Penned by Carole King, this classic pop/rock hit, made famous by James Taylor, is the pinnacle of friendship songs. Whenever the thought of a good friend conjures a tune, this one invariably makes its way to the inner playlist. “You just call out my name/And you know wherever I am/I’ll come running/To see you again” is what we all want in a friend.
We all have times of trouble when we need our friends to be in our corner, even when it is difficult for them to do so, or because we are afraid to ask them to be there for us because of pride. This Ben E. King song can be a message between friends that it is okay to less than perfect and that “Whenever you’re in trouble, you can stand by me.”
With the lyrics, “What would you do if I sang out of tune/Would you stand up and walk out on me?,” this Beatles tune is in the voice of someone calling out and asking for friendship, which is a vulnerable action. The song shows our need to be loved and accepted by our friends, especially when finding a loving romantic relationship seems out of reach.
This buoyant tune from “Toy Story,” written by Randy Newman is a feel-good song about unconditional friendship. “If you've got troubles/I've got 'em too/There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you/We stick together and can see it through/Cause you've got a friend in me” is a sweet, youthful perspective on friendship.