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Life can be incredibly unpredictable, but there’s one thing we can reliably expect: a Bill Lawrence series that delivers a delightful mix of humor, emotion, a stellar ensemble cast, and a memorable soundtrack.
The latest offering from Lawrence and Matt Tarses, titled Rooster, made its debut on March 8 on HBO and HBO Max, featuring the comedic talents of Steve Carell. The premiere introduced viewers to bestselling author Greg Russo (played by Carell), his daughter Katie (Charlie Clive), her husband Archie (Phil Dunster), and a host of other intriguing characters. It concluded with a standout song from R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, crafted alongside producer, songwriter, and Lawrence’s future son-in-law, Andrew Watt.
The first episode of Rooster was a musical journey, featuring classic tracks like New Order’s “Age of Consent,” Fun Boy Three’s “Our Lips Are Sealed,” Yaz’s “Only You,” and Violent Femmes’ “Kiss Off.” However, it was Stipe’s original song “I Played the Fool” that was specially composed for the series. While the catchy theme song capped off the premiere, it is set to be a recurring feature in the opening title sequence of future episodes. We caught up with Lawrence to uncover the story behind the creation of this original piece.
“Steve Carell’s character never attended college, and we intentionally used that as a motif,” Lawrence explained in a Zoom interview with DECIDER. “Ninety percent of the needle drops and soundtrack choices are songs from the college era of Steve, Matt, and myself.”
Lawrence elaborated, “If you listen closely, these are the songs that defined our college days. That’s the music you’ll hear throughout most episodes. Andrew Watt is also responsible for the score and co-wrote the main title theme. When it came to selecting someone to perform the theme song, we thought, ‘Who better than someone from our college days?’ R.E.M was a staple for me back then.” He added, “Having Michael Stipe agree to do it was mind-blowing. It was a dream come true. I thought, ‘Even if nothing else happens, I can always say Michael Stipe wrote a song for our show, and I’ll cherish that forever.'”
“The fact that Michael Stipe agreed to do it is just insane. It blew our minds. Crazy pants. I was like, ‘I don’t care if anything else happens. Michael Stipe wrote a song for the show that I can play when I go to bed at night.’”
Bill Lawrence, Rooster
“I Played the Fool” is the first song from Stipe in three years and features performances from Travis Barker and Josh Klinghoffer. Following Rooster‘s March 8 premiere, the song will be available to stream here. And based on Episode 1, it’s clear that lyrics like “I laugh at me, I’m trying, trying. Falling sometimes, sometimes flying” will resonate with the comedy’s flawed — but trying! — characters as the series progresses.
Fans of Lawrence’s Apple TV comedy Shrinking know the creator has a real love for R.E.M., as Season 3, Episode 5 recently featured a surprise cover of the band’s hit song “Nightswimming” sung by co-creator and star Jason Segel.
“How cool was that, by the way?” Lawrence asked about Shrinking‘s R.E.M. end credits needle drop. “That was such a weird Easter egg. We didn’t know if people would notice it.”
If you — like Rooster‘s co-creator — are a fan of Stipe’s incredible vocals and musical talents, we’re pleased to report that “I Played the Fool” isn’t even the only R.E.M. song to appear in Rooster‘s first six episodes! So keep your ears open and be sure to tune into new episodes of Rooster Sundays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and HBO Max.
Stay tuned for more Rooster coverage from Decider.