A ‘Fool’s’ Tune: How an Elton John Introduction Sparked Michael Stipe and Andrew Watt’s ‘Rooster’ Theme Song

For over 35 years, singer-songwriter Michael Stipe had never known Elton John to share his personal phone number with anyone—especially not with another musician. That long-standing rule was recently broken. “Elton gave my number to Andrew Watt, who texted me and said, ‘I have an idea,’” Stipe recalls. This marked the beginning of a creative collaboration that would lead to the opening title song for “Rooster,” an HBO dramedy starring Steve Carell as a college writer-in-residence grappling with a return to youthful restlessness. The series, created by Bill Lawrence (known for “Scrubs” and “Ted Lasso”) and Matt Tarses, initially required only about 30 to 45 seconds of music to bridge episodes. Instead, Watt and Stipe crafted an entire song, resulting in the theme “I Played the Fool.” The duo brings a combined eight Grammy Awards to the project: Stipe earned three as the lead vocalist of R.E.M., the iconic alternative rock band that disbanded in 2011, while Watt has collected five for his work with artists like Ozzy Osbourne, the Rolling Stones, and most recently Lady Gaga on her album “Mayhem.”

“That’s what we know how to do,” Watt told Variety. “We could have just said, alright, they need 30 seconds, let’s just do that. But we didn’t. We wrote a song that had a beginning, middle, end and an arc. It was incredible to watch Michael weave that together.” For Stipe, who has approached his re-entry into recorded music with careful deliberation since R.E.M. disbanded, this project represented both a leap of faith and a distinct honor. He has never sustained a solo career in any meaningful way before, and writing from a character’s perspective for someone else’s television show meant accepting creative input from others. “I was jumping off a cliff,” Stipe said. “Andrew and I barely knew each other. I felt like this was something I hadn’t really done before — certainly as a solo artist. And it’s a real challenge for me to write in someone else’s voice and take notes from people like Steve Carell, Andrew Watt and Bill Lawrence. And I did take notes.” The breakthrough came with the chorus: “As soon as I got the ‘Oh, I played the fool,’ that opened it up for me,” Stipe explained, briefly singing the line a cappella. “To think, OK, what’s going on in this guy’s head? How do I get inside of that, and how do I represent this character and his story through a pop song?”

Watt, who was coming off the Oscar-nominated title track for the Elton John documentary “Never Too Late,” initially brought Stipe a piece of music that was “a little more detailed.” Stipe requested that it be stripped back to a piano sketch so the chords could carry more emotional weight on their own. “Watching the show, it feels very upbeat, but it also has pain, sadness and emotion to it,” Watt noted. “So the idea was trying to make a piece of music that felt upbeat but still had minor chords and made you feel.” This collaboration has since opened other doors for Stipe, who emphasizes that the experience of working with Watt has been the primary reward, regardless of any awards recognition that might follow. “If it kicks open the Emmy door a little bit, among all those doors that it’s opened, then I’m absolutely thrilled to stroll in,” Stipe said. “I love the challenge and I love the show, and I’m really proud of the song.” For Watt, the awards conversation was never the driving force. “It’s always amazing to be recognized by the people making art and the community, but that was not the reason why we made the song.” It seems Elton John chose the perfect moment to break his own rule. Stipe and Watt are now on the Emmys ballot in the main title theme category, with nomination voting open through June 22. Variety Awards Circuit: Emmys