"Friend Like Me" is the song from Disney's 1992 animated feature film '' Aladdin'', performed by

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and comedie ...

in his role as the

Genie GEnie (General Electric Network for Information Exchange) was an online service provider, online service created by a General Electric business, GEIS (now GXS Inc., GXS), that ran from 1985 through the end of 1999. In 1994, GEnie claimed around ...

. The song is also performed by

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

in 2019 live-action remake. It was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...

at the 65th Academy Awards and the

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song is a Golden Globe Award that was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The award is presented to the songwriters of a ...

at the 50th Golden Globe Awards in 1993.

Production

The song was originally designed as a

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

-style big band number. Some elements of this concept remain (for instance, when the Genie scats, in typical Calloway moves), but after Robin Williams was cast it was expanded as a more comedic, pop-culture-filled song. ScreenCrush stated that remnants of the previous version of the film can be seen in this sequence:

Synopsis

After being released from his lamp by Aladdin, the Genie announces that he can grant three wishes to give the thief nearly anything he desires. When Aladdin expresses skepticism over the extent of the Genie's powers, the Genie stages an elaborate musical number and stresses that he can be a friend unlike any others Aladdin has ever had. This song is similar to the use of contemporary references in " Be Our Guest", performed by the enchanted cutlery of ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'', and " A Guy Like You", performed by the Gargoyles in '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame''. The same happens in the live-action remake.

Critical reception

Spirituality & Practice described it as "the big production number of the film". In a review of the Broadway version of the film,

BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet mass media, media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John Seward Johnson III, John S. Johnson III to ...

wrote that the "seven-and-a-half minute 'Friend Like Me' is easily this season's best production number, and a jaw-dropping athletic feat." NewYork.com wrote "Rarely does a production number receive a standing ovation in the middle of a show, but 'Friend Like Me' asthem standing in the aisles before intermission.".

In popular culture

In 1996 2Pac recorded the song "Never Had a Friend Like Me", which interpolates "Friend Like Me". This song is featured on the 1997 original soundtrack for the film, '' Gridlock'd''.

, as the Genie, performs the song in the 2019 live-action remake of ''Aladdin'', and as a rap in the end credits, with

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (; born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ and record producer. Originally a Miami-based radio personality, Khaled has since become known for enlisting high-profile music industry ar ...

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Charts

Will Smith version

Certifications

Will Smith version

References

{{authority control Songs about friendship 1992 singles 1992 songs Songs from Aladdin (franchise) Ne-Yo songs Will Smith songs Disney Renaissance songs Songs with lyrics by Howard Ashman Songs with music by Alan Menken Walt Disney Records singles Song recordings produced by Alan Menken