I'll Be There for You

I’ve been accompanying a couple of the local middle school choirs this past school year. It’s a lot of fun, and really stretches my playing as my hands are seceding the union. (I have really bad arthritis in my hands and have had three surgeries in the past 18 months. As I write this, I am preparing for my fourth in a few weeks.) At rehearsal today, during a break, a small group of girls started singing the theme song from the old sit-com Friends. 

Friendscame on in 1994 while we were living in Germany. Our American TV was one channel that came through the Armed Services. It was made up of what seemed to be popular in the States but was a year or two behind. We also got a couple of stations from the UK as well as VHS tapes from my sister-in-law who kept us up to date on the important shows. Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: DS9, and Star Trek: Voyager. (I’m sensing a pattern.) 

There may have been the occasional episode of Friends, but I honestly don’t remember. We came back to the States in the summer of 1997… and got sucked into the show then. I remember sitting around watching it with the kids. I do remember thinking a few times that these were not nice people; not the kind that I’d enjoy hanging out with. But I loved the theme song. It was upbeat and fun. 

“I’ll Be There for You” was written by a group of people, proof that a committee can accomplish a few good things. One of the songwriters has been mentioned in this blog before: Allee Willis. She co-wrote Earth, Wind and Fire’s hit “September.”

The song began life as just the theme song for the show, but several radio DJs started putting it on a loop and giving it airplay. So, the songwriters went back to work and came up with the rest of the song. 
Its no wonder that I like the song. It was heavily influenced not only  by the Fab-Four (The Beatles), but the Pre-Fab-Four (The Monkees).

Apparently, there has been some confusion about the lyrics, particularly the chorus. People think the line is When the rain starts to fall, not pour. But fall would not rhyme with the next line’s before:

So, no one told you life was gonna be this way
Your job’s a joke, you’re broke, your love life’s D.O.A
It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear
When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, but
 
I’ll be there for you (When the rain starts to pour)
I’ll be there for you (Like I’ve been there before)
I’ll be there for you (‘Cause you’re there for me, too)
 
You’re still in bed at ten and work began at eight
You’ve burned your breakfast, so far things are going great
Your mother warned you there’d be days like these
But she didn’t tell you when the world has brought you down on your knees that
 
I’ll be there for you (When the rain starts to pour)
I’ll be there for you (Like I’ve been there before)
I’ll be there for you (‘Cause you’re there for me, too)
 
No one could ever know me
No one could ever see me
Seems you’re the only one who knows what it’s like to be me
Someone to face the day with, make it through all the rest with
Someone I’ll always laugh with
Even at my worst, I’m best with you, yeah!
 
It’s like you’re always stuck in second gear
When it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, but
 
I’ll be there for you (When the rain starts to pour)
I’ll be there for you (Like I’ve been there before)
I’ll be there for you (‘Cause you’re there for me, too)
I’ll be there for you
I’ll be there for you
I’ll be there for you
(‘Cause you’re there for me, too)

Did you watch Friendswhen it was on originally, or are you watching it now on Netflix? Would you want to hang out with any of these people? Let me know. I’ll be posting versions of this song on my Minnich Music Facebook page, so check those out.

Until next time!