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.
Echo Valley 2-6809
The Partridge Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A rainbow love that lasted after the rain
Now we're separated and I've become a lonely runner
And when I rest, I hurt and I wonder if I'll ever see you again
Echo Valley 2-6809
I used to call that number all the time
We hung up cryin'
Echo Valley 2-6809
I can see it clearly in my mind
But I'm scared to call 'cause it's been
Such a long, long time
Never been much for writin', 'cause what do you say to a dream that's dyin'
A fragile lifeline that's untyin', oh no - oh, no
I can't face the sunrise - lightin' up a road to nowhere
Where you are - I have to go there - are you waitin' - I've got to know
Echo Valley 2-6809
I gotta call that number one more time
'Cause I've just got to know if you're still mine
[Spoken:] "Hello, operator? Get me Echo Valley 2-6809"
[Operator:] "You have reached a disconnected number"
Echo Valley 2-6809
I shoulda called that number
Echo Valley 2-6809
I shoulda called that number
The Partridge Family's song "Echo Valley 2-6809" is a song about lost love and the regret of not reaching out when the opportunity was there. The first verse reminisces about happy times spent together with "ferris wheels and sunshine laughter" and a "rainbow love that lasted after the rain." However, the second verse reveals that they are now separated, and the singer is left feeling like a "lonely runner" who is hurting and wondering if they'll ever see their love again. The chorus centers around a phone number, "Echo Valley 2-6809," which used to be called all the time, but the last time they called, they "hung up crying."
The third verse reveals the singer's fear of calling again because "it's been a long, long time" and they are unsure if they will hear good news or not. The fourth verse highlights the difficulty of communicating their feelings when "what do you say to a dream that's dying," and the fear of facing the sunrise and "lighting up a road to nowhere." In the end, the singer must face the fact that they missed their chance and should have called that number.
Line by Line Meaning
We grew up together with ferris wheels and sunshine laughter
We had an idyllic childhood full of fun, amusement and happiness
A rainbow love that lasted after the rain
Our love was strong enough to survive the difficulties that we encountered
Now we're separated and I've become a lonely runner
We are no longer together and I feel alone and lost
And when I rest, I hurt and I wonder if I'll ever see you again
Even when I have a moment of peace, the pain of our separation still lingers
Echo Valley 2-6809
A phone number that represents a past connection
I used to call that number all the time
I would reach out to you regularly before
But the last time that I called you
The previous time I tried to contact you
We hung up cryin'
Our conversation ended in tears
I can see it clearly in my mind
I have a vivid memory of this phone number
But I'm scared to call 'cause it's been
I am afraid to reach out now as it has been
Such a long, long time
A considerable amount of time has passed
Never been much for writin', 'cause what do you say to a dream that's dyin'
I never liked writing because I cannot express how I feel about our fading relationship
A fragile lifeline that's untyin', oh no - oh, no
Our relationship is frail and untangling, which is making me panic
I can't face the sunrise - lightin' up a road to nowhere
I dread the thought of starting a new day without knowing if we can ever be together again
Where you are - I have to go there - are you waitin' - I've got to know
I would go anywhere to be with you again and I want to know if you feel the same
I gotta call that number one more time
I must try contacting you once again
'Cause I've just got to know if you're still mine
I need to find out if the possibility of us being back together still exists
[Spoken:] "Hello, operator? Get me Echo Valley 2-6809"
A verbal request to connect to the past phone number
[Operator:] "You have reached a disconnected number"
The operator's response indicating that it is no longer a working number
I shoulda called that number
I regret not attempting to reach you sooner
Echo Valley 2-6809
A repeated reference to a number that is filled with memories
I shoulda called that number
The singer reiterates that he wishes he had contacted the number earlier
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KATHY COOPER, RUPERT HOLMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind