Friends Are There was the first opening theme from Garfield and Friends. It was used in the first two seasons of the show.
Lyrics[]
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen: Garfield and Friends!
Vocals: Friends are there
To help you get started
To give you a push on your way
Friends are there
To turn you around
Get your feet on the ground
For a brand new day
They'll pick you up when you're down
Help you swallow your pride
When something inside's
Gotta break on through
To the other side
Friends are someone
You can open up to
When you feel like
You're ready to flip
When you've got
The world on your shoulders
Friends are there
To give you a tip
Friends are there
When you need them
They're even there
When you don't
For a walk in the park
Or a shot in the dark
Friends are there
Garfield: I don't care!
Vocals: But friends will care for you!
Characters[]
- Garfield
- Orson Pig
- Sheldon
- Roy Rooster
- Booker
- Wade Duck
- Announcer (voiced by Gary Owens)
Video[]
Trivia[]
- This is the only opening theme to feature original animation. Later openings would rely on clips from episodes of the show as well as the beginning and ending scenes of this opening.
- During the opening, the actions of Garfield and the U.S. Acres gang offer visual twists on the lyrics ("give you a push" = the animals push Garfield away, "turn you around" = the animals turn around the card with Garfield, "put your feet on the ground" = the animals jump to push their card atop Garfield's, "swallow your pride" = Garfield swallows the card with the animals, "something inside's gotta break on through" = Orson uses a hammer to break the screen that became a close-up on Garfield's stomach, "the world on your shoulders" = the card with the animals falls on Garfield's shoulders, etc.).
- The theme was replaced by "Ready to Party" in syndication.
- In an episode of The Garfield Show, the first verse of the song appears on mug.
- On "on demand" versions, alternate music is used; different cues play during two of the last lines.
- In the second season, the record player sounds clearer and the sound effects are louder, although the music is a little quieter.
- A remastered version of this intro was released in 2018 for streaming on Boomerang; the intro was re-animated using Flash instead of re-drawing every frame by hand.