Tunesday : I'll Be There For You

I'll Be There For You

(Neville, R) Performed by The Rembrandts

So no one told you life was gonna be this way
(Clap clap clap clap)
Your job's a joke, you're broke
Your love life's D.O.A

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
Cuz you're there for me too...

You're still in bed at 10 and work began at 8
You've burnt your breakfast so far...
Things are goin' great

Your mother warned you there'd be days like these
But she didn't tell you when the world has brought
You 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
Cuz you're there for me too...

No one could ever know me
No one could ever see me
Seems you're the only one who knows
What it's like to be me
Someone to face the day with
Make it through all the rest 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...

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
Cuz you're there for me too...

I'll be there for you
I'll be there for you
I'll be there for you
Cuz you're there for me too... 

I've written before about the good friends Dave and I had over the years we lived in Edmonton, but I'm not sure I've really explained what a nonstop party that time was for us (the picture at the top there was from one of Dave's birthdays - maybe his 25th?). As for this song: Friends, the TV show, was the first sitcom I remember that was about people our age, and although it took me a few weeks to get Dave to give it a try, he eventually became a much bigger fan of the show than I was - he could never help but start doing the Chandler dance whenever the theme song would start playing. In so many ways, this could have been the theme song to our early days together - the happy vibe, not the sadsack lyrics - and there were many people there for us; many people that we were there for.

So, I wrote here about all my friends from Sha Na Na's, so I won't go over them again except to add that one year Dave and I were asked if we'd host the staff Christmas party at our house. The bosses gave us bottles of every liquor and cases of every beer, and despite having a houseful of people who all got stinking drunk, we had booze left over forever - and that just meant more parties. And another note about Sha Na Na's that I don't think I've mentioned before: I know I did say that whoever was bartending would always put a couple beers in the ice for both me and Dave for the end of every shift, so we'd all have a couple drinks together before leaving for the night. As I wrote before, sometimes we'd then head over to the after hours club, but more often, Dave and I would go to 7-11, where we'd pick up some hamburgers (we'd always cover them with chili and nacho cheese sauce from the self-service condiment bar - we were only told once that that wasn't allowed, so we continued to do it forever - and nothing was tastier after a few drinks) and we'd usually buy one of the used VHS movies they had for sale. Dave loved owning all these movies, he built special shelves to hold them all, and we watched a movie nearly every night (which doesn't sound impressive in these days of Netflix, but was a little unusual at the time). We'd be awake until dawn most nights and then sleep until three or so in the afternoon - this was not a buttoned-down lifestyle.

First Dave's friend Paul (a drummer in a hard rock band; sweet and intelligent guy) lived in our basement and then eventually my old friend Curtis did - either could be counted on to join us for drinks/cards. It's funny that Dave was so close to the people in his program at school without really socialising with them, but he did have other friends who came around: Steven (the older philosopher that Dave moved out to Edmonton with without really being friends with) could be counted on to drop in randomly; Colin (who had epilepsy and freaked Dave out by having a seizure when it was just the two of them at our house) was around a lot, but this one time, after he and his longtime girlfriend broke up and we were driving somewhere - me and him in the back of a car, him drunk and bawling, me consoling - and after I said something banal like, "You're a great guy, you'll find someone", Colin started crying harder and said, "Oh no, this always happens. Other guys's girlfriends are always falling in love with me" - and I was so taken aback (even though I knew he was really drunk) that I didn't want him around anymore; Paduch (who is sleeping on the couch up there) was a good guy and artist who battled depression and I was happy to have him around any time - I once told Dave to invite him over for dinner because I was making a big pot of bully beef hash, and once we were eating, I couldn't stop laughing at the idea of serving up bully beef hash (which is delicious, but essentially hobo food) to a guest; Greg was this big Lurch-type guy, so we actually called him "Grog", and he was the sweetest guy who couldn't find love that I ever knew; his roommate was Les (asleep on the floor up there) and Les had a German Shepherd that he had trained so well that she wouldn't do anything (not eat, pee, poop) except on command (which seemed a little brutal to me, but she obviously adored Les) and he always had the dog with him ("Don't expect me to come anywhere my dog isn't welcomed"), and this one time he picked me and Dave up from the airport, and as I had had my hair cut while we were away and Les hadn't remarked on it, Dave said, "Doesn't Krista's hair look great?" and Les said, "I don't know. She's lost that look." Dave said, "What look?" and Les replied, "That 'freshly fucked' look" (sorry to be crude, but that's what he said) and I'm in the back set of the car, shocked, like, I'm right here, and I have to admit that every time I grew my hair out after that I worried that people would think I was going for that look (hey, this is just the way it grows), and despite being the kind of friend who would pick us up from the airport, I wasn't that keen on Les any more. 

Dave had other friends he'd hang out with while I was at work (I remember a Creepy Dave, too), but all of the guys I listed, plus all of my coworkers that I mentioned before, were free to drop in on us; would all definitely be invited if we were planning a party. I remember an epic afternoon of touch football that left me and Dave stiff and crippled when we woke up the next day. I remember cooking my first turkey for a Thanksgiving dinner for most of these people - as a matter of fact, we had plenty of dinner parties; were invited to plenty, too. Our kids - who see us now only socialising with family - would probably be shocked if they could see the way we lived back then; not just a nonstop party but nonstop interacting in a way we just don't do any more. How different would our lives be if we had stayed in Edmonton and had all these old friends that could still drop in on us any time? We'll never know, but in the day - 

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

Cuz you're there for me too...