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 Would Have Loved You Anyway
The Partridge Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know that I've been watchin' you for quite some time
Tryin' to find a way of makin' you mine
Long before you started a-comin' on strong with me
with a super charm that brought me down to see
Hey, didn't you know that you've been actin' like a movie star
And didn't you think I'd dig the person you are
No, you never really had to put on all that show
I decided when I met you a long, long time ago -- whoa, whoa
[CHORUS:]
I would have loved you anyway
I would have thought you were fine
I would have taken you any day
I still would try to make you mine
I would have loved you anyhow
I would have thought you were O.K.
Just like I'm lovin' you here and now
Tellin' ya I'll never go away -- go away
So you never really had to put on all that show
I decided when I met you a long, long time ago -- whoa, whoa
[CHORUS:]
REPEAT AND FADE
The Partridge Family's song I Would Have Loved You Anyway tells the story of someone who has been watching and admiring another person for a long time. The song starts off by acknowledging the singer's admiration for the person they are talking about. They say that they have been trying to find a way to make that person theirs, suggesting that they are romantically interested in them. The singer then goes on to talk about how the other person has been acting like a movie star and putting on a show to impress them. However, the singer assures the other person that they did not need to put on that show because the singer was already impressed with their true self when they met them a long time ago.
The chorus of the song conveys the singer's feelings for the other person. They say that they would have loved them anyway and thought that they were fine, hinting that the other person's actions did not influence their feelings. The singer even states that they still try to make the other person theirs, indicating that their feelings are still strong. The final lines of the song convey the assurance that the singer will never go away.
Overall, the song is a possibly unrequited love story where the singer has been pining over the other person for a long time, and their fondness for that person is shown to be unwavering, regardless of the other person's actions.
Line by Line Meaning
You know that I've been watchin' you for quite some time
I have observed you for a considerable period
Tryin' to find a way of makin' you mine
Attempting to possess your affection
Long before you started a-comin' on strong with me
Way before you exhibited an intense interest in me
with a super charm that brought me down to see
Using an irresistible charisma that captivated me
Hey, didn't you know that you've been actin' like a movie star
Were you not aware that you conducted yourself like a film celebrity
And didn't you think I'd dig the person you are
Did you not believe I would be interested in your personality
No, you never really had to put on all that show
In fact, you did not have to put up such a grand spectacle
I decided when I met you a long, long time ago -- whoa, whoa
My determination to be with you was made long ago
I would have loved you anyway
Even if circumstances were different, I would still admire and cherish you
I would have thought you were fine
Regardless, I would still consider you pleasing to me
I would have taken you any day
At any point in time, I would accept the opportunity to be with you
I still would try to make you mine
I would persist in my effort to win and keep your affection
I would have loved you anyhow
Regardless of the circumstances, I still would hold you in high regard
I would have thought you were O.K.
I would perceive you as acceptable
Just like I'm lovin' you here and now
Presently, I hold the same affection and fondness for you
Tellin' ya I'll never go away -- go away
Assuring you that I will never leave or abandon you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TONY ROMEO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind