The Friends theme tune could have been Shiny Happy People...

22 September 2023, 12:08

The cast of Friends in 1996: Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow. Picture: Collection Christophel / Alamy Stock Photo

R.E.M. were under consideration to write the theme song for the sitcom - here's what it could have looked like.

It's hard to think about Friends without its iconic theme tune.

But what if, instead of spending half the '90s singing The Rembrandts' I'll Be There For You, we were singing R.E.M's Shiny Happy People instead?

Well, apparently we almost did. The first episode of the classic comedy aired on 22nd September 1994 and things could have sounded very different.

In an Independent interview with The Rembrandts' Danny Wilde, the outlet notes that "other artists under discussion were Natalie Merchant and R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, though both reportedly turned it down".

And as Uproxx later reported, you can even see R.E.M.’s Shiny Happy People in the original pilot for the show, which was called Friends Like Us.

See what could have been if R.E.M had said yes, here:

Friends Like Us - (Friends Pilot Series) Intro music by REM - Shiny Happy People. (Przyjaciele)

If that causes you to reconsider your whole life, don't panic here's the original video for The Rembrandts' I'll Be There For You to help you get back down to earth - and the whole Friends cast are involved too.