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 Wouldn
The Partridge Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No dark nights, because they're frightening
No me in a disguise
And when ya feel good, well I feel good too
I wouldn't put nothin' over on you
This mornin' without warnin'
She dropped in on me
While she was schemin', well I was dreamin' of you
I wouldn't put nothin' over on you
I know it was just a misunderstanding
That ya saw
I happened to be kissin' your best friend
Who lived next door
And in an unfortunate sequence of events
The next day the whole town was talkin'
About me behind the fence
But don't believe a thing of ya
Until ya talk to me
I wouldn't put nothing over on you
I wouldn't put nothing over on you
I know it was just a misunderstandin'
That ya saw
I happened to be kissing your best friend that lived next door
And in an unfortunate sequence of events
The next day the whole town is talkin'
About me behind the fence
But don't believe a thing of you hear
Until you talk to me
I wouldn't put nothin' over on you,
No no I wouldn't put nothin'
I wouldn't put nothin' over on you,
No no I wouldn't put nothin'
I wouldn't put nothin' over on you,
No no I wouldn't put nothin'
I wouldn't put nothin' over on you
The Partridge Family's song "I Wouldn't Put Nuthin' Over on You" speaks about loyalty and trust between two people in a romantic relationship. The lyrics express that there are no outside influences that could come between the two lovers, and there is no deception on the part of the singer towards their partner. The line "no dark nights, because they're frightening" alludes to the fact that the singer wants to be a source of comfort and security for their lover, a dependable presence who is always there for them. The chorus emphasizes this theme by stating "when ya feel good, well I feel good too, I wouldn't put nothin' over on you."
The second verse offers some insight into the situation in which the song takes place. The singer mentions a girl who "dropped in" but "means nothin' to me." This implies that the singer is loyal to their partner and has no interest in other women. The verse also mentions a misunderstanding where the singer was seen kissing their partner's best friend. The singer clarifies that it was just a misunderstanding and that they wouldn't deceive their partner intentionally. The final line of the song restates the central message of the song, "I wouldn't put nothin' over on you."
Overall, "I Wouldn't Put Nuthin' Over on You" is a song about trust and faithfulness in a romantic relationship. The lyrics emphasize the singer's loyalty to their partner and their desire to be seen as a trustworthy and dependable presence in their life.
Line by Line Meaning
No thunder, no lightning, no showers in your eyes
You never show any signs of being upset with me or having any negative emotions towards me.
No dark nights, because they're frightening
I never want to cause you fear or anxiety with my actions.
No me in a disguise
I am always honest with you and don't try to hide my true self or intentions.
And when ya feel good, well I feel good too
Your happiness is important to me and brings me joy as well.
I wouldn't put nothin' over on you
I would never deceive you or keep anything from you.
This mornin' without warnin', She dropped in on me
Someone unexpected visited me this morning.
We sat there, but that there girl means nothin' to me
Despite the visit, I have no romantic interest in this girl and she holds no significant meaning to me.
While she was schemin', well I was dreamin' of you
While this girl may have had ulterior motives, I was thinking of you and our relationship.
I know it was just a misunderstanding that ya saw
The situation that you witnessed was not as it appeared and there was a misunderstanding.
I happened to be kissin' your best friend that lived next door
In truth, I did kiss your best friend who lives next door.
And in an unfortunate sequence of events, the next day the whole town is talkin'
Due to the circumstances surrounding the situation, rumors and gossip spread throughout the town.
About me behind the fence
People were talking about me in secret, hidden from public view.
But don't believe a thing of you hear until you talk to me
I want you to know that you shouldn't believe any rumors or gossip unless you hear it from me directly.
I wouldn't put nothin' over on you
Once again, I want to emphasize that I would never deceive or withhold information from you.
Lyrics © THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: FARRELL, HART, JANSSEN, WES FARRELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind