"Friends" (also titled "(You Got to Have) Friends") is a 1973 hit single by

Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...

. It was written by Buzzy Linhart and Mark "Moogy" Klingman. In the United States, the song reached No. 9 on the

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

chart and reached No. 40 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart.

Background

A version of "Friends" was recorded by one of the song's co-writers, Buzzy Linhart. More of a rock sound than a pop sound, Linhart's version had an alternative title, "(You Got to Have) Friends". Bette Midler was one of Linhart's close friends during the early 1970s. While rehearsing for an audition for a Broadway show called ''Mirror Cracked'', Linhart sang to Midler a song that he and his songwriting partner Mark "Moogy" Klingman had just written, called "Friends". After hearing the song, Midler asked Linhart if she could sing "Friends" during a show that she was performing in at the

Continental Baths The Continental Baths was a gay bathhouse in the basement of The Ansonia Hotel in New York City, which was operated from 1968 to 1976 by Steve Ostrow. It was advertised as reminiscent of "the glory of ancient Rome". It opened after Ostrow obs ...

in New York. Klingman and Linhart attended the show and were impressed with the performance. Soon after, Midler recorded the song on her debut album '' The Divine Miss M''.

Charts

In popular culture

The song "Friends" can be heard during the final scene and closing credits of the 1973 mystery film ''

The Last of Sheila ''The Last of Sheila'' is a 1973 American whodunnit mystery film directed and produced by Herbert Ross and written by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim. It starred Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, James Coburn, Joan Hackett, James Mason, Ian Mc ...

''. It was covered by

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow ( ; born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer with a career that spans over sixty years. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Brandy (Scott ...

on his 1973 debut album. The song was also sung by the 1974-75 cast of '' Zoom'' during the "ZOOM was presented by" end credits reintroducing the cast members. Also, the song was performed on ''

The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a variety sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and starring the Muppets. It is presented as a variety show, featuring recurring sketches and musical numbers interspersed with ongoing plot-lines with ru ...

'' Episode 115 by the Muppets and

Candice Bergen Candice Patricia Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress. She won five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards as the title character on '' Murphy Brown'' (1988–1998, 2018). She is also known for her role as Shirley Schmi ...

, who is the guest star on that episode in 1976. The song was used as a commercial outro for the unsold Jay Wolpert produced game show pilot called ''Fast Friends''''Fast Friends'' @ Game Show Pilot Light
/ref> hosted by

Bob Goen Robert Kuehl Goen (born December 1, 1954) is an American game show emcee and television personality, best known for his work on ''Entertainment Tonight'' between 1993 and 2004 and as the fourth and final host of the daytime ''Wheel of Fortune ( ...

in 1984. A cover version of this song is played during a car chase in a ''Hardcastle and McCormick'' episode called "Duet for Two Wind Instruments" (Season 3 Episode 12) in 1985. A rendition of the song is heard on the film ''

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, and written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman, loosely based on the 1990 children's picture boo ...

'', performed by

Donkey The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...

, voiced by

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...

in 2001.

References

1973 singles Bette Midler songs Eddie Murphy songs Song recordings produced by Ahmet Ertegun Songs about friendship {{1970s-single-stub