Rarely does a television theme song become an earworm for a good reason. But The Rembrandts “I’ll Be There For You” theme-song for Friends never seemed to get old, despite opening the show every week for 10 seasons. Listening to it now it is a curious mix of old and what were then contemporary 1990s sounds. I mean, at the time the guitars sounded retro but from today’s vantage point they sound much less so. That’s where Dutch band The Kik come in with a cover version that dials up the Merseybeat and makes a number of other subtle changes to the performance of the song that gives it a more authentic retro 1960s vibe. Of course, the biggest change here is language – the band perform the song in Dutch. It sounds great and hey, it’s not like English speakers don’t know what the song is about after all these years. Beyond the language changes, the guitars immediately stand out as more jangly, the organ work is more to the fore in the mix, and the band omit the distinctive handclapping that defined the The Rembrandts’ version. Maybe it’s just me but these changes free the song from its limited use in the series, sounding more like a song proper rather than abridged snippet featured in the show. Even the seldom heard bridge shines.

“Ik Sta Klaar Voor Jou” appeared on The Kik’s album of cover tunes from 2017 entitled Hertaalt! (translation: Repeats!) which featured songs from the Beatles, Oasis, REM, The Kinks and more, all sung in Dutch. You can check out all the covers at their bandcamp page as well as some great new releases too.