be There for You (The Rembrandts song)

Lore & Background

The song was created after R.E.M. declined to allow their song "Shiny Happy People" for the Friends theme. Warner Bros. Television then selected the only available band on Warner Bros. Records, the Rembrandts, to record the theme. The Rembrandts initially did not want to record it but relented. The original theme, under one minute, was later re-recorded as a three-minute pop song after a Nashville radio station looped the short version, causing the song to become popular. The extended version was serviced to US radio on May 23, 1995, and issued in the UK on August 7, 1995.

Reader's Guide

The song's significance lies in its association with one of the most popular television shows of the 1990s, Friends. It topped the US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart for eight weeks and became the first song to do so without appearing on the Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, it was the most successful single of 1995, spending five weeks at number one. The song also reached the top 10 in Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Ireland, and the UK. Despite mixed critical reception—including being listed by Blender as one of the "50 Worst Songs Ever"—it has been frequently ranked among the best TV theme songs by Paste, Complex, and Observer. As of May 2021, it had sold 925,000 copies and been streamed 20.7 million times in the UK.

Did You Know?

• The handclaps at the end of the first line were a last-minute addition, which Phil Sōlem called the best part of the track.
• The music video was shot on the set of SNL (Studio 8H), as disclosed by the Rembrandts on The Today Show on September 20, 2019.
• The song was originally written as a single verse for the show's opening credits, then expanded after a Nashville radio station looped the short version.
• In Canada, the song peaked at number one for five consecutive weeks and was the most successful single of 1995.