The Rembrandts / I'll Be There For You

2004年5月7號是【Friends】(六人行) 製播十季以來最後一集播出的日子，當天在Times Square還有電視牆同步播映並掀起不小熱潮。那時我人已經不在美國，對它也毫無興趣，總覺得它是沒營養又不需動大腦的肥皂劇，何況實際拍攝場景根本不在紐約 (而在L.A.搭建的攝影棚)。沒想到回國工作一段時間後迷上這齣以往讓我嗤之以鼻的戲，在週末找時間按照順序從第一季開始慢慢看，預計到六月就可以全部看完了。

《六人行》 自1994年起在NBC上映開始造成轟動，歷經十年在2004年第十季尾聲，可算是整個九十年代全球最受歡迎的情境喜劇 (sitcom) 之一。情節以六位踏出校園沒多久且個性、外形、背景、生活習慣各異的紐約客因緣際會住在附近，以同一個咖啡館 (Central Perk) 為中心所交織出一齣齣跟親情友情愛情為題材的爆笑故事，刻劃出20 something上班族日常生活點滴與人生觀。劇末這六個人在經歷一連串重大變化後仍靠著友誼相互扶持，跨過轉捩點迎接新的生命。

I'll Be There For You 是《六人行》的主題曲，每播一集片首就放一次，十年來它的音樂錄影帶與旋律可以說是家喻戶曉，也曾被選過史上最爛的單曲之一。原唱者The Rembrandts是由Danny Wilde和Phil Solem組成的雙人組合，於1990年進軍樂壇，直到1994年之後才嚐到大紅大紫的滋味。1995年The Rembrandts發行收錄十五首歌的專輯「L.P.」，平心而論是一張很不錯的流行搖滾作品集，歌曲簡短易懂、旋律悅耳度高，歌詞內容可視為描述Generation X價值觀的好範本。不幸的是對於許多樂迷來說真正吸引人的地方就祇在於I'll Be There For You這首單曲而已，The Rembrandts隨後便無法擺脫一曲樂團的形象。

曾有評論說《六人行》簡直是九十年代美國Generation X生活態度的縮影。X世代以大約是過去被稱為戰後嬰兒潮的下個世代，一般而言特色為中高學歷、從事服務業、喜好消費、物質水準卻不如上代、對未來缺乏目標的年青人。九十年代我們有Singles (1992)、Reality Bites (1994)、Trainspotting (1996)等其他描述X世代生活態度的電影，如八十年代好萊塢曾流行的Y.A. (Young Adults) 題材一般，把社會新鮮人踏出校園面對工作、社會與愛情生活的諸多情景體現出來。或許這些電影與影集的深度就像I'll Be There For You的歌詞所描繪般不足，某些思維還過於僵化，但情境喜劇所傳達的也不過如此，無減於明星光環對普羅大眾所造成的想像與趣味。他們六個人的幽默、活力與紐約客酸甜苦辣眾生相的確很有讓人上癮的魅力，提供我們無聊時的上乘娛樂。

The Rembrandts在收到《六人行》製片人Kevin Bright的邀請之後，僅花三天時間就完成了這首單曲的錄製工作。原本這首單曲並沒有要被獨立發行，但隨著電視劇的走紅，唱片公司在最後階段匆忙決定把I'll Be There For You加收到新專輯「L.P.」裡面，連新專輯第一版的印刷都還沒來的及把曲名放進去。也由於當時只有「L.P.」這張專輯收錄了I'll Be There For You，讓許多《六人行》劇迷光為了它去買專輯，連帶使「L.P.」銷量迅速突破白金。其實整張都很舒服動聽、旋律輕快簡單很容易琅琅上口，全部十五首歌曲都相當適合在派對上連續播放。只不過每次聽完前十四首歌後最期待的還是那首I'll Be There For You的出現，或許這也是The Rembrandts永遠無法脫離"One Hit Wonder"宿命的原因之一吧。

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Artist : The Rembrandts
Title : I'll Be There For You
Composed : David Crane / Marta Kauffman / Michael Skloff / Phil Solem /
Danny Wilde / Allee Willis

So no one told you life was gonna be this way
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's DOA
It's like you're always stuck in second gear,
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month,
or even your year, but...

I'll be there for you...
When the rain starts to pour
I'll be there for you...
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you...
'Cause you're there for me too.

You're still in bed at ten, though work begins at eight,
You burned your breakfast, so far things are going great,
Your mother warned you there'd be days like these,
But she didn't tell you
when the world was brought down to your knees
that...

I'll be there for you...
When the rain starts to pour
I'll be there for you...
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you...
'Cause you're there for me too.

No one could ever know me. No one could ever see me.
Seems your the only one who knows what it's like to be me
Someone to face the day with.
Make it through all the mess with.
Someone I'll always laugh with.
Even at my worst, I'm best with....
you - yeah

It's like you're always stuck in second gear,
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month,
or even your year, but...

I'll be there for you...
When the rain starts to pour
I'll be there for you...
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you...
'Cause you're there for me too...