Allee Willis co-wrote "I'll Be There for You" and "September." Her friends are completing her narrative.

      Songwriter Allee Willis contributed to some of the most memorable songs of the last fifty years, including Earth Wind & Fire’s “September,” the Friends theme song “I’ll Be There for You,” and the soundtrack for The Color Purple.

      She was recognized for her asymmetrical haircut, her eclectic and colorful fashion sense, and for hosting remarkable parties at a home often likened to Pee Wee’s Playhouse, the fictional abode of her friend Paul Reubens.

      However, she faced challenges with accepted gender and sexual norms privately and immersed herself in her work.

      Throughout her life, beginning in her childhood in Detroit during the 1950s, she documented her experiences, and before her passing in 2019 at the age of 72, she expressed that she envisioned her final artistic endeavor as “someone piecing together the trail I have left behind.” And now, that vision has been realized.

      The World According to Allee Willis, released today on video on demand, is a music documentary by Alexis Spraic that features interviews with Willis’ numerous friends and collaborators, including Reubens (who has his own new posthumous documentary). It also includes contributions from Mark Cuban, Pamela Adlon, Lily Tomlin, among many others.

      In the film's trailer, comedian Luelle states, “Allee is orchestrating all of this from above,” which can be viewed above.

      Willis left behind a vast archive—containing not just a wealth of memories but also computers that, according to her, had the capacity for 1,000 terabytes of data.

      However, Willis’ partner, Prudence Felton, reveals that there was much in the songwriter’s thoughts that “nobody knew about.”

      Adlon also notes in the trailer that while Willis was an “open book,” everyone possesses an “intensely private side.”

      The film, which made its debut at SXSW last year, has received widespread acclaim: as of this writing, it boasts a flawless 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

      Main image: The World According to Allee Willis. Magnolia Pictures.