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.
I
The Partridge Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like all at once I wake up from something that keeps knocking at my brain
Before I go insane I hold my pillow to my head
And spring up in my bed screaming out the words I dread
I think I love you (I think I love you)
This morning I woke up with this feeling
I didn't know how to deal with and so I just decided to myself
And did not go and shout it when you walked into the room
I think I love you (I think I love you)
I think I love you so what am I so afraid of
I'm afraid that I'm not sure of a love there is no cure for
I think I love you isn't that what life is made of
Though it worries me to say that I never felt this way
I don't know what I'm up against
I don't know what it's all about
I got so much to think about
Hey, I think I love you so what am I so afraid of
I'm afraid that I'm not sure of a love there is no cure for
I think I love you isn't that what life is made of
Though it worries me to say I never felt this way
Believe me you really don't have to worry
I only wanna make you happy and if you say "hey go away" I will
But I think better still I'd better stay around and love you
Do you think I have a case let me ask you to your face
Do you think you love me?
I think I love you
I think I love you
I think I love you
I think I love you
I think I love you
I think I love you
I think I love you
I think I love you
The lyrics of The Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You" describe the internal conflict of a person who suddenly realizes that they have feelings of love for someone they did not expect to. The song starts with the singer describing how they woke up from a dream and suddenly felt this intense feeling that keeps knocking at their brain. They try to ignore it, but it keeps coming back. The singer is scared of these feelings because they do not know what they are up against, but they cannot resist the urge to confess their love.
The second verse continues the internal monologue of the singer as they struggle with their newfound feelings. They are afraid of being rejected, so they decide to keep their emotions a secret. However, their feelings become too much to contain, and they start to realize that love is what life is made of. Even though they are worried about expressing their emotions, they know that they have never felt this way before.
The chorus serves as a confession of love, and the singer is still scared of the potential response from their love interest. They repeatedly ask the same question, "Do you think I love you?" and hope for a positive answer. In the end, they express that they only want to make the other person happy and promise to stick around to love them.
Overall, the song is a classic story of an unexpected love confession and the internal conflict that comes with it. The lyrics are relatable to many people who have experienced sudden, unexpected love.
Line by Line Meaning
I was sleeping and right in the middle of a good dream
I was in the middle of a nice dream when something woke me up.
Like all at once I wake up from something that keeps knocking at my brain
Suddenly, I woke up from something bothering me mentally.
Before I go insane I hold my pillow to my head
I try to maintain my sanity by clutching my pillow.
And spring up in my bed screaming out the words I dread
I panic as I sit up in my bed and shout the words I'm scared to say.
I think I love you (I think I love you)
I believe that I have feelings of love towards you.
This morning I woke up with this feeling
I woke up today with a certain emotion.
I didn't know how to deal with and so I just decided to myself
I didn't know how to handle it, so I resolved to keep it to myself.
I'd hide it to myself and never talk about it
I don't plan on discussing this with anyone or sharing this feeling.
And did not go and shout it when you walked into the room
When you came into the room, I didn't scream out my feelings.
I think I love you (I think I love you)
I'm still thinking that I may have romantic feelings for you.
I think I love you so what am I so afraid of
If I have feelings for you, then why am I scared?
I'm afraid that I'm not sure of a love there is no cure for
I'm scared that I may not be certain about an incurable emotion like love.
I think I love you isn't that what life is made of
Isn't love what life is supposed to be about?
Though it worries me to say that I never felt this way
I'm anxious to confess this, as I've never experienced this sentiment go this far.
I don't know what I'm up against
I'm not aware of what I'm dealing with.
I don't know what it's all about
I'm also clueless as to what's going on.
I got so much to think about
There's a lot on my mind.
Hey, I think I love you so what am I so afraid of
Hey, I think I might be falling in love with you, so I don't understand why I'm scared.
Believe me you really don't have to worry
Please trust me when I say that you don't have to stress over this.
I only wanna make you happy and if you say 'hey go away' I will
All I want is to bring happiness to you, and if you ever ask me to leave, I would.
But I think better still I'd better stay around and love you
However, I think it would be good for me to stick around and keep loving you.
Do you think I have a case let me ask you to your face
Do you think there's truth for my case? Allow me to confirm with you directly.
Do you think you love me?
Do you believe you could harbor feelings of love for me?
I think I love you
I'm relatively convinced that I'm in love with you.
I think I love you
I truly believe I hold romantic feelings for you.
I think I love you
I'm consistently finding myself believing that I love you.
I think I love you
It's almost a certainty that I'm in love with you.
I think I love you
Every fiber of my being tells me that I love you.
I think I love you
I am certain that I feel love towards you.
I think I love you
My every thought is telling me that I love you.
I think I love you
I'm fully convinced that I am hopelessly in love with you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TONY ROMEO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ethel Mertz
WOW how time passes so fast!
Seems just like yesterday I was watching this show when it first came on tv.
But if I close my old eyes and can go back and feel that youth and fun of my teenage years.
Young ones listen….
Don’t wish you were older than you are.
Enjoy your youth your teens your childhood because one day and quickly you will be so old nobody recognizes you anymore.
Your teeth fall out and your eyes grow dim.
Don’t rush through life.
David Cassidy I had posters of him on my wall.
Farrah Faucet as well.
Slow down
Rip to all in this wonderful show that was so wholesome and fun to watch when I was just 13😢
Robert Dragoff
A great show with a great cast.
Sad that some are no longer with us, but at the same time I saw a lot of familiar faces…..
I forgot that the Meat head (Rob Reiner) appeared on the show….
And Jodie Foster too!
Great video, but please preview it before posting it next time….
Carlos Riascos
The Partridge Family was a musical comedy series, which starred Shirley Jones and David Cassidy. Who was part of Generation X, leaving unforgettable good memories to the public. And that leads to actors and actresses being recorded by viewers for their musical performances. Thank you for giving information about the lives of the actors in this musical comedy series.
Blessings.
T M
Gen X? More like we tail end Baby Boomers.
Courtney Puzzo
@T M and the early part of Gen X born between 1965 and 74 oh and younger gens watched the reruns on Nick at Night etc. as I did growing up in the 90s
T M
@Courtney Puzzo Nick at Night was a bit after after my time hehehe. Our Friday night line up was The Brady Bunch, Partridge Family, Room 222 and the Odd Couple.
TXgal
@T Myep your right, I was born in 1959 and watched that same line up in late sixties and very early seventies😂
TXgal
My baby brother born in late 1966 was the very first of the Gen X group. They weren’t the ones watching the show or cared about it when it started! This was a young boomer generation show!!
Ethel Mertz
WOW how time passes so fast!
Seems just like yesterday I was watching this show when it first came on tv.
But if I close my old eyes and can go back and feel that youth and fun of my teenage years.
Young ones listen….
Don’t wish you were older than you are.
Enjoy your youth your teens your childhood because one day and quickly you will be so old nobody recognizes you anymore.
Your teeth fall out and your eyes grow dim.
Don’t rush through life.
David Cassidy I had posters of him on my wall.
Farrah Faucet as well.
Slow down
Rip to all in this wonderful show that was so wholesome and fun to watch when I was just 13😢
Donna Singh
My favorite sitcom of all time! Of course David Cassidy was one of my teen heartthrobs.
Metal Mike570
It was a great show; it has it's place in history, RIP David and his mom Shirley.
Metal Mike570
I meant RIP David gone already 5 years... Long live Shirley Jones she's still alive, I sit corrected.