"Smelly Cat" is a comedy song from the American sitcom Friends (1994–2004), performed by American actress Lisa Kudrow. Friends writers Adam Chase and Betsy Borns wrote it with musician Chrissie Hynde and Kudrow for the latter's character, Phoebe Buffay. It first appears in the sixth episode of the show's second season, "The One with the Baby on the Bus" (1995). Hynde guest stars in the episode as Stephanie Schiffer, a singer hired to replace Phoebe as Central Perk's in-house musician, to whom Phoebe eventually teaches "Smelly Cat".
Borns had intended to write the song about a dog, basing it on her own pet dog Gouda, but ultimately decided that a song about a pungent cat would be funnier. Chase and other Friends writers, including series creator David Crane, developed the song out of lyrics that had originated as dialogue. Following its debut, Kudrow would continue to perform "Smelly Cat" frequently throughout Friends' ten-year run, most prominently during the show's second season, with the song evolving into a running gag and integral component of Phoebe's role. The song's popularity grew among fans to the point where they asked for it to be officially released as an album track. Kudrow and Hynde's band the Pretenders, credited as Phoebe Buffay and the Hairballs, recorded an updated version entitled "Smelly Cat Medley" for the soundtrack album Friends Again (1999). Musically, "Smelly Cat" is an acoustic pop and folk novelty song about an odorous cat who is mistreated and neglected by its owners due to its stench.
Established as a fan favorite, "Smelly Cat" has become closely associated with Phoebe, Kudrow, and the series, and is often ranked highly by media publications among Friends' most memorable moments and featured songs, even rivaling the show's theme song "I'll Be There for You" by the Rembrandts in terms of popularity. "Smelly Cat" has been covered by several artists, including Friends guest stars E. G. Daily, Chris Isaak, and James Michael Tyler, co-star Courteney Cox, and singer Colbie Caillat. Kudrow also performed "Smelly Cat" with Taylor Swift live during the singer's 1989 World Tour in 2015, with footage of the duet garnering widespread media attention and becoming a viral sensation. During Friends 2021 reunion television special, Kudrow performed a special rendition of the song with Lady Gaga. The session vocalist that dubbed "Smelly Cat" vocals was voice of Gypsy Queen’s Paula Mattioli.
Background and writing On the American sitcom Friends (1994–2004), actress Lisa Kudrow plays Phoebe Buffay, an eccentric masseuse and amateur singer-songwriter with little musical talent. The character often performs some of her original, unusual songs at Central Perk, a New York coffeehouse where she and her five friends socialize with each other. "Smelly Cat" was written for the character by Kudrow with Adam Chase, Betsy Borns, and Chrissie Hynde. The song was conceived in 1995 by Borns, a Friends writer who had intended for it to be about a dog. Tending to incorporate her personal life into Friends storylines, Borns initially based the song on a malodorous dog she had owned as a child named Gouda (after the cheese), at first describing the concept "as an ode to her childhood pet". She ultimately decided a song about a foul-smelling cat would be funnier."Smelly Cat" first appears in the sixth episode of the second season, "The One with the Baby on the Bus" (1995), which Borns also wrote. Chase, another writer for Friends, also contributed lyrics, which originated as dialogue for the episode. He suggested that Phoebe sing a song called "Smelly Cat", a title he had pitched because the show "just needed a funny song title". Once the writers decided when the character would sing in the episode, they collaborated on evolving the dialogue into lyrics. According to Chase, much of "Smelly Cat" was improvised during late-night sessions in the Friends writer's room, with "two or three people around the table adding lines on the spot". Series creator David Crane and writer Jeff Astrof also took turns suggesting different lines that and phrases that were ultimately included in the final song, such as Astrof's "What are they feeding you?". Kudrow composed the melody herself, as she had done for all of her character's original songs. She recalled, "The words to the song were penned down by some very intelligent scriptwriters. But it was me who came up with the tune underneath the words".
During the episode's live taping, Chase suggested to Crane that the song would be funnier if Kudrow emphasized the word "smelly" instead of the expected word "cat". Typically, writers do not offer notes once filming began, unless a scene did not work completely. With some hesitation, Crane suggested the note to Kudrow, and the revision ultimately resulted in a louder laugh from the studio audience. Hynde, lead singer of rock band The Pretenders, guest stars in the episode as Stephanie Schiffer, a professional singer hired to replace Phoebe as Central Perk's resident musician. Phoebe initially protests being fired from her gig, but eventually teaches her "Smelly Cat" by the end of the episode. Hynde co-wrote the song's music with Kudrow, who described writing with Hynde as "amazing". The musician had agreed to guest star on Friends with little knowledge about how popular the relatively new sitcom had already become in the United States, having not heard about the show prior to being cast. In the episode, Hynde performs a somber version of "Smelly Cat" on acoustic guitar to a full Central Perk audience. Hynde also performs The Pretenders' cover of "Angel of the Morning" in the same episode. In later years, Hynde has said she has always regretted her appearance on the show for ruining her anonymity once the episode aired.
"Smelly Cat" grew increasingly popular among fans of the show, who sent letters to producers asking that they release the song on an album. Upon realizing the song's popularity, Reprise Records' Howie Klein expressed interest in developing a concept album based around "Smelly Cat" as a follow-up to the previous years' Friends album, but Kudrow's participation in the project was undecided. An updated version of the song entitled "Smelly Cat Medley" was eventually released on the soundtrack album Friends Again (1999), credited to Phoebe Buffay and the Hairballs. The track is a combination of "Smelly Cat" excerpts from various episodes, featuring vocals from Kudrow and The Pretenders. Although the album's cover features all six of the show's main cast members – Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer – Kudrow was the only main cast member to contribute a song.
Use in Friends "Smelly Cat" is one of several songs Phoebe writes and performs on Friends. Debuting in "The One with the Baby on the Bus", which aired on November 2, 1995, Phoebe first mentions the song to Rachel Green (Aniston) in conversation. The song is initially established as Phoebe's least popular among audiences. In the episode, Stephanie struggles to play "Smelly Cat" to Phoebe's liking, with Phoebe advising the character to work on feeling the song's lyrics. "Smelly Cat" proved popular and would continue to make several appearances throughout Friends' ten seasons, primarily via various performances and renditions by Phoebe. Although intended to be a one-time joke, the writers continued to conceive ways of incorporating the song into the series, creating various storylines that revolve around "Smelly Cat". I'll Be There for You: The One About Friends author Kelsey Miller confirmed that the composition was used most frequently during the show's second season, with Phoebe singing it at Central Perk regularly. The song would become one of the show's most used running gags.The song appears in season two's "The One Where Eddie Moves In", in which Phoebe attempts to record a professional rendition of the song in a recording studio. She struggles to record with background singers. Phoebe eventually films a music video for the song, for which her voice is ultimately dubbed by a professional singer, voiced by E. G. Daily. Phoebe initially believes she is hearing herself sing and thinks she sounds good. Upon learning the truth, Phoebe ultimately feels sorry for the anonymous singer instead of pitying herself. The song is then heard in season three's "The One with Phoebe's Ex-Partner", in which Leslie (again portrayed by Daily), a singer with whom Phoebe used to perform, suggests that "Smelly Cat" be adapted into a jingle for a cat litter commercial. Phoebe ultimately refuses the offer, but Leslie sells the song without Phoebe's permission, prompting her to write "Jingle Bitch" about Leslie. The product is named "Smelly Cat" Kitty Litter, after the song. In "The One After the Superbowl", Phoebe performs the song as a duet with Rob, portrayed by musician Chris Isaak, although Phoebe criticizes his rendition, suggesting that the singer refrain from incorporating his signature high-pitched yodeling in favor of "a more masculine note". In reality, Isaak recalled that Kudrow was very friendly, offering to run lines and rehearse "Smelly Cat" with him. Phoebe also leads her friends in a sing-along version of "Smelly Cat" at Central Perk, each of whom contribute a solo, except Ross Geller (Schwimmer) because there are no more lines.
In season five's "The One with Joey's Bag", Phoebe's estranged father Frank Buffay (Bob Balaban) reveals that he used to sing her a lullaby called "Sleepy Girl", which shares "Smelly Cat"'s melody, as a baby, further establishing "Smelly Cat" as a fundamental aspect of Phoebe's life story. However, Sam Ashurst of Digital Spy identified this as a plot hole, since Phoebe had previously confirmed that her father abandons her before she was born, therefore he could not have been present to sing to her. Ashurst theorized that Phoebe could have been so determined to retain the copyright to her most famous song that she lied about its composer. According to Rachel Steinberg of Radio Times, "Smelly Cat" is heard nine times throughout the course of the series in various capacities. VH1 writer Stacy Lambe believes "Smelly Cat" once signified "a point in Phoebe's career when it seemed like her music was going to take off." The New Zealand Herald described the song as "Phoebe's acoustic anthem [which] echoed throughout the whole series." Following filming of the Friends series finale "The Last One" in January 2004, a wrap party was hosted for the cast and crew at Los Angeles' Park Plaza Hotel, at which a cocktail named after the song was served. A full version of the music video has been included on DVD releases of Friends.
Composition
Kudrow's original rendition of "Smelly Cat" has been described as a "folky, acoustic" track. The Toronto Star called it a "unique guitar ballad". According to HelloGiggles' Rachel Paige, the music video version is treated to a "90s remix" with heavy production. Amazon identified the updated "Smelly Cat Medley" as a pop song lasting two minutes and twenty-seven seconds (2:27) in duration. "Smelly Cat" alternates between three chords – E, A and D – although Phoebe never refers to chords by their traditional names. The song consists of a simple melody and humorous lyrics, with Comedy Central describing Kudrow's vocals as "strained".