"Friend Like Me" is a song sung by Genie (Robin Williams) in Disney's 1992 animated feature film Aladdin.
Summary
It is sung while Genie shows off his powers to Aladdin, including summoning dancers, telling him in a musical-like fashion that he is a friend unlike any other. He also demonstrates the many possibilities Aladdin can wish for. An instrumental version of the song can be heard in later scenes as a motif for Genie, along with "To Be Free".
During the end credits of the 1992 film, there is a short instrumental reprise of the song, followed by a cover version of "A Whole New World" performed by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle.
Lyrics
Well, Ali Baba had them forty thieves
Scheherezad-ie had a thousand tales
But, master, you in luck 'cause up your sleeves
You got a brand of magic never fails
You got some power in your corner now
Some heavy ammunition in your camp
You got some punch, pizzazz, yahoo and how
See all you gotta do is rub that lamp
And I'll say
Mister Aladdin, sir
What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order
Jot it down
You ain't never had a friend like me
Life is your restaurant
And I'm your maître d’!
C'mon, whisper what it is you want
You ain't never had a friend like me
Yes sir, we pride ourselves on service
You're the boss
The king, the shah
Say what you wish
It's yours! True dish
How about a little more Baklava?
Have some of column "A"
Try all of column "B"
I'm in the mood to help you, dude
You ain't never had a friend like me
Wah-ah-ah (Oh my!)
Wah-ah-ah (No no!)
Wah-ah-ah (My my my!)
Can your friends do this?
Can your friends do that?
Can your friends pull this out their little hat?
Can your friends go, poof?
Well, looky here. Ha ha!
Can your friends go, Abracadabra, let 'er rip
And then make the sucker disappear?
So don'tcha sit there slack jawed, buggy eyed
I'm here to answer all your midday prayers
You got me bona fide, certified
You got a genie for your chargé d'affaires
I got a powerful urge to help you out
So whatcha wish? I really wanna know
You got a list that's three miles long, no doubt
Well, all you gotta do is rub like so - and oh
Mister Aladdin, sir, have a wish or two or three
I'm on the job, you big nabob
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never
Had a
Friend
Like
Me
Ya-ha-ha!
Wah-ha-ha!
You ain't never had a friend like me
(Scat fill) Can you give me a "bada-yada-yada"?
(Aladdin repeat)
Good! Scotty-wop
(Aladdin repeat)
Everybody! Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo
(Audience repeat)
(Scat fill) Hit it!
Wah-ah-ah (Oh my!)
Wah-ah-ah (No no!)
Wah-ah-ah
Well, Ali Baba had them forty thieves
Scheherazade had a thousand tales
Well master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves
You got a brand of magic never fails
You got some power in your corner now
Some heavy ammunition in your camp
You got some punch, pizzazz, yahoo and how
See all you gotta do is rub that lamp
And I'll say
Mister Aladdin, sir
What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order
Jot it down
You ain't never had a friend like me
No no no
Life is your restaurant
And I'm your maître d'
C'mon, whisper what it is you want
You ain't never had a friend like me
Yes sir, we pride ourselves on service
You're the boss
The king, the shah
Say what you wish
It's yours! True dish
How about a little more Baklava?
"There it is! C'mon, fellas, help me out!"
Have some of column "A"
Try all of column "B"
I'm in the mood to help you, dude
You ain't never had a friend like me
"Now watch me sell it!"
Wah-ah-ah (Oh my!)
Wah-ah-ah (No no!)
Wah-ah-ah
Can your friends do this?
Can your friends do that?
Can your friends pull this out their little hat?
Can your friends go, poof?
Well, looky here
Can your friends go, abracadabra, let 'er rip
Then make the sucker disappear?
So don't you sit there slack jawed, buggy eyed
I'm here to answer all your midday prayers
You got me bona fide, certified
You got a genie for your chargé d'affaires
I got a powerful urge to help you out
So whatcha wish? I really wanna know
You got a list that's three miles long, no doubt
Well, all you gotta do is rub like so
"Come on! Yes! And oh..."
Mister Aladdin, sir, have a wish or two or three
I'm on the job, you big nabob
You ain't never had a friend like me
Can your friends do this?
"No really... can they? You're welcome!"
"Or maybe, our lucky contestant would like to wish for a talent of fame? Welcome to 'Dancing With The Scimitars'!"
(country music)
Grab old Al by the hand
Swing him 'round 'till he can't stand
Chicken in a basket, sparrow on a tree
Never had a friend like me
(slow piano music)
"I'd like to bring the house down a little bit, sing a few old classics, couple of favorites of mine. I'll get back to you in a second! Thank you!"
(cue "Beauty and the Beast")
Tale as old as time
"Thank you, thank you very much."
True as it can be
Barely even friends
Beauty and the...
(cue "Part of Your World" melody)
Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?
Wouldn't you think I'm the Genie
Who has everything?
("Under the Sea" intro; then "Colors of the Wind" melody)
And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
For whether we are white or copper skinned
("Belle (song)")
I want adventure in the great wide...
Ever just the same
Ever a surprise
Though he's sitting here
Watch Al disappear
Right before your eyes, oh
"Yes!"
Can you friends do this?
Can you friends do that?
Can you friends do tap?
Can you friends do this?
Can you friends do that?
Can your friends go abracadabra, let 'er rip?
"Give me a doggy bag; takin' it home!"
Mister Aladdin, sir, have a wish or two or three
I'm on the job, you big nabob
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
(You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend)
You ain't never
(Never)
Had a
(Had a)
Friend like
(A friend like)
Me
Never had a friend like me
Well, Ali Baba had them forty thieves
Scheherezad-ie had a thousand tales
But, master, you in luck 'cause up your sleeves
You got a brand of magic never fails
You got some power in your corner now
Some heavy ammunition in your camp
You got some punch, pizzazz, yahoo and how
See all you gotta do is rub that lamp
And I'll say
So tell me now, monsieur
What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order
Jot it down
You ain't never had a friend like me
Life is your restaurant
And I'm your maître d’!
C'mon, whisper what it is you want
You ain't never had a friend like me
Ba-da-ba (Oh my!)
Ba-da-ba (No no!)
Ba-da-ba (No no!)
Can your friends do this?
Can your friends do that?
Can your friends pull this out their little hat?
Can your friends go, poof?
Well, looky here!
Can your friends go, Abracadabra, let 'er rip
And now make the sucker disappear?
Ba-da-ba (Oh my!)
Ba-da-ba (Ba-ba-doo-ba)
(scats)
(present for the Genie verse)
So tell me now, monsieur, have a wish or two or three
I'm on the job, you big nabob
You ain't never had a friend like me!
(instrumental showtime verse)
So tell me now, monsieur, have a wish or two or three
I'm on the job, you big nabob
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never had a friend like me
Never had a friend like me
Genie: Here I come
Uh, ooh, woo!
Back up! Uh-oh! Watch out! Uh
You done wound me up!
'Bout to show you what I'm workin' with, uh
Well, Ali Baba he had them forty thieves
Scheherezad-ie had a thousand tales
But, master, you in luck 'cause up your sleeves
You got a brand of magic never fails
You got some power in your corner now
Heavy ammunition in your camp
You got some punch, pizzazz, yahoo and how
All you gotta do is rub that lamp
And then I'll say
Mister- man, what's your name? Whatever,
What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order
I’ll jot it down
You ain't never had a friend like me
Life is your restaurant
And I'm your maître d’!
Come, whisper to me whatever it is you want
You ain't never had a friend like me
We pride ourselves on service
You the boss
The king, the shah
Say what you wish
It's yours! True dish
How about a little more Baklava?
Have some of column "A"
Try all of column "B"
I'm in the mood to help you, dude
You ain't never had a friend like me
Oh! Unh!
It’s the big part, watch out!
It’s the big part, oh!
Can your friends do this?
Can your friends do that?
Can your friends pull this outta they little hat?
Can your friends go...? (Beatboxing)
(I'm the genie of the lamp)
(I can sing, rap, dance, if you give a chance, oh!)
Don't sit there buggy eyed
I'm here to answer all your midday prayers
You got me bona fide, certified
You got a genie for your chargé d'affaires
I got a powerful urge to help you out
So whatcha wish? I really wanna know
You got a list that's three miles long, no doubt
All you gotta do is rub like so
Mister...
Aladdin: "Aladdin"!
Genie: Yes! One wish or two or three
Well, I'm on the job, you big nabob
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never (never)
had a (had a)
friend (friend)
like (like) me!
You ain't never had a friend like me!
Yeah, another one
You know it's Will Smith and DJ Khaled
Uh, too late, y'all done wound me up
Too late, y'all done wound me up
'Bout to show you what I'm working with
(Show me what you're working with)
It's the Ali Baba, it's the big papa
It's the blue, handsome, Jasmine like the flower
It's the grant your wishes that don't even cost a dollar
You gotten on a carpet when you're riding with a holler like
Hey, tell me where you wanna go
Hold up, don't tell me, I already know
Watch out, it's the genie with the attitude
Three wishes, what I need to make true
Mr. (Mr.), Mr. (Mr.), tell me whatever you need
Anything rearrange, even climate can change
You ain't never had a friend like me
(Never)
Just a lamp and a rub, away from whatever you want
Habibi, let me show you the dream
(Habibi)
Just whisper if you don't wanna shout out what you need
But I promise you ain't never had a friend like me
Tell the angels and gods pass the baklava
Make 'em travel from close, make 'em travel from far
Well, this is your chance, man, wish from the soul
When I'm outta the lamp, man, I'm outta control
I got gold on my shoes, temple with jewels
A room for wise men and plenty for fools
I don't want you to lose, tryin' to help you, dude
You ain't never had a friend like me
(Never)
Wish big time (big time), go big time (big time)
Go big time (big time), wish big time (big time)
Let me see you flex on 'em (flex 'em on), shine on 'em (shine on 'em), style on 'em (style on 'em), slide on 'em (slide on 'em)
Too fly, uh, too fly on 'em
Just glide on 'em, cool as a fan
I'm the coolest, bluest one of 'em all
You can wish to be rich, you can wish to be tall
You can wish away the haters, you just give me a call
You can wish for what you want 'cause I'm grantin' 'em all
Mr. (Mr.), Mr. (Mr.), tell me whatever you need
Anything rearrange, even climate can change
You ain't never had a friend like me
(Never)
Just a lamp and a rub, away from whatever you want
Habibi, let me show you the dream
(Habibi)
Just whisper if you don't wanna shout out what you need
But I promise you ain't never had a friend like me
Please don't get me started
Fly like Magic Carpet
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never (never)
Had a (had a)
Friend (friend)
Like (like) me
You ain't never had a friend like me
(Never)
Can your friends do this?
Can your friends do that?
Can your friends pull this outta they little hat?
Can your friends go...?
(Ohh...)
(I'm the genie of the lamp)
(I can sing, rap, or dance, if you give me a chance!)
Mister Aladdin, sir, one wish or two or three
I'm on the job, you big nabob
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never had a friend, never had a friend
You ain't never had a friend like me!
Gallery
Videos
Trivia
- In the song's opening, Genie references Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, another story from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (also referenced in that part of the song) which the movie's own plot is sourced from. Aladdin and the King of Thieves would incorporate the Forty Thieves into the actual film's story.
- The sound for the song was influenced by jive singer and bandleader Cab Calloway as well as jazz pianist Fats Waller. As Genie scats in the song, he is dressed up like Calloway.
- The song was nominated Academy Award for Best Original Song and was the late Howard Ashman's last nomination.
- At the Academy Awards, the song was performed by singer and dancer Nell Carter.
- On a Japanese CD called V-Rock Disney, an English cover of this song is performed by Nightmare, the same group that sang the opening theme for the Death Note anime.
- During the bit where Genie is dressed up as a French waiter, he orders a chicken and rice dish for Aladdin. He writes down the order in actual Farsi, or simply Persian.
- Part of the beginning of the song is featured in the end of the song "Nothing in the World (Quite Like a Friend)", which is sung in the sequel.
- This song is the first completed animated sequence produced in Aladdin. Some of the character designs are slightly altered or simplified compared to later scenes to prove this. However, the animators knew that the speed of the movements and the craziness of the scene would easily distract audiences from this difference, so the scene wasn't remade to adjust the designs.
- During Jafar's death in the sequel, it is audible a very brief dramatic version of this song.
- The melody for the song can be heard in the teaser for the live-action remake.
- The song is a dance party finale for the live-action remake.
- The song was performed by Will Smith as the Genie, in the live-action remake. The remake also features a rap version in the end credits by Smith and DJ Khaled.
- In the ending of the song, Abu is seen greedily grabbing coins that Genie shelled out, and attempts to do a count only to discover they vanished due to Genie's magic creating them. This was given a subtle nod in The Return of Jafar where Abis Mal stops mid-wish to free Jafar and asks Jafar how he can be sure that Jafar won't ensure the treasure he hoarded for him ends up disappearing from him once he got the wish.
