The Rembrandts “I’ll Be There for You” topped the Billboard airplay chart

I’ll Be There for You The Rembrandts

Writer(s): Allee Willis, Danny Wilde, David Crane, Marta Kauffman, Phil Sōlem (see lyrics here) Released: May 1, 1995 First Charted: May 19, 1995 Peak: 17 US, 18 CB, 18 RR, 17 AC, 23 MR, 3 UK, 15 CN, 3 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.93 UK, 1.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 26.2 video, 183.89 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: This was the theme song for the TV sitcom Friends, which ran on NBC from 1994 to 2004. Originally Warner Bros. Television asked R.E.M. to use their song “Shiny Happy People.” After they said no, the show’s creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman co-wrote “I’ll Be There for You” with help from songwriters Allee Willis and Michael Skloff. It was recorded by the Rembrandts, the only available band on Warner Bros. Records. She had written hits for Earth, Wind & Fire while he was married to Marta. The song played over the opening credits for the show with the six stars splashing around in a mock-up of a fountain in Central Park’s New York City. Jennifer Aniston said, “No one was really a big fan of that theme song…A fountain felt sort of odd, but we did it.” SF The six later ended up starring alongside the Rembrandts in the full-length video of the song. SF It was, however, originally less than a minute long. Charlie Quinn, a Nashville program director, and Tom Peace, a radio announcer and music director, looped it to to create a full-length track. They broadcast it on Nashville’s WYHY radio station and it became so popular that there was demand for an extended version. The Rembrandts’ Phil Sōlem and Danny Wilde added verses to make it into a three-minute song. That version was released in May 1995 to U.S. radio but not available originally as a single. It topped the Billboard airplay chart for eight weeks, but became the first song to not appear on the Billboard Hot 100. It wasn’t eligible for that chart since it hadn’t been released as a single. It was later released as a double-A side with “This House Is Not a Home” and reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Amusingly, Blender magazine called it one of the “50 Worst Songs Ever” even as other magazines, including Paste, Complex, and Observer, celebrated it as one of the best TV theme songs of all time. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Rembrandts SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 9/3/2022.