Former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe has shared his first new song in three years, and it features a cast of familiar rock stars.
I Played The Fool is the theme song for new HBO comedy Rooster, starring Steve Carell, best known for his leading role in the US edition of The Office. The series is created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, and is set on a US college campus.
Speaking about Stipe's involvement in the show, Tarses said: "Our plan had always been to use music from our own time in college in the 80s. No band was more important to me then than REM.
"When Andrew Watt told us he thought he could get Michael Stipe to write and record a new song for us, we said, ‘Cool, good luck with that’. We knew this would never happen. But a few months later, Andrew sent an early demo of I Played the Fool. And when I listened to it on my phone, I cried. I really did. Saying we are excited to have this great song and this iconic voice on our main title is a huge understatement."
