Michael Stipe, Josh Klinghoffer, and Travis Barker Release the Theme Song to HBO’s ‘Rooster’

Michael Stipe, Josh Klinghoffer, and Travis Barker have teamed up for the track “I Played The Fool.” The song will be the theme song to the new HBO series ‘Rooster’.

The trio teamed up with producer Andrew Watt, who also co-wrote the song with Stipe. It comes just days after Stipe made a surprise appearance at an R.E.M. tribute show in Brooklyn.

“I’m thrilled to lend my voice to ‘Rooster’ — as a giant fan of everyone involved, it’s a real honor to be included with ‘I Played The Fool,’” Stipe said in a statement.

Watt added, “Michael Stipe is a hero of mine. A chance to write a song with him was that of a dream… He is one of the true great songwriters of this lifetime and he did what only he could do on this song. He sets ‘Rooster’ off to the moon by making you laugh and cry at the same time with the best clapping TV theme song since ‘Friends’.”

Stipe has been releasing solo tracks over the last several years. However, “I Played The Fool” is his first new release since 2022. He has reportedly been working on a solo album for years.

Michael Stipe Was a Shoo-in for the Theme Song of ‘Rooster’

Series co-creator Matt Tarses always wanted Stipe to do the show’s theme song but thought it was a long shot. “Our plan had always been to use music from our own time in college in the ’80s,” he said, according to Consequence. “No band was more important to me then than R.E.M. 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.’ … 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.”

“I Played The Fool” was featured at the end of the show’s premiere on Sunday, March 8. However, it will serve as the opening theme for future episodes. It’s currently available on streaming.

Rooster stars Steve Carrell as a writer who has a strained relationship with his daughter, played by Charly Clive. Bill Lawrence created the show along with Tarses.