Top 10 Friendship Songs

Love songs seem to be everywhere in pop music. Songs about friendship, a special type of love, are a little more rare. However, there are still many to choose from. Enjoy this list of 10 of the best, and share any of your favorites that you think are left out.

1. "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne Warwick and Friends in 1986. This classic affirmation of the support friendship provides was first recorded by Rod Stewart for the soundtrack to the movie Night Shift in 1982. The song was written by legends Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager. Dionne Warwick entered the studio with Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder to record the song as a benefit for the American Foundation for AIDS Research, and pop music history was made. The single spent 4 weeks at #1 and earned 2 Grammy Awards.

2. "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler in 1989. This song had a rather humble beginning. It was written by Larry Henley and Jeff Silbar and was first recorded in 1982. Lou Rawls brought it into the pop singles chart at #65 in 1983. Country singer Gary Morris took it into the country top 10 the same year. However, it was Bette Midler's performance of the song as a eulogy for a friend in the movie Beaches that made the song an unforgettable classic. "Wind Beneath My Wings" won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

3. "You've Got A Friend" by James Taylor in 1971. This song was written by Carole King and included on her landmark album Tapestry released in 1971. The definitive version was recorded by King's friend James Taylor and his recording of "You've Got a Friend" hit #1 in 1971. It is Taylor's only #1 pop single.

4. "Thank You for Being a Friend" by Andrew Gold in1978. An entire generation knows this song as the theme song to the TV show Golden Girls from a version recorded by Cindy Fee. However, the song first entered the public conscience in a 1978 version by the song's writer, pop musician Andrew Gold. The song is a perfect expression of gratitude to those treasured people we call friends.

5. "I'll Be There for You" by The Rembrandts in 1995. Best known as the theme song for the TV series Friends, "I'll Be There for You" was written specifically for the show by Michael Skloff and Allee Willis. There were no plans initially to release the song as a single, but demand from fans eventually forced the Rembrandts to record a full-length version and the song, in a commercial version, reached the pop top 20. In a similar vein to the show, "I'll Be There for You" celebrates the humor in friendship.

6. "I Turn to You" by Christina Aguilera in 2000. This was the 3rd single from Christina Aguilera's self-titled debut album. Written by Diane Warren, it is a big ballad designed to show off Aguilera's voice. The lyrics are poignant and can be expanded beyond describing a friendship relationship. The song was first recorded by the group All-4-One for the Space Jam soundtrack in 1996.

7. "Kind & Generous" by Natalie Merchant in 1998 is a multi-purpose thank you song, but it works as an elegant and eloquent thank you to friends.

8. "Friend of Mine" is a Granny nominated number-one R&B song recorded by singer Kelly Price . It spent five weeks at number-one on the US R&B chart and was awarded a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/ Soul or Rap New Artist. A remix was made of the song featuring R. Kelly and Ronald Isley. This version became a pop hit in 1998, peaking at number twelve on the US Pop chart.

9. "Because You Loved Me" is one of Céline Dion's biggest hits and signature songs. Its sold 1,343,000 copies in the U.S. where it was certified platinum. It was also certified 2x platinum in Australia (140,000), platinum in New Zealand (10,000), gold in Germany (250,000) and silver in the United Kingdom (although it sold 420,000 and should be certified gold). Also in France it sold 193,000 and should be certified silver.

10. "Anytime You Need a Friend" is a song written and produced by American singer Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff, and recorded for Carey's third studio album Music Box (1993). It is a gospel-tinged ballad whose protagonist informs a friend that anytime they need a friend she will be there. It was released as the album's fourth and final singles in the second quarter of 1994.