22 September

Pick a Day

22 SEPTEMBER

In Music History

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2018 Chas Hodges of Chas & Dave dies at 74.

2018 Paul McCartney's album Egypt Station hits #1 in America, his first chart-topper on that tally since Tug of War in 1982.

2012 Taylor Swift's single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" notches its third week at #1 on the Hot 100. Swift is still considered a country artist (the song also hits #1 on the Country chart), which puts her in company with Kenny Rogers in terms of crossover appeal; the last country song to spend at least three weeks at #1 was Rogers' "Lady" back in 1980.

2011 The world's most prolific songwriter, Paul McCartney, adds another string to his bow when his ballet Ocean's Kingdom is performed in New York.

2010 Eddie Fisher, one of the biggest pop stars of the '50s, dies of complications from hip surgery in Berkeley, California, at age 82.

2007 Paul Rodgers (lead singer for Free and Bad Company) marries Cynthia Kereluk, former Miss Canada.

2006 The Big Bopper, who died in the plane crash with Buddy Holly, is honored with a historical marker in his hometown of Beaumont, Texas.

2002 Sting receives an Emmy for his A&E documentary Sting in Tuscany: All This Time. He dedicates his award to his "dear late friend Timothy White."

2001 Isaac Stern, Soviet-born violinist and conductor, dies of congestive heart failure in New York City, at age 81.

2000 Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper Flesh-N-Bone (Stanley Howse) is sentenced in a Los Angeles court to 10 years in prison for assault with an AK-47 rifle and possession of a gun, which is illegal for an ex-convict. Howse faces nearly 20 years in prison but receives a lesser sentence after his attorneys present evidence that he was an abused child.

1999 Vince Gill competes with himself in the vocal event category at the Country Music Association Awards in Nashville. Gill is up with Patty Loveless for "My Kind of Woman/My Kind of Man" and with Sara Evans for "No Place That Far."

1999 Diana Ross is held in police custody at London's Heathrow Airport for several hours following an incident involving a member of the airport's security staff. Ross is arrested then cautioned and released following an allegation of assault on a female security officer during routine security checks prior to boarding a plane.

1998 White Zombie calls it a night. Bassist Sean Yseult confirms that the 13-year-old hard rock group has decided to break up.

1998 The first Family Values Tour, created by Korn and featuring Limp Bizkit, Ice Cube and Rammstein, launches with a show in Rochester, New York.

1998 "Iris" hitmakers The Goo Goo Dolls release their smash album Dizzy Up The Girl, a 4-million seller that includes the ubiquitous City Of Angels ballad as well as the Top 20 singles "Slide," "Black Balloon" and "Broadway."More

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Friends Debuts With Soon-To-Be-Famous Theme Song

1994

Friends debuts on NBC, accompanied by a catchy theme song by The Rembrandts that becomes an unexpected hit.

Created by executive producers Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, the sitcom follows six 20-somethings – Monica (Courteney Cox), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Ross (David Schwimmer), Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) - struggling their way through life in New York City with only each other to lean on. Bright was already a fan of the pop-rock duo The Rembrandts and tapped them to perform the theme song, something up-tempo and catchy in the vein of R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World As We Know It." Meanwhile composer Michael Skloff was working on the music with songwriter Allee Willis. In a Songfacts interview, Willis explained the only direction she was given was the line, "I'll be there for you," which became the song's title. "It was just supposed to be about the loyalty of friends. That no matter how screwed up your life was, I'll be there for you," she explained. Little did the theme team know, but their slip of a song was about to become a big hit. After a Nashville radio station looped the 48-second tune into a full-length song, the overwhelming response from listeners prompted an official re-do. The Rembrandts joined Willis, Skloff and the show's producers to add an additional verse and a bridge to flesh out the song, resulting in the duo's biggest hit. "I'll Be There For You" topped the Hot 100 Airplay Chart and peaked at #17 in the US. Aside from the iconic theme song, music plays an important role throughout Friends' 10 seasons, accompanying many memorable moments (see our Songs used in Friends category). Ross and Rachel finally hook up to Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" and break up (They were on a break!) to U2's "With or Without You," while Eric Carmen's "All By Myself" clues us in to the loneliness of newly ex-roommates Joey and Chandler. Tunes from The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Smash Mouth, Hootie & the Blowfish, and Semisonic also appear, among others. But no song is as inextricably linked to the show as its iconic theme from the Rembrandts.

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