Last Updated on January 1, 2026 by Christian Adams
Sometimes when I’m creating these lists, there’s a shocker at the beginning. For example, in 25 Songs About California, I open with a spiel about not including “Hotel California”, an obvious choice that appears on every other list. Likewise, in 25 Songs About New York, I start by telling the reader that you’re not gonna find “New York, New York” on my list (but I left out the part about hating Frank Sinatra and anybody who sounds like him).
In today’s post covering songs about friends, once again, I’m forced to spoil the surprise. You’re not going to find some of the usual songs like “Stand By Me” or “With a Little Help From My Friends” or anything within a city block of Dionne Warwick.
Here’s a curated playlist for your delight!
Songs About Friends, Friendship & More
Friends – Led Zeppelin
So anytime somebody needs you
Don’t let them down, altho’ it grieves you
Some day you’ll need someone like they do
Looking for what you knew
Mmm, I’m telling you now
The greatest thing you ever can do now
Is trade a smile with someone who’s blue now
It’s very easy just…
My favorite song on Led Zeppelin III (1970), and such a great vibe! They were exceptionally skilled at creating that North African/Middle Eastern sound.
Am I Losin’? – Lynyrd Skynyrd
And I recall this friend of mine I knew so well
It goes to show, Lord, you just can’t tell
Now my friend won’t talk to me, let me tell you why
He thinks I’ve changed because of a dollar sign
From their third album, Nuthin’ Fancy (1974), a gentle and bittersweet country rock ditty about fame and fortune.
Friends – The Beach Boys
You told me when my girl was untrue
I loaned you money when the funds weren’t too cool
I talked your folks out of making you cut off your hair
I’m not here to talk about the Beach Boys per se, but it’s better than “I’ll Be There”.
Best Friend – English Beat
I just found out the name of your best friend
You been talkin’ about yourself again
And no one seems to share your views
Why doesn’t everybody listen to you kid?
How come you never really seem to get through, is it you?
Talk about yourself again, you
Talk about yourself
Always you, you, you
Talk about yourself again
I moved to Taiwan in 2008 with a laptop and a roller suitcase of useless clothing. After a month of bouncing around from hotels and short-stay lodgings, I found a mostly-furnished rooftop apartment on the south side of Taipei. One of the only things it didn’t have was a stereo, so I went out and bought a Philips CD player and a stack of CDs from Rose Records. I Just Can’t Stop It (1980) was the first CD I bought and played at my new crib.
“Best Friend” is included on my Years of the Ox & Tiger: Original Narrative Soundtrack, and reminds me of a minor character in the book, Stephan Belanger, who loved to hear himself talk.
Friend or Foe – Adam Ant
I want those who get to know me
To become admirers or my enemies
Not so much a song about friendship as a PSA for Attention Deficit Disorder.
See My Friends – The Kinks
She is gone and now there’s no one else to take her place
She is gone and now there’s no one else to love
‘Cept my friends,
Layin’ ‘cross the river,
See my friends,
See my friends,
Layin’ ‘cross the river
Ray Davies and The Kinks were slightly ahead of their time with two new rock trends. In 1965, they released “You Really Got Me”, which is considered the precursor of hard rock, and the first pop/rock song, “See My Friends”, with Indian-style droning. The latter single was influential on other musicians who embraced Indian sounds, such as the Beatles, the Byrds, and the Rolling Stones.
You’re My Best Friend – Queen
Oh, you’re the best friend that I ever had
Been with you such a long time
You’re my sunshine
And I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you
If you were going to have the DJ play a classic rock song at your wedding reception, look no further than this jam.
It’s one of my favorite performances by Freddie Mercury, and the production by Roy Thomas Baker is astonishing.
When We Grow Up – Diana Ross
When we grow up, will I be pretty?
Will you be big and strong?
Will I wear dresses that show off my knees?
Will you wear trousers twice as long?
Well, I don’t care if I’m pretty at all
And I don’t care if you never get tall
I like what I look like, and you’re nice small
We don’t have to change at all
Free to Be… You and Me is a children’s entertainment project, produced by actress and author Marlo Thomas, in collaboration with the Ms. Foundation for Women. A record album and illustrated book were released in November 1972 featuring songs and stories sung or told by current celebrities (billed as “Marlo Thomas and Friends”), including Alan Alda, Mel Brooks, Carol Channing, Roberta Flack, Shirley Jones, Diana Ross, and Cicely Tyson.
An ABC television special, also created by Thomas, using poetry, songs, and sketches, aired in March 1974. The basic concept was post-1960s gender neutrality, promoting values such as individuality, tolerance, and comfort with one’s identity. Pretty fuckin’ woke for 1974, man! Kudos, Marlo and Diana!
Can We Still Be Friends? – Todd Rundgren
We can’t play this game anymore
But can we still be friends?
Things just can’t go on like before
But can we still be friends?
Todd Rundgren had such a great attitude about breakups and relationships in general.
Are ‘Friends’ Electric – Gary Numan
So I open the door
It’s the ‘friend’ that I’d left in the hallway
‘Please sit down’
A candlelit shadow on a wall near the bed
Gary Numan told the Guardian in 20141:
“The lyrics came from short stories I’d written about what London would be like in 30 years. These machines—”friends”—come to the door. They supply services of various kinds, but your neighbours never know what they really are since they look human. The one in the song is a prostitute, hence the inverted commas. It was released in May 1979 and sold a million copies. I had a Number 1 single with a song about a robot prostitute, and no one knew.”
Best Friend – Harry Nilsson
People, let me tell you ’bout my best friend
He’s a warm hearted person who’ll love me till the end
People, let me tell you bout my best friend
He’s a one boy cuddly toy, my up, my down, my pride and joy
People, let me tell you ’bout him he’s so much fun
Whether we’re talkin’ man to man or whether we’re talking son to son
‘Cause he’s my best friend
Yes he’s my best friend
“Best Friend” was the theme song for ABC’s 1969 sitcom, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. The song talks about a loving father-son relationship.
“Best Friend” was a big hit, but, in true Nilsson contrarian style, he never released the song on record; the original version of the song (titled “Girlfriend”) was recorded during the making of Aerial Ballet (1967) but not included on that LP.
I Love You Honey But I Hate Your Friends – Cheap Trick
That fat cat Frank got a heart of gold
He’s got a head of lead, he’s young but he acts old
That limp-wristed two-fisted diplomat
Better draw a map, to see where he’s at
Around and round when he rambles on
‘Bout the latest deal we should be in on
We shouldn’t give him the time of day
He doesn’t give a damn if we sink or swim
I love you honey but I hate your friends
Written by Rick Nielsen, it’s probably about a shady music business character who’s associated with the “honey” of the relationship. We’ve all been there.
My Best Friend’s Girl – The Cars
Oh, she’s my best friend’s girl
Well, she’s my best friend’s girl, girl
But she used to be mine
Ouch. Been there, too.
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Hey there, I’m Christian Adams and thanks for visiting the site. If you like my style of writing, check out some of my other stuff:
Lunar New Years Series by Christian Adams
A darkly humorous and deeply personal four-book travel memoir based in South East Asia. Available in print-on-demand and digital forms wherever books are sold. Published 2024–2025.
Never Let Me Down Again – Depeche Mode
I’m taking a ride with my best friend
I hope he never lets me down again
He knows where he’s taking me
Taking me where I want to be
I’m taking a ride with my best friend
In this 1988 radio interview, Andy Fletcher says that, although he can’t give too much away about the meanings of Martin Gore’s songs, he does reveal that ‘Never Let Me Down Again’ is “just about innocence.”
Martin Gore was quoted in issue #44/1987 of Bravo Magazine:
“The song has nothing to do with relationships. It’s about the concept of fleeing from reality and the evil awakening afterwards. Any kind of fleeing. Drugs, alcohol, or whatever.”
Friendship – Tenacious D
Thank You for Being a Friend – Andrew Gold
Thank you for being a friend
Traveled down that road and back again
Your heart is true, you’re a pal and a confidant
The theme song to the ABC sitcom, The Golden Girls.
Waiting on a Friend – Rolling Stones
Mm, don’t need a whore, I don’t need no booze
Don’t need a virgin priest
But I need someone I can cry to
I need someone to protect
Let me tell you something, in 1981, this was considered a cool video. The first Rolling Stones single to be played on the emerging video channel, MTV.
The Kids Are Alright – The Who
I don’t mind other guys dancing with my girl
That’s fine, I know them all pretty well
But I know sometimes I must get out in the light
Better leave her behind with the kids, they’re alright
The kids are alright
Such a wholesome sentiment!
Just a Friend – Biz Markie
Then when I asked, “Do ya have a man,” she tried to pretend
She said, “No I don’t, I only have a friend”
People Who Died – The Jim Carroll Band
Mary took a dry dive from a hotel room
Bobby hung himself from a cell in The Tombs
Judy jumped in front of a subway train
Eddie got slit in the jugular vein
And Eddie, I miss you more than all the others
And I salute you, brother
Awful way to go out, Eddie. I miss you, too.
Two of Us – The Beatles
You and I have memories, longer than the road that stretches out ahead
It’s one of life’s greatest tragedies that John Lennon and Paul McCartney couldn’t keep it together and never reunited. What might have been. Beautiful song, though.
You’ve Got a Friend in Me – Randy Newman
When the road looks rough ahead
And you’re miles and miles from your nice warm bed
Just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you’ve got a friend in me
Yeah, you’ve got a friend in me
I’ll take this Toy Story bullshit over “You’ve Got a Friend” by James Taylor.
All My Friends – LCD Soundsystem
And with a face like a dad and a laughable stand
You can sleep on the plane or review what you said
When you’re drunk and the kids look impossibly tanned
You think over and over, “Hey, I’m finally dead”
Oh, if the trip and the plan come apart in your hand
You can turn it on yourself, you ridiculous clown
You’ll forgot what you meant when you read what you said
And, yeah, we knew you were tired, but then
Where are your friends tonight?
No idea what this guy is going on about, but I have fond memories of hearing this song in a bar.
Friend of the Devil – Grateful Dead
Set out runnin’ but I take my time
A friend of the devil is a friend of mine
If I get home before daylight
Just might get some sleep tonight
For my Deadhead friends.
Deadbeat Club – The B-52s
Going down to Allen’s for twenty-five cent beer
And the jukebox playing real loud
“Ninety-six tears”
We’re wild girls walkin’ down the street
Wild girls and boys going out for a big time
Allen’s was a bar and hamburger joint in Athens, Georgia, that included notable patrons such as The B-52’s and Michael Stipe (R.E.M.)
Honorable Mentions
All My Friends Are Dead – Sebastian Bach
Lil Uzi Vert and Turbonegro have songs with the same title and theme.
Goodbye to Romance – Ozzy Osbourne
I say goodbye to romance, yeah
Goodbye to friends, I tell you
Goodbye to the past
I guess that we’ll meet, we’ll meet in the end
Blizzard of Ozz (1980) is one of my top 10 favorite albums of all time, and one of the most important records of the movement that brought heavy metal to the mainstream. “Goodbye to Romance” is Ozzy’s farewell to his pals in Black Sabbath, set to Pachelbel’s Canon in D, and is the only weak spot on the album.
All the Right Friends – R.E.M.
I’ve been walking alone now
For a long, long time
I don’t want to hang out now
With the friends that just aren’t mine
A super deep rarity that was written by Michael Stipe and Peter Buck in 1979, before they formed R.E.M., and recorded several times throughout the 1980s. The version you’re getting here was recorded for the Vanilla Sky (2001) soundtrack.
Stay Free – The Clash
I practised daily in my room
You were down the crown
Planning your next move
Go on a nicking spree
Hit the wrong guy
Each of you get three
Years in Brixton
Mick Jones wrote the song for a grammar school chum who went to jail for bank robbery.
