Ed Sheeran will be there for you (when the rain pours). On September 21, the Grammy winner shared a video on Instagram of him performing a new song, "Small Town U.S.A.," for his friend Courteney Cox — who inspired the song from her classic sitcom Friends. If you're a fan of Friends and Sheeran, grab the tissue box.
In the video, Sheeran hangs out in Cox's kitchen and pulls out a guitar to play. "Courtney, I wrote a song inspired by 'Friends ,' the show you're on, and I'll play it to you if I can," he told her. The song tells the story of a "British girl in small town America" and shouts out Friends by name, describing some of the beloved character's habits.
Fans loved it, joking in the comments section that the "English girl" was Ross' ex-wife Emily, and Cox was equally shocked and even needed some reassurance about its inspiration. "Is this really a show about Friends ?" she asked. "Well, yeah, because you're eating Chinese food in a little white box, we're living the life you see on Friends ," he affirmed, nodding to the lyrics he'd just sung. Later, Cox endorsed the song. "Oh my God, I love this, I love that," she jokes, "Can I Get Paid?", inspiring the song.
Cox and Sheeran's surprising friendship dates back nearly a decade, when Cox introduced her to her boyfriend, Snow Patrol member Johnny McDaid. Since then, the three have maintained a close relationship. The pair recreated Ross and Monica's iconic "Friends" dance together, with Cox singing background vocals from his 2021 album = . In his latest Instagram caption, Sheeran even joked that Cox was his "landlady" in Los Angeles. "Sorry for being late with the rent, I'd love to," he quipped.
"American Town" is from Sheeran's upcoming album "Autumn Variations", which will be released on September 29th. The album marks his second album of 2023 and his first solo work not named after a mathematical symbol, breaking a long-standing pattern in his career. Astonishingly, the singer recently revealed that he secretly produced a live version of "Autumn Variations" with each song recorded in a different fan's living room. There is no word yet on whether Cox is one of them.
