If there’s one sitcom theme song that will remain iconic forever, it’s “I’ll Be There for You” from Friends. The Rembrandts’ beloved tune is synonymous with umbrellas, that fountain, a velvet couch and the best six friends of all time.
Now Sesame Street is repurposing the earworm with its ultimate Father’s Day parody, “Fathers.” Set to the same music as the fan-fave show, the lyrics are all about everyone’s favorite man and include plenty of lines that will have parents laughing.
Instead of the recognizable electric guitar that kicks off the song, the parody replaces it with, “Dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad,” and we already feel seen. The song continues with familiar lines like “My toy broke, tell me a joke and Elmo wants to play.”
But perhaps it hits closest to home with the lyrics “When it feels like you’re being pulled from there to here, When you haven’t slept in days, or weeks, or months, Or three and a half years.”
Fans of Friends will see plenty of references to the show, like the Magna Doodle on the back of Chandler and Joey’s apartment, Central Perk renamed as “Hooper’s Store,” the episode where Joey wears all of Chandler’s clothes and, of course, “smelly trash.”
The sweetest moment of all is near the end, as the cast comes together. “Everything’s so much better when you’re near. We love you every day, and week, and month, and every year. I’ll be there for you, to guide you along. I’ll be there for you, to help you grow big and strong. I’ll be there for you, cause your dad loves you.”
Ok, we admit it: Nothing can truly surpass the greatness of the original. But this version? It comes pretty close.
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