page_title: Smelly Cat
section_title: Live performances and covers
hierarchical_section_title: Smelly Cat / Live performances and covers
caption_attribution_description: English: Taylor Swift 1989 Tour at Ford Field in Detroit, 5/30/15
context_page_description: "Smelly Cat" is a comedy song from the American sitcom Friends, originally performed by American actress Lisa Kudrow. The song was written by Friends writers Adam Chase and Betsy Borns, with musician Chrissie Hynde and Kudrow for the latter's character Phoebe Buffay, and first appears in the sixth episode of the show's second season, "The One with the Baby on the Bus". Hynde guest stars in the episode as a singer hired to replace Phoebe as Central Perk's in-house musician, to whom Phoebe eventually teaches "Smelly Cat". Borns originally intended to write the song about a dog, initially basing it on her own pet dog Gouda, but ultimately decided that a song about a pungent cat would be funnier.
  Following its debut, Kudrow would continue to frequently perform "Smelly Cat" throughout Friends' ten-year run, most prominently during the show's second season, with the song becoming a running gag and integral component of Phoebe's role. The song's popularity grew among fans to the point at which they asked that it be released as an album track.
context_section_description: Kudrow has generally refrained from performing "Smelly Cat" live under most circumstances, despite being constantly asked by fans. The song began to experience a revival in 2009 when a dance remix began circulating on the Internet. Upon learning about the remix, Kudrow said "I can't wait to hear if it is any good". In September 2009, Kudrow performed "Smelly Cat" live with actress Courteney Cox, who portrayed Monica Geller on Friends, during the Rock A Little, Feed A Lot benefit concert. Kudrow was originally intended to introduce musician Sheryl Crow, only for the audience to ask her to sing "Smelly Cat" instead. Kudrow then invited Cox to join her for the performance, for which the stagehands provided Kudrow with a guitar at Cox's insistence. The performance was met with a standing ovation from the crowd. Hello! joked that "hitting the right notes wasn't really a concern [for the actresses] if they wanted the performance to reflect Lisa's character's dubious musical talents", while Inquisitr's Asher Bayot reviewed the duet as awkward. The performance remained Kudrow's only documented post-Friends "Smelly Cat" performance for several years.
  In 2014, singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat sang an a capella version of "Smelly Cat" live at a Central Perk-themed pop-up café in Manhattan, New York, which had been launched to commemorate the show's 20th anniversary. Caillat's unscheduled performanced surprised many fans in attendance, who she encouraged to sing along. Despite praising Caillat's rendition as "awesome" for "fulfill[ing] every Friends fanatic's fantasy", Bustle's Aly Semigran criticized her for performing only half of the song. However, she believes her rendition should lead to a Phoebe tribute album, on which she should reprise "Smelly Cat". At the same pop-up, actor James Michael Tyler, who portrayed Central Perk barista Gunther, performed the first verse of the song with band The Rembrandts, who originally recorded "I'll Be There for You". Brent Furdyk of Entertainment Tonight Canada described the Tyler-Rembrandts rendition as "Jim Morrison-esque". A box of "Smelly Cat" kitty litter from the episode "The One with Phoebe's Ex-Partner" was displayed as part of the pop-up's exhibit.
  In August 2015, Kudrow performed "Smelly Cat" live with singer Taylor Swift at the Staples Center during the final North American legs of her 1989 World Tour. Her fifth and final performance at the venue, Swift introduced Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, advising the audience that "She's only ever played in coffee houses before. She's never played in a big venue like this". Kudrow then entered the stage wearing a long skirt reminiscent of Phoebe's wardrobe. Adopting her character's personality, both Kudrow and Swift accompanied themselves on guitar. Kudrow interrupted Swift midway through the duet to offer feedback and remind her to feel the song's lyrics, prompting screams and laughter from the audience. Referencing her duet with Hynde, Kudrow ultimately assured Swift that she master the song eventually. The performance was widely reported and positively received by media outlets. Yvonne Villarreal of the Los Angeles Times found the rendition superior to "Smelly Cat's" "over-produced music video" from "The One Where Eddie Moves In". The Daily Telegraph's Helena Horton called Kudrow's performance "the sweetest" of all the guest appearances throughout Swift's tour. Stylist agreed that Kudrow's appearance "might top" all other guests, calling it superior to singers Selena Gomez and Justin Timberlake's cameos at the same concert, while Screener's Andrea Reiher concurred that Kudrow was arguably Swift's "best guest of the entire '1989' run", concluding that the singer once again "wins at life". Heather Saul of The Independent crowned Kudrow "the highlight of all of [Swift's] cameos", eclipsing Timberlake's first stage appearance since becoming a father.
  Michel Serra of Closer reviewed that Kudrow "has not lost any of Phoebe's intonations", despite being performed 10 years after the actress had last played the role. Business Insider's Madison Malone Ki
caption: Singer Taylor Swift invited Kudrow to perform "Smelly Cat" with her live during one of the final performances of her 1989 World Tour.
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