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.
Girl
The Partridge Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wake up in the mornin', and you're there on my mind
I've been dreamin' about ya
You start feelings runnin' through my head that need no explanation
And the sweetness of your smile has captured my heart
It's such a crazy sensation
Whoa, girl, you make my day
You're the smile on my face, you're the look in my eyes
You're every breath that I take
Whoa, girl, you make my day
And I love you so much; I'll prove it in a thousand ways
You don't know what it does to my heart when you're walkin' beside me
I feel like a man who could conquer the world, girl
When you're there to guide me
You're the sunshine that I hold deep inside me when I'm cold
You're my tears and my laughter
You're a thousand different girls that I've loved in different worlds
You're my forever and after
[Chorus x 3]
The Partridge Family's song "Girl You Make My Day" is a love song that centers around the feelings of the singer towards his lover. From the very beginning of the song, the singer proclaims that he cannot start his day without thinking about his lover, and he wakes up each morning with her on his mind. He describes the feeling of being in love with her and how her smile has captured his heart. When he sees her, he feels like a man who can conquer the world.
The chorus emphasizes the importance of his lover in his life. He says that she is the smile on his face, the look in his eyes, and every breath he takes. He proclaims his love for her and vows to prove it in a thousand ways. The verse then ends with the singer expressing how much it means to him when his lover is beside him, and he feels like he can conquer the world with her by his side. He describes how she brings the sunshine into his life and is the source of his tears and laughter.
Overall, the lyrics are a testament to the powerful impact that love has on one's life. The singer's relationship with his lover is one that fills his life with joy and happiness, and he cannot imagine his life without her. The song is a declaration of love and appreciation for the person who makes his life complete.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't start my day, girl, without thinkin' about ya
You are always on my mind, and I cannot begin my day without thinking about you.
I wake up in the mornin', and you're there on my mind
Even before I open my eyes in the morning, you are the first thing on my mind.
I've been dreamin' about ya
You are in my dreams, and I cannot escape thinking about you even while asleep.
You start feelings runnin' through my head that need no explanation
Being with you invokes certain emotions within me that words cannot describe.
And the sweetness of your smile has captured my heart
Your smile is so beautiful that it has taken hold of my heart and refuses to let go.
It's such a crazy sensation
The feeling of being in love with you is indescribable, almost surreal.
Whoa, girl, you make my day
You bring so much joy and happiness into my life that you make every day worth living for.
You're the smile on my face, you're the look in my eyes
You are the reason I smile and the spark in my eyes that shows my love for you.
You're every breath that I take
You are an essential part of my life, and I cannot imagine living without you.
And I love you so much; I'll prove it in a thousand ways
My love for you is boundless and infinite, and I will always find ways to show it.
You don't know what it does to my heart when you're walkin' beside me
Being in your presence fills me with so much joy and happiness that it is almost overwhelming.
I feel like a man who could conquer the world, girl
Just being with you makes me feel unstoppable, like I can achieve anything in the world.
When you're there to guide me
Your presence in my life gives me direction and purpose and makes me a better person.
You're the sunshine that I hold deep inside me when I'm cold
Your love warms me up from inside when I'm feeling cold or lonely.
You're my tears and my laughter
You are the cause of both my happiness and sadness, and I cannot imagine life without either.
You're a thousand different girls that I've loved in different worlds
You are someone who has brought all the best qualities of every woman I've ever loved into one perfect package.
You're my forever and after
You are my future and my eternity, and I will love you until the end of time.
Chorus x 3
Repeating the chorus reaffirms my love for you and emphasizes how much you mean to me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOBBY HART, TOMMY BOYCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bobdavis4848
God bless you girl if this is it
Don't explain it - try to show me
God bless you girl you can't explain
There ain't a blessed thing you owe me
Come on now you know me
I'm not the kind of guy
Who'll sit and wonder why
You've made your hand and I'll take mine
And now it's just about that time
I guess we reached the end of the line
God bless you girl cause you're free
Motivated by a spirit
God bless you girl I can see
It's your ship and you must steer it
No one's getting near it
You just can't stay too long
And sing that same old song
The picture's yours, the clock is mine
And now it's just about that time
I guess we reached the end of the line
@bridgetd7390
He had a unique style with his velvety voice and could sing any music. And this was only surpassed by his incredibly beautiful face in his prime! RIP David Cassidy, you will never be forgotten.
@kariehollingsworth2360
I swear he could sing anything and it's always amazing to me........
@judydenver5362
Just perfectly beautiful!!!!! David is the sexiest, most beautiful man to ever live! AND the most beautiful talented singing voice to ever grace the face of the earth!
@zackheru1017
What a beautiful song - he may not have liked these songs, but his voice suited them so well - which I dearly loved!!!
@viickidameral7468
Any song David sings he sings so beautifully beautiful
@michaeljinglheimrshmidt8854
I miss that beautiful voice all the time!! ( Thanks M for letting me borrow your comp & post comments!)
@arlenedecastro5264
What a voice.
@cathyo4042
The perfect imaginary boyfriend.
@giselestrauch5146
I had such a crush on this guy!!!
@sharoncurry1239
David Cassidy awesome singer, actor,dad, friend, uncle, cousin, brother, and husband rest in peace my friend and also awesome son and stepson you are going to be greatly missed your number 1 fan 🤩🤩🤩🤩😃😃😃