Friends theme song was written to sound like REM’s ‘Shiny Happy People’, claims Michael Stipe
‘I’ll Be There for You’ by The Rembrandts became a chart hit in 1995
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Friends theme song was deliberately written to sound like an REM track, the band’s frontman Michael Stipe has claimed.
Stipe revealed that REM were approached by Warner Bros Television with the request to use their 1991 pop single “Shiny Happy People” as the Friends theme song, and that when they turned them down, they merely attempted to replicate their sound.
“I think they went to REM first for the theme song and they said no,” Stipe told NME.
“Apparently they were thinking about using ‘Shiny Happy People’ as the theme song, which I just recently heard about, but apparently that’s the case,” added bassist and backing vocalist Mike Mills.
Stipe continued: “Then they went to another band and said, ‘Can you write an REM song?’
“That’s what I’ve heard. I don’t want to diss the other band. I don’t remember who they are, but that’s a good song.”
The eventual Friends theme song, “I’ll Be There for You” by The Rembrandts, was specially recorded for the sitcom, with lyrics co-written by Friends creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman.
Originally written to only be a minute long, it was expanded with additional verses and released as a single in 1995, where it reached number three in the UK Top 40.
Speaking to The Independent in 2004, Rembrandts singer Danny Wilde revealed he had put both of his children through college with royalties from the song. Despite this, he revealed he hadn’t yet earned enough money from the track “to retire on it”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments