Songfacts®:

• Of all the famous songs about friendship, this one might be the most upbeat. It's a lively tune where Bette Midler repeats the key line several times: "You got to have friends."
  
  It became a mantra for Midler, who made lots of friendships in her illustrious career and always seemed to be smiling. She usually ended her concerts with the song.
• "Friends" was written by Buzzy Linhart and Mark "Moogy" Klingman, two musicians working in New York City, where Midler had been working since moving there from her native Hawaii in 1965. Midler and Linhart were friends, and he played the song for her in 1971. That year, Linhart released the "original version of the song" and Midler started performing it at the Continental Baths, a popular gay bathhouse in the city. Midler signed with Atlantic Records in 1972, and the following year released "Friends" on her debut album, The Divine Miss M. The song was released as a single, and while it only reached #40, Midler stuck with it and it became her signature song among her fans.
• When Midler sang "Friends" at the Continental Baths, she was often accompanied by Barry Manilow on piano. Manilow is listed as a producer on Midler's recording, and released his own version of the song later in 1973. They, of course, remained friends and sometimes performed the song together.
• The song has a cabaret feel, which suits Midler very well. In later years she became known for the three monster ballads she recorded - "The Rose," "The Wind Beneath My Wings" and "From A Distance" - but she always gravitated to songs with a lively, familiar sound. Her first two singles were covers of the 1958 favorite "Do You Want To Dance" and the 1941 standard "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy."
• The song holds a special place in the gay community, not just because of the message, but because Midler started performing it when she was singing in gay bathhouses. When her career took off, she remained a staunch supporter of gay rights.