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.
How Can I Be Sure
The Partridge Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How can I be sure where I stand with you?
Whenever I, whenever I am away from you
I wanna die 'cause you know I wanna stay with you.
How do I know? Maybe you're trying to use me.
Flying too high can confuse me. Touch me but don't take me down.
My alibi is telling people I don't care for you.
Maybe I'm just hanging around with my head up upside down.
It's a pity, I can't seem to find someone who's as pretty
and lovely as you.
How can I be sure? I really really really wanna know.
I really really really wanna know. Oh.
How can I be sure in a world that's constantly changing?
How can I be sure? I'll be sure with you.
The Partridge Family's song "How Can I Be Sure" is a classic tune about the uncertainty of love in a world that is constantly changing. The lyrics express the singer's doubts about his relationship with his partner and his fears that he may be used or hurt. He questions how he can trust his partner and be sure of their love.
Throughout the song, the singer reveals that he cannot bear to be away from his love, and he worries that his partner may not feel the same way about him. He fears that his partner may be using him or may not truly love him, and he struggles with his own emotional confusion. The lyrics hint at the struggle of trusting another person in a world full of uncertainty and change.
Overall, "How Can I Be Sure" is a powerful song that explores the often difficult and confusing nature of love and relationships. It highlights the struggle of finding trust and certainty in a world that is constantly changing and uncertain.
Line by Line Meaning
How can I be sure in a world that's constantly changing?
How can I be confident when the world around me is always fluctuating?
How can I be sure where I stand with you?
How can I be certain of our relationship and where we both stand within it?
Whenever I, whenever I am away from you
I wanna die 'cause you know I wanna stay with you.
Whenever I'm not with you, I have an overwhelming desire to return to your side and am filled with despair without you.
How do I know? Maybe you're trying to use me.
I am uncertain if your intentions toward me are genuine or if you have ulterior motives in our relationship.
Flying too high can confuse me. Touch me but don't take me down.
Experiencing too much happiness and success can make me uncertain and disoriented; I want to be close to you, but not to the point of losing myself.
Whenever I, whenever I am away from you
My alibi is telling people I don't care for you.
When I am apart from you, I may pretend to others that I do not have feelings for you as a way to cover up my true feelings and avoid vulnerability.
Maybe I'm just hanging around with my head up upside down.
It's a pity, I can't seem to find someone who's as pretty
and lovely as you.
Perhaps I am confused and not thinking clearly in relation to our relationship. Regardless, I acknowledge that it is a shame that I cannot find someone as beautiful and wonderful as you.
How can I be sure? I really really really wanna know.
I really really really wanna know. Oh.
I am desperate for reassurance and clarity about our relationship and my place within it.
How can I be sure in a world that's constantly changing?
How can I be sure? I'll be sure with you.
While the world is always in flux, I can confidently say that I will be certain and secure with you as my partner.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
CroxleyEducator
Just hearing that pulsing intro, it's 1972 and I'm suddenly 11 again, heading down to the town to get my Partridge Family bubblegum cards and hang out at the record shop...the town's still there but everything else has gone - except in my memory. Cassidy had a voice way beyond our expectations of the average heart-throb - and just imagine what it was like for him living out that insanity. Great piece of work left behind from more innocent days.
sally archer
It hurts doesn’t it ? ❤
Meloni Goss
Makes me feel happy and sad, all at the same time.
Tracey Skinner
Totally agree. I was 10 or 11 too. My first love. My first single I ever bought. I won't ever forget the way this intro affected me such pangs of emotion it literally hurt. What a voice what a face. This song yes I agree makes you feel that age again. I can't imagine any other artist having such an effect on me and millions of other girls. Such a shame he battled with alcohol and got so ill and it finally got the better if him. I hope he knew in his last days how much he meant to his fans. He left a great legacy.
sally archer
@Tracey Skinner ❤️
Capismama
The man had a voice. An absolutely amazing and beautiful voice. And he wasn't bad to look at either.
RIP, David. You're missed today and will be forever.
Tere Bernal
Such a beautiful cover!! R.I.P. David Cassidy, he was great!!
Bridget D
I like his voice so much still in 2021 and he was so beautiful in his prime. Unforgetable. RIP David Cassidy
michele adams
Angelic voice. So soothing and relaxing. I miss him so much. We miss you david.
rosewrites
I've always loved David's voice on this classic. <3