It was over twenty one years ago that the world first heard that twangy chromatic riff – ding diyiyiyng ding ding ding ding ding! – and the whiny vocals, ‘So no one told you life was gonna be this wayyeeeeeee.” A sitcom about six young NYC-based friends finding their way in the world among monkeys, babies, ugly naked guys and a lot of coffee had arrived. Culture would never be the same again. Nay, the aspirations of so many generations – particularly the impressionable young – would never be the same. Hair styles would change. Loft apartments became a thing. ‘Feathering’ became a thing. Dating neuroses against a background of cosiness would infiltrate TV forever. And The Rembrandts made £3million from the title song ‘I’ll Be There For You.’ For a series with 236 episodes, the music moments in Friends were relatively few. But when they happened they were magnificent and augmented the show’s comedy. Here’s 10 to cherish, in no particular order:
The one with Ross’s ‘sound’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETqbPXtqg3g
The one with U2’s ‘With Or Without You’ and the radio shout-out
The one with the mixtape that goes horribly wrong
The one when Ross and Rachel dance to Sir Mix-A-Lot for baby Emma
The one where Awimbawe entices the famous Marcel back to Ross’s arms
The one with Phoebe Buffay’s finest moment: ‘Sticky Shoes’
The emotional one when Chandler and Monica get engaged to Eric Clapton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOFDoKAr2Bs
The one with Chris Isaak’s incredible falsetto
The one with Phoebe’s other finest moment: ‘Papier Mache Man’
The one where the series ends perfectly with a Jefferson Airplane track