Created by Bernard Slade, the series was inspired by and loosely based on The Cowsills, a real singing family in the late sixties. In fact, in its early development the Cowsill children were approached to be featured on the show, though that idea was quickly discarded (The Cowsills rejected the offer when producers wanted to replace their real-life mother Barbara in the cast). The show starred Shirley Jones as mother Shirley Partridge and David Cassidy (Jones' real-life stepson) as her son Keith. The remaining Partridge children were played by Susan Dey as Laurie, Danny Bonaduce as Danny, Jeremy Gelbwaks (replaced after one year by Brian Forster) as Chris, and Suzanne Crough as Tracy Partridge. Dave Madden played Reuben Kincaid, who was their manager and family friend.
The back of the bus, became an icon for the show, due to its Mondrianesque paint design.
The Partridge Family was produced for ABC by Screen Gems television, which was just finishing its run with The Monkees, another show about a fictional music group. The company promoted the success of the show by releasing a series of albums featuring the music of the family band, though most cast members did not actually play on the recordings. A group of studio singers and musicians, led by producer Wes Farrell actually created the Partridge Family sound. Although he was originally cast with the intent to lip sync, just weeks into production David Cassidy convinced Farrell he could sing, and was allowed to join the studio ensemble as the lead singer. Several songs were made without Cassidy as lead, they were featured in some of the early episodes and on the first album. He and Shirley Jones, who sang background, were the only cast members who were actually featured on the recordings. The whole cast would lip sync to the recordings when they performed on each episode, though it was obvious to most viewers that the actors were lip-synching, The Partridge Family became an instant success, not only as a TV show, but as a band that produced actual hit songs.
The Partridge Family's biggest hit came in 1970 with the song "I Think I Love You," which began climbing the Billboard chart in September and peaked at number one in December of that year. The companion LP, "The Partridge Family Album" reached number four. Other Partridge Family singles including, "I'll Meet You Halfway", "Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted", and "I Woke Up in Love This Morning" would also chart high on the Billboard chart. The theme songs "When We're Singing", and its successor "C'Mon, Get Happy" were composed by Danny Janssen and Wes Farrell.
The title card for the pilot episode of The Partridge Family was, "What? and Get Out of Show Business?".
As the show and associated merchandizing took off, David Cassidy became an overnight teen idol. Cassidy launched a solo singing career, touring with his own group of musicians and performing Partridge Family songs as well as hits from his own albums. In the midst of his overwhelming rise to fame, Cassidy soon grew tired of the show. In the summer of 1972 he gave a very candid interview to Rolling Stone magazine in which he attempted to distance himself from the squeaky-clean image of Keith Partridge.
By the fourth season, due to declining ratings and Cassidy's looming departure, a feeble effort was made by the producers to breathe new life into the show. They introduced a precocious 4-year-old neighbor named "Ricky Stevens" played by Ricky Segall to occasionally sing children's songs with the band. To no avail, the ABC network moved the show from its 8:30 Friday night slot to Saturday at 8:00, directly opposite the hit All in the Family, against which they knew it would not survive. The show was cancelled, after 96 episodes and ten Partridge Family albums.
The Partridge Family had a brief resurgence in animated form, which saw the family propelled into the future. The animated Partridge Family first appeared when the kids did a series of guest spots on "Goober and the Ghost Chasers". That idea evolved into a CBS Saturday morning Hanna-Barbera-produced cartoon, "Partridge Family 2200 A.D.". It featured new characters Veenie (Keith's Venusian friend) and Marion (Laurie's Martian friend). Danny had a pet robot dog named Orbit. Shirley Jones and David Cassidy did not voice their animated counterparts, and Susan Dey and Dave Madden had very limited involvement with this series. Sixteen half-hour installments were produced for the animated series, which lasted for half a season on CBS Saturday morning (September 7, 1974 - March 8, 1975); on the syndicated Fred Flintstone and Friends, it was retitled The Partridge Family in Outer Space.
Nickelodeon featured a heavily publicized run of the original series in the early- to mid-90s, along with the Brady Bunch, as part of its Nick-At-Nite line-up. The network used interviews and commercials featuring cast members, and even created a new version of the Mondrian-esque Family bus for promotion.
In 2000 two different made-for-TV movies aired on different networks; Both "Come On Get Happy" and "The David Cassidy Story" attempted to tell the story behind the series. While the movies were criticized as being somewhat inaccurate, they did recreate some of the imagery and music from the original series. "Come On Get Happy" even featured another replication of the bus, which was later auctioned off on eBay.
A modernized version of the bus was created for a new promotion in 2004, when VH1 premiered In Search of The New Partridge Family. This talent competition in the format of American Idol sought a new cast for a contemporary version of the sitcom. The elimination type program aired seven episodes in which a panel of judges selected a new Partridge Family cast from auditioners across the country. The resulting pilot episode of The New Partridge Family aired in January of 2005, but due to low ratings VH1 opted not to produce any more episodes.
The first two seasons of the original series were released as of October 2005 on DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Also, at the same time Arista Records released a new music compilation, "Come On Get Happy!: The Very Best of The Partridge Family," which included four previously unreleased tracks.
Despite the prefabricated nature of the "band", the Partridge Family's records were some of the best arranged and produced of their day. Much care was given not only to the overall sound, but even to show that sound would translate to AM radio, then the major outlet for pop music. The writing was equally good, at least on the early albums. However, as ratings and record sales began to drop, so did the quality of the material.
I'll Meet You Halfway
The Partridge Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We can fin'lly see each other?
Will there come a time when we can find the time
To reach out for one another?
We've been trav'lin' in circles such a long, long time,
Try'n' to say hello,
And we can just let it ride,
But you're someone that I'd like to get to know.
I'll meet you halfway, That's better than no way.
There must be someway to get it together.
And if there's some way I know that some day
We just might work it out forever.
I'll meet you halfway, That's better than no way.
Will there come a day when you and I can say
We can fin'lly see each other?
Will there come a time when we can find the time
To reach out for one another?
We've been trav'lin' in circles such a long, long time,
Try'n' to say hello,
And we can just let it ride,
But you're someone that I'd like to get to know.
I'll meet you halfway, That's better than no way.
There must be someway to get it together.
And if there's some way I know that some day
We just might work it out forever.
I'll meet you halfway, That's better than no way.
I'll meet you halfway, That's better than no way.
The Partridge Family's song "I'll Meet You Halfway" is an ode to the kind of romantic partnership that often comes with uncertainty and distance. The lyrics describe two people who have been circling each other for a long time without ever actually connecting. The singer asks if there will come a day when they can finally see each other, find the time to reach out for one another, and get to know each other. Ultimately, the singer suggests that meeting halfway is better than waiting for the perfect moment or staying put in their current situation.
This song is filled with simple yet powerful imagery that perfectly captures the emotions of someone who is longing for a connection. The idea of "travelling in circles" is a poignant metaphor for being stuck in an endless loop of missed opportunities and unfulfilled desires. The line "But you're someone that I'd like to get to know" is especially meaningful, as it suggests that the singer feels a strong attraction to the other person but hasn't yet had the chance to act on it.
Overall, "I'll Meet You Halfway" is a song about hope and taking chances. It encourages listeners to think about what they really want in life and to take steps towards fulfilling those desires, even if it means meeting someone halfway.
Line by Line Meaning
Will there come a day when you and I can say
Is there a future where we can finally admit
We can fin'lly see each other?
That we will be able to meet in person?
Will there come a time when we can find the time
Will there ever be a moment in time
To reach out for one another?
When we can connect with each other?
We've been trav'lin' in circles such a long, long time
We've been going in circles for so long
Try'n' to say hello,
Attempting to say hi,
And we can just let it ride,
And we could just ignore it,
But you're someone that I'd like to get to know.
But I want to get to know you.
I'll meet you halfway, That's better than no way.
I will compromise because it's better than not trying at all.
There must be someway to get it together.
There has to be a solution to make it work.
And if there's some way I know that some day
And if we find that way, I know that we will eventually
We just might work it out forever.
Work it out and be together forever.
I'll meet you halfway, That's better than no way.
I will compromise because it's better than not trying at all.
I'll meet you halfway, That's better than no way.
I will compromise because it's better than not trying at all.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GERRY GOFFIN, WES FARRELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind