Listen: All I have to do is say the words “Friends theme song” and it’s stuck in your head. That’s how ubiquitous it is.
The Rembrandts’ 1995 single “I’ll Be There for You” was written specifically for the iconic TV sitcom, and as a result it might be the very first thing people think of when they think of Friends. At least, that’s how it goes on my end.
View this video on YouTube
Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com
However, not everybody has a great relationship with “I’ll Be There for You” — just ask Friends star David Schwimmer.
The man who played Ross Gellar himself recently sounded off about his true feelings regarding the theme song during an appearance on the Making a Scene podcast, and as it turns out he wasn’t too fond of it in general.
View this video on YouTube
Making a Scene / Via youtube.com
”I’ll be really honest, there was a time for quite a while that just hearing the theme song would really…” David said before sighing deeply. “I just had that reaction, I just had heard it so many times.”
“Anytime you would go on a show, a talk show, or an interview, that would be your intro song. I just didn’t have the greatest response to it.” Fair enough!
Of course, time heals all wounds — and David revealed that when his daughter Cleo started watching Friends for herself, he ended up changing his relationship with the song (and show) at large.
“At about age nine, my kid discovered it and started watching it,” he explained. “I’d be making breakfast or whatever, and I’d hear my kid’s laughter. My whole relationship to that song and that show changed again.”
Beautiful stuff. We’ll always be there for you, David. In the meantime, you can watch the entire interview right here.