*Cheers Theme: Where Everybody Knows Your Name
*Punky Brewster Theme: Theme from Punky Brewster (Every Time I Turn Around)
Both songs were written by Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo. (They also composed the theme to the long running television series Mr Belvedere.) In addition, both shows aired on NBC.
Career
Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo were composing the score to an off-Broadway musical, Preppies, in the early 1980s when Glen and Les Charles, two of the producers of Cheers, heard their opening number, eople Like Us They wanted to use the song as the theme for their upcoming sitcom. However, the producers of Preppies wouldn't release it. Portnoy and Angelo then set out to write a new theme for Cheers. After their first two attempts were rejected, Where Everybody Knows Your Name was finally selected as the theme song for Cheers.
Prior to writing the Cheers theme, Mr. Portnoy had found success as a highly regarded young songwriter. His songs had been recorded by Dolly Parton (Say Goodnight from 'Dolly, Dolly, Dolly ', co-written by Susan Sheridan) and Air Supply (I'll Never Get Enough co-written by Jeanne Napoli and Judy Quay) among others, and he had recorded a self-titled album for Columbia Records that was released in 1980. (That album was recently re-released on CD by Sony Japan). He had also written several songs for the critically acclaimed NBC series Fame. One of the songs from Fame, I Still Believe In Me (co-written by Susan Sheridan), went on to be nominated for an Emmy Award for best original song. He also co-wrote the song It's Gonna Be a Long Night with Estelle Levitt. Both Fame songs were featured on the album The Kids from Fame
As a result of his television work of the 1980s, Mr. Portnoy received an Emmy nomination for Cheers and six consecutive ASCAP awards for the Most Performed Television Themes of the year.
After that, Mr. Portnoy took an extended hiatus from the music business. In the late 1990's he and co-writer Gloria Nissenson began making regular visits to Nashville and some of the songs that they wrote there appear on Portnoy's 2004 CD Keeper. Keeper also includes the original full-length version of the Cheers theme.
January 2007 brought the release of Gary Portnoy's latest CD Destiny. It includes 11 new songs and a never before released full length version of the Mr. Belvedere theme as sung by Portnoy (Leon Redbone's recorded version of the song was Mr. Belvedere's original theme).
Cheers
Gary Portnoy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Takes everything you got
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot
Wouldn't you like to get away?
All those nights when you've got no lights
The check is in the mail
Hung the cat up by its tail
And your third fiancé didn't show
Sometimes you wanna go
Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came
You wanna be where you can see
Our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows your name
Roll out of bed Mr. Coffee's dead
The morning's looking bright
And your shrink ran off to Europe
And didn't even write
And your husband wants to be a girl
Be glad there's one place in the world
Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came
You wanna go where people know
People are all the same
You wanna go where everybody knows your name
Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came
Gary Portnoy's Theme From Cheers is more than just a catchy tune. The song's opening lines, "Making your way in the world today/Takes everything you got" speaks to the common struggles of everyday life. This is followed by an invitation to take a break from all the worries, which could be anything from not being able to make ends meet, relationship problems and feeling like you are not living up to societal expectations. Wouldn't you like to get away from all these worries and start over?
The song's lyrics perfectly capture the essence of the Cheers bar, which portrayed an atmosphere where everybody knows your name, a place to escape to when life gets a little too overwhelming. It represents a place where people can find solace in others, and where they will always be welcomed with open arms. The lines, "Where everybody knows your name/And they're always glad you came," speak to the emotional connection that people establish with the bar and its occupants. The song serves as a beacon of hope, providing a sense of comfort and familiarity, a place to go where there is a sense of community, one that captures and offers the warmth of true friendship.
Line by Line Meaning
Making your way in the world today
Navigating life and achieving success is a difficult task
Takes everything you got
It requires all of your effort and resources
Taking a break from all your worries
Having a respite from life's challenges
Sure would help a lot
It would be beneficial
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Don't you desire an escape?
All those nights when you've got no lights
When electricity is out at home at night
The check is in the mail
Payments are delayed and uncertain
And your little angel hung the cat up by its tail
Your child misbehaved and harmed a pet
And your third fiancé didn't show
Your significant other didn't fulfill a commitment
Sometimes you wanna go
Sometimes you have the urge to leave
Where everybody knows your name
A place where you are recognized and welcomed
And they're always glad you came
Others are happy to see you
You wanna be where you can see
A place where you witness that you're not alone in the struggles of life
Our troubles are all the same
That we share similar problems with others
Roll out of bed Mr. Coffee's dead
Coffee maker is not working in the morning
The morning's looking bright
It's a positive beginning of a day
And your shrink ran off to Europe
Your therapist left without notice
And didn't even write
You did not receive any message
And your husband wants to be a girl
Your partner is confused about their gender identity
Be glad there's one place in the world
Be thankful for a place where you can belong
Where everybody knows your name
A place where everyone knows and greets you
And they're always glad you came
Others are happy to see you
You wanna go where people know
Desire to live in a community where everyone understands and emphatizes with you
People are all the same
Human beings have similar problems and feelings
You wanna go where everybody knows your name
A place where everyone knows who you are
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: GARY PORTNOY, JUDY HART ANGELO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind