Alex Thomas
The television show “Friends” is one of the defining cultural stables of Generation X, and the theme song is an iconic classic. But the roughly 50-second intro is so tuned-up that it brings up a question: what would the intro sound like without music? One enterprising YouTuber decided that it might be worth it to find out. So they took out the soundtrack — “I’ll Be There For You,” by The Rembrandts — and added in sound effects. The result is just plain eerie.
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“Friends” was nothing short of a cultural phenomenon; almost everybody watched it. And since it’s still on television almost every night, it’s still socially relevant. Of course, it’s absurd to imagine living in a loft in New York City while working in a coffee shop, but the dreamy absurdity of the show is also part of its allure that keeps it in the cultural conversation today. Just recently, VICE did a long piece trashing the gang of six, and Jay-Z’s most recent album spoofed a scene from the show. The University of Toronto even did a study on the subtleties of the characters’ dialogues.
And while there are plenty of people who aren’t fans of the show, it’s almost impossible to imagine what growing up in the ’90s would have been like without it.
