*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).
Simple
Gary Portnoy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uncomplicated lives
You touched me, you freed me
From pretense and from lies
You took away my vanity
My pride and my hypocrisy
I never knew that love could be
So quickly, you changed me
I never even know
How empty my life was
Til it was filled with you
I didn't have to play the game
I heard you whispering my name
Suddenly it all became
So simple
The sun goes down the moon comes up
And I don't pull the strings
Each night is filled with honest love
And easy natural things
I give you me with no demands
My heart rests easy in your hands
This love don't need
No maps, no plans
It's simple
Disguises, surprises
The camouflage we wore
The real you, the real me
Don't need them anymore
It's not a case of déjà vu
I never even had a clue
That love could so real and true
And simple
The sun goes down the moon comes up
And I don't pull the strings
Each night is filled with honest love
And easy natural things
I give you me with no demands
My heart rests easy in your hands
This love don't need
No maps, no plans
It's simple
And we'll go on and on this way
A fact of life just like the way
The sun goes down the moon comes up
And I don't pull the strings
Each night is filled with honest love
And easy natural things
I give you me with no demands
My heart rests easy in your hands
This love don't need
No maps, no plans
It's simple
This love is simple
This love is simple
Don't you know, don't you know, don't you know
This love is simple
In these heartfelt lyrics, Gary Portnoy describes the transformative power of love and how it can simplify and bring clarity to one's life. He begins by acknowledging that before experiencing this love, his life was complicated and full of pretense and lies. However, the person he fell in love with had a profound impact on him, touching him deeply and freeing him from his own vanity, pride, and hypocrisy. Love, he realizes, can be simple and pure.
The second verse expresses the suddenness of this change that love brings. He had no idea how empty his life was until this person filled it. He no longer feels the need to play games or put on a facade. Their connection is so strong that he can hear them whispering his name, leading him to a realization that love can indeed be straightforward and uncomplicated.
The chorus further emphasizes the simplicity and authenticity of their love. He highlights that the natural ebbs and flows of life, such as the sun setting and the moon rising, are no longer controlled by him. The nights are filled with truth and genuine affection. He gives himself to this person without any expectations or demands, finding solace and security in their hands. Their love doesn't require maps or plans to navigate, as it is inherently simple and instinctive.
In the bridge, Portnoy reflects on the disguises and surprises they used to wear, the masks they used to hide behind. However, with this love, they no longer need those disguises. The love they share is not a déjà vu or a repeat of past experiences, but rather something completely new and unexpected. It is a love that feels real and true in a way he never thought possible.
The final chorus reiterates the simplicity and endurance of their love. They will continue to live and love in this uncomplicated way, as it has become an inherent part of their lives. This love doesn't require manipulation or control; it flows naturally and effortlessly. He emphasizes once again that their love is simple, underscoring its purity and authenticity.
Line by Line Meaning
So simple, so easy
Life is uncomplicated and straightforward
Uncomplicated lives
We live without complexity or complications
You touched me, you freed me
Your presence has liberated me from pretense and deceit
From pretense and from lies
I am no longer bound by acting or dishonesty
You took away my vanity
You removed my excessive pride
My pride and my hypocrisy
I am no longer burdened by arrogance and insincerity
I never knew that love could be
I was unaware that love could be
So simple
So uncomplicated and straightforward
So quickly, you changed me
You transformed me swiftly
I never even know
I didn't even realize
How empty my life was
The void in my life was profound
Til it was filled with you
Until you came into my life
I didn't have to play the game
I no longer had to conform to societal expectations
I heard you whispering my name
I listened to your soft voice saying my name
Suddenly it all became
Suddenly everything became
So simple
So uncomplicated and straightforward
The sun goes down the moon comes up
Day turns into night
And I don't pull the strings
I am not in control
Each night is filled with honest love
Every night is full of genuine affection
And easy natural things
And simple, instinctive actions
I give you me with no demands
I offer myself to you without conditions
My heart rests easy in your hands
I trust you completely with my heart
This love don't need
This love doesn't require
No maps, no plans
No guidelines or strategies
Disguises, surprises
We no longer wear masks or experience unexpected events
The camouflage we wore
The disguises we used to hide our true selves
The real you, the real me
Our authentic selves
Don't need them anymore
We don't require them anymore
It's not a case of déjà vu
It's not a feeling of having experienced this before
I never even had a clue
I never even had an inkling
That love could so real and true
That love could be so genuine and authentic
And simple
And uncomplicated and straightforward
And we'll go on and on this way
We will continue like this indefinitely
A fact of life just like the way
An inevitable part of life, just like
This love is simple
Our love is uncomplicated and straightforward
This love is simple
Our love is uncomplicated and straightforward
Don't you know, don't you know, don't you know
Do you not realize
This love is simple
Our love is uncomplicated and straightforward
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Gloria Nissenson, Gary Portnoy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind