Songs where the singer is being a good friend/lover

Cafe Society
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Last night, I was thinking about the song “Trouble Me” by 10,000 Maniacs. It’s about being a supportive and trustworthy lover/friend, and it made me think of how few songs I know with that theme. Most sings seem to either have the general theme of “you are wonderful,” or “I want to do this with you,” but I’m looking for a theme along the lines of “this is who I am and what I have to offer you.” (I hope this is making sense, because I’m struggling to explain this!)

Another good example of this sort of song is “I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders. Just wondering what other examples people know of.

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Can’t get closer than this:

James Taylor

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Lean on me. - Bill Withers
You’ve got a friend - James Taylor
He ain’t heavy (he’s my brother) - various

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I never knew Clarence Clemons wrote this song. RIP Big Man.

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Stand by You by Rachel Platten. It’s so embarrassing to admit this poppy bit of fluff kind of makes me tear up. I wish I had someone in my life to say those words to me.

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Queen - “You’re My Best Friend”

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I’ll Be There For You - Rembrandts

(Gosh, someone should start a thread about the TV show ‘Friends’)

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A similar (if somewhat cynical) thread I started years ago.

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That’s the same building featured on the cover of the Led Zeppelin album Physical Graffiti. I wonder if it has any particular meaning, or is just a building?

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So it is! Interesting bit of trivia. No idea if there’s anything to it beyond coincidence.

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I suspect that it’s not coincidence that the Stones used it in the video, possibly as an Easter egg-style tribute to Led Zeppelin, but it’s not otherwise a particularly noteworthy building (it’s an apartment building, located at 96-98 St. Mark’s Place in Manhattan).

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Hmmm…maybe so. They seem like such different bands that I wouldn’t have thought that the Stones would incorporate an Easter egg tribute to Led Zeppelin in a video, but they are both British bands who borrowed (some might say stole) heavily from American blues. So, maybe?

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Same graphic designer: Pete Corriston was based in Greenwich Village and worked on both Physical Graffiti and Tattoo You.

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I’m not totally sure I understand the OP, but I think it’s looking for “I am…” and “I will…” kinds of songs, as opposed to “You are…” songs, which is what this is.

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Right. I think this thread has turned into “songs about friendship,” but what I was going for was “I am …” and “I will …” songs that could probably apply to either being a good friend or being a good lover. But hey, at least Dopers know how to celebrate friendship!

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How about “Where You Lead,” by Carole King:

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There’s another connection. The Stones jammed and recorded a song with Jimmy Page in 1974. That’s not surprising, the classic English rock scene always was quite incestuos.

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Rolling Stone – 22 Jul 20