“I’ll Be There For You” A Reason To Smile Dan Rather and Team Steady Sep 27 Credit: Getty Images The theme song for the hit sitcom “Friends” is a famous earworm for a reason. It is an infectious, upbeat anthem to friendship. We were reminded of “I’ll Be There For You” because the show, which ran for ten seasons on NBC, premiered 32 years ago this week. The song and its famous hand claps are this week’s reason to smile. It is hard to believe that it’s been more than three decades since Chandler, Joey, Monica, Phoebe, Rachel, and Ross over-caffeinated at Central Perk, and three decades since we first heard The Rembrandts’ theme song, which was an accidental hit for the duo. “Friends” creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman originally asked the band R.E.M. to use their ode to happiness, “Shiny Happy People,” for the theme song. When the creators got turned down, they decided to write their own song with the help of professional songwriter Alee Willis. Crane and Kauffman said they listened to the Beatles to channel that mid-60s pop sound. Once the song was written, they had to find someone to sing it. The Rembrandts were an obvious choice as they were under contract with Warner Bros. Records while the show was being produced by Warner Bros. Television. The band, however, had to be convinced. Little did they know what a hit the show and the song would be. The video for the song was shot on the set of Saturday Night Live in NBC’s Rockefeller Center studios and included both the band and the cast of “Friends.” As sappy as it may sound, Steady will be there for you too. For the month of September, for every new annual subscription to Steady we will give $10 to the Committee to Protect Journalists. As of today, we will be donating more than $11,000 to CPJ. And we still have a few days to go. If you are unable to support Steady as a paid subscriber, we understand and are committed to providing our content free of charge. No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading, watching, and listening. Stay Steady, Dan