If you were hanging out in the humid, tiled basement of the Continental Baths in 1970s New York City, you didn’t just hear a singer; you witnessed a revolution. Before she was a household name, Bette Midler was the "Divine Miss M," performing for a towel-clad audience of gay men. And the anthem that brought the house down? A song with a simple, driving mantra: "You got to have friends."
The bette midler friends lyrics might seem like a cheerful ditty about companionship on the surface. Honestly, though? They’re much heavier than that. They represent a lifeline for a community that was, at the time, largely rejected by their biological families.
Who actually wrote it?
People often assume Bette wrote it herself because she inhabits the song so completely. She doesn't just sing it—she lives it. But the credit actually goes to Buzzy Linhart and Mark "Moogy" Klingman. They penned it in the early 70s, and Bette included it on her 1972 debut album, The Divine Miss M.
The track was produced by a powerhouse team including Ahmet Ertegun and a young, pre-superstar Barry Manilow. You can hear Manilow’s fingerprints all over the arrangement. It has that theatrical, building energy that became his trademark.
Why the lyrics hit different
Basically, the song functions as a secular hymn. Think about the opening lines. She talks about walking down the street, feeling low, and needing that connection.
"I had some friends but they're gone / Somethin' came and took them away."
In 1972, that line felt poetic. By the 1980s and 90s, it felt like a punch to the gut. As the AIDS crisis decimated the very community that first championed Bette, the bette midler friends lyrics morphed from a song about camaraderie into a eulogy.
She famously performed a medley of "In My Life" and "Friends" at the 1991 AIDS Project Los Angeles benefit. It wasn't just a "gig." It was a tribute to the people she’d lost—the fans who sat on those bathhouse floors and the friends who helped her build her legend.
A song of survival
The song reached number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 9 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1973. Not a massive chart-topper, but its "legs" are incredible.
- It’s a "Chosen Family" Anthem: Long before the term was mainstream, this song celebrated the family you make when your own lets you down.
- The Cher Connection: Interestingly, Cher performed the song on her own variety show in 1972, proving how quickly it became a standard.
- WorldPride 2019: Bette brought the house down again by performing it at NYC WorldPride, decades after she first sang it downtown.
The technical side of the lyrics
Musically, the song is a bit of a chameleon. It starts with a simple, almost jaunty piano riff. Then the drums kick in. By the end, it’s a full-on gospel-style rave-up.
The lyrics aren't complex. They don't use big words or intricate metaphors. "You got to have friends / To make the day last long." That’s it. That’s the whole point. Sometimes, life is just about getting through the next twelve hours, and you can't do that alone.
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Misconceptions and legacy
A lot of folks get confused and think it was the theme song for the TV show Friends. It wasn’t. That was The Rembrandts.
Others think it’s just a "happy" song. If you listen to Midler’s delivery—especially in live recordings like Live at Last—there’s a desperate edge to it. She’s not just suggesting you get some friends; she’s warning you that without them, you’re sinkable.
Her collaboration with Barry Manilow was the secret sauce. Manilow understood her "bathhouse" energy. He knew when to let her be funny and when to let her be heartbreaking. "Friends" is the perfect bridge between those two worlds.
To really appreciate the bette midler friends lyrics, you have to look at the 2008 remastered version or find the old footage from her 1979 appearance on Parkinson. You see a woman who knows exactly how much she owes the people around her.
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Practical ways to experience the song today
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the history of this track, don’t just stick to the studio version.
- Listen to the Live at Last (1977) version for the full comedic/theatrical monologue intro.
- Watch her 1991 "In My Life / Friends" medley to understand the song's weight during the AIDS epidemic.
- Compare her version to Buzzy Linhart’s original to see how she transformed a folk-rock tune into a Broadway-caliber anthem.
The song reminds us that even when "somethin' comes and takes them away," the memory of those connections is what keeps us standing. It’s a masterclass in how a simple lyric can become a cultural cornerstone.
To get the most out of your Bette Midler deep dive, start with the original 1972 vinyl mix of The Divine Miss M. It captures a raw, unpolished grit that digital remasters sometimes smooth over. Track down the 1991 APLA benefit footage on archival sites; it’s widely considered one of the most emotional live performances of her career and provides the necessary context for why this song still brings audiences to tears today. Finally, look into the songwriting credits of Buzzy Linhart; his eccentric style provided the perfect canvas for Midler’s legendary interpretation.