10 Essential Rock Songs About Friends

Feature Photo: DC Photography / Shutterstock.com

One night, I went to a bar called Millers on Long Island to hang out with friends and watch the Packers play the Eagles. These were friends that I had known since high school, and in the 1970s we went to concerts, cut out of class, and hung out everywhere together. Almost 50 years later, after raising families and going through many careers, we were still hanging out and it seemed nothing had changed. We still had the same camaraderie in our 60s that we had in our teens. That’s friendship.

Never take it for granted. It gets you through the hard stuff and helps you celebrate the good stuff. That night inspired me to write this article. Of course, many great songs are missing, but some excellent ones are included as well. That is all that matters…..

# 10 – Waiting On A Friend – The Rolling Stones

“Waiting on a Friend” by The Rolling Stones, the opening track on our list of “10 Essential Rock Songs About Friends,” captures friendship’s deep, enduring nature through its reflective lyrics and mellow groove. The song, the final track on their 1981 album Tattoo You, began during sessions in 1972 and 1973 and was completed with overdubs in 1981. Produced by The Glimmer Twins, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it features Nicky Hopkins on piano and Sonny Rollins on saxophone. Its relaxed feel and Rollins’ poignant saxophone work set it apart from the Stones’ typically tougher rock tracks.

# 9 – Thank You Friends – Big Star

“Thank You Friends” by Big Star, from their third album, Third/Sister Lovers, has a complicated emotional layer beneath its seemingly straightforward title. Recorded in 1974 and released in 1978, Alex Chilton wrote it during one of the band’s most turbulent periods. The song can sound like genuine appreciation for friends and supporters, but many have also heard its tone as sardonic and uneasy. That tension gives the song much of its power and makes it more than a simple thank-you anthem.

# 8 – Friends – The Police

Okay, come on now, have a sense of humor. “Friends” by The Police was written by Andy Summers and first released in 1980 as a B-side, years before it was collected on the 2018 compilation Flexible Strategies. The song explores cannibalism and friendship through a darkly comic, grotesque narrative that is deliberately ridiculous and unsettling. It shows another side of The Police, far removed from the more straightforward rock and reggae material most people associate with the band.

Read More: 10 Most Underrated Police Songs

# 7 – Fake Friends – Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

“Fake Friends” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, from their 1983 record Album, serves as a potent critique of superficial relationships. The song deals with the challenge of separating genuine friends from people who show up only when success makes the relationship useful. With its driving guitar riffs and Joan Jett’s unmistakable gritty vocals, the track delivers that message with plenty of attitude. It remains a quintessential anthem of defiance and self-awareness.

Read More: Our 10 Favorite Joan Jett Songs

# 6 – Best Friend – Harry Nilsson

“Best Friend” by Harry Nilsson is best remembered as the theme song for the American sitcom The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. It was adapted from Nilsson’s earlier song “Girlfriend,” with new lyrics shaped for the television series, which ran from 1969 to 1972. The show centered on widower Tom Corbett, played by Bill Bixby, and his son Eddie, played by Brandon Cruz. The song’s warmth fit a series built around family, companionship, and the bond between a father and son.

# 5 – I’ll Be Your Mirror – The Velvet Underground

“I’ll Be Your Mirror” by The Velvet Underground, featuring Nico on lead vocals, is one of the gentlest songs on the band’s 1967 debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico. Lou Reed wrote the track, and the band recorded it in 1966 at Scepter Studios in New York City; Andy Warhol produced it. Its introspective lyrics and restrained melodic backing stand in sharp contrast to the band’s more abrasive and experimental material. That simplicity is exactly what gives the song its emotional power.

# 4 – Friends – Led Zeppelin

“Friends,” from Led Zeppelin’s 1970 album Led Zeppelin III, moves away from the heavy blues attack that defined much of the band’s earlier work. Written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, the song blends acoustic guitar, percussion, and strings into one of the album’s most distinctive arrangements. Jimmy Page produced the recording, while John Paul Jones contributed the string arrangement. The result showed how willing Led Zeppelin had become to stretch beyond the sound that first made them famous.

# 3 – You’re My Best Friend – Queen

“You’re My Best Friend,” from Queen’s 1975 album A Night at the Opera, stands as one of rock’s most warmly celebrated songs about friendship and devotion. John Deacon wrote the song and played both bass and electric piano on the recording. Produced by Queen and Roy Thomas Baker, it offered a more direct and upbeat pop melody than many of the album’s grander productions. Its simplicity and warmth helped make it one of Queen’s most enduring songs.

# 2 – Friends – Elton John

Elton John & Friends - Limited Marble White & Violet Colored Vinyl

Elton John’s 1971 song “Friends,” from the soundtrack of the film bearing the same name, explores the importance of companionship through Bernie Taupin’s lyrics and Elton’s melodic piano work. Recorded at Trident Studios in London and produced by Gus Dudgeon, the track feels gentler than many of Elton John’s later rock hits. The song’s message is simple and direct, focusing on the comfort friendship can provide as you move through life. That warmth makes it a natural fit for this list.

# 1 – With A Little Help From My Friends – The Beatles

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band [LP] [2017 Stereo Mix]

“With a Little Help from My Friends,” the second track on The Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, is one of rock music’s most enduring celebrations of friendship and mutual support. John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote it, and George Martin produced it; they recorded it at EMI Studios in London in March 1967. Ringo Starr handled the lead vocal as Billy Shears, continuing directly from the album’s opening title track. More than half a century later, its message of getting through life with help from the people around you still says everything that needs to be said.

Read More: Top 10 Beatles Albums