Michael Stipe returns with his first new song in three years, teaming with Andrew Watt for the main title theme to the new HBO comedy series Rooster.
by Paul Cashmere
Michael Stipe has returned with new music, collaborating with producer and songwriter Andrew Watt on the theme for the new HBO Original comedy series Rooster. The song, I Played The Fool (Main Title Theme), has been released through WaterTower Music and is now available across major streaming platforms.
The track marks the first collaboration between Stipe and Watt, two Grammy Award-winning figures whose careers span multiple generations of modern rock and pop. For Stipe, the release also represents his first new song in three years, offering fans a reminder of the distinctive voice that helped define alternative music through his work with R.E.M.
I Played The Fool (Main Title Theme) was written by Michael Stipe and Andrew Watt and produced by Watt. The recording features Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, whose credits include work with Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam. Barker’s rhythmic drive anchors the track while Klinghoffer contributes guitar and piano textures that give the song its cinematic tone.
The single introduces HBO’s new comedy Rooster, created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses. The series centres on a college campus and explores the complicated relationship between a novelist, played by Steve Carell, and his daughter, portrayed by Charly Clive. The show debuted on HBO on March 8 with new episodes scheduled weekly across its ten-episode first season.
For Stipe, the opportunity to contribute to the series carried personal significance. “I’m thrilled to lend my voice to Rooster,” he said. “As a giant fan of everyone involved, it’s a real honour to be included with ‘I Played The Fool’.”
Andrew Watt has become one of the most influential producers of the past decade, known for bridging classic rock sensibilities with contemporary production. His work has included projects with artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus and Post Malone. Watt earned the Grammy Award for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical in 2021 and later won Best Rock Album Grammys for producing Ozzy Osbourne’s Patient Number 9 and The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds.
For Watt, collaborating with Stipe carried particular meaning. “Michael Stipe is a hero of mine,” Watt said. “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.”
Watt noted that the song’s tone was designed to capture the emotional range of the television series while delivering a memorable opening for viewers. “He sets ‘Rooster’ off to the moon by making you laugh and cry at the same time,” Watt said.
The involvement of Stipe also resonates with the creative team behind the show. Bill Lawrence, whose television credits include Scrubs and Ted Lasso, praised Watt’s ability to unite artists from different musical eras.
“I’ve watched Andrew join some of the most accomplished artists from my era and make music that somehow feels nostalgic and simultaneously of the moment,” Lawrence said. “Partnering him with one of my favourite songwriter-singers of all time, Michael Stipe, turned this into a career highlight for me.”
Co-creator Matt Tarses said the idea of working with Stipe initially seemed unlikely. The show’s creators had originally planned to draw on music from their university years in the 1980s, a period when R.E.M. were emerging as one of the most influential bands in American alternative rock.
Formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980, R.E.M. built a global following through albums including Murmur, Document, Out Of Time and Automatic For The People. Songs such as Losing My Religion, Everybody Hurts and Man On The Moon helped the group sell more than 100 million records worldwide before they disbanded in 2011.
“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,’” Tarses said. “We knew this would never happen. But a few months later Andrew sent an early demo of ‘I Played The Fool’. When I listened to it on my phone, I cried.”
Since R.E.M.’s final tour and the band’s decision to disband, Stipe has increasingly focused on visual art, photography and multimedia projects. His exhibitions have appeared internationally and he has published several photography books through the Italian art publisher Damiani. In 2023 his first institutional exhibition opened at the ICA Milan.
Despite stepping away from regular touring and recording, Stipe has occasionally returned to music for special projects and collaborations. He is currently completing work on his first full solo album, continuing a creative career that has spanned more than four decades.
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first—Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
