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.

Steve Carlisle “WKRP in Cincinnati” charted

WKRP in Cincinnati Steve Carlisle

Writer(s): Tom Wells, Hugh Wilson (see lyrics here) First Charted: November 21, 1981 Peak: 65 US, 66 CB, 83 HR, 29 AC, 3 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 2.88 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: WKRP in Cincinnati was an American sitcom which aired on CBS for four seasons from 1978 to 1982. It focused on a fictional radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the staff’s adventures in trying to revive its fortunes. The creator, Hugh Wilson, based the show on his experience working in advertising and sales at a top 40 radio station in Atlanta. The show was hailed for its realistic portrayal of “eccentric DJs [and] a clueless general manager.” SF Wilson wrote the lyrics for the theme song while Tom Wells composed the music. Jim Ellis added orchestrations and Steve Carlisle, a singer based out of Akron, Ohio, sang it. The song is a story about “the transient life of a radio professional, moving from market to market in search of a better gig, unable to settle down.” SF In the context of the show, it applied to Andy, who arrives at the station in the pilot as the station’s new program director. A full-length version of the song, which ran just shy of three minutes, was released as a single in 1981. Carlisle also recorded multiple versions of the song, replacing the call letters and city in the line of the chorus. These were then sent to the various radio stations, many of which used them, which gave the song a good marketing push. Unfortunately, the song was also released at about the time the network announced it was cancelling the show. The song was produced by the Akron-raised duo of Jerry Buckner and Gary Garcia who had a top-10 hit in 1982 with the novelty song “Pac-Man Fever,” which celebrated the classic video game. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Steve Carlisle SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 9/3/2022.