A closer look
Friends executives originally wanted the rock band R.E.M. to provide the theme song for their new sitcom, specifically requesting the track Shiny Happy People; when the band flatly refused the offer, the network was forced to hire The Rembrandts to record a completely original song called I'll Be There For You, which eventually became inescapable torture; The Rembrandts hated being known only for a sitcom intro, but they made so much money in royalties that they practically never had to work a real job again, so the moral of the story is that selling out your artistic integrity for a cheesy nineties television intro is always the financially superior choice compared to maintaining your indie rock credibility
