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.
It's You
The Partridge Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's you
Hello baby, yes it's me again and I'm
Looking for the rainbow's end
It's hidden in your mind
I'll tell you baby
The answer lies within those lonely eyes of opal blue
[Chorus:]
It's you, it's you
I'll never find another love like you
It's you, I would die if you should leave me
Baby, baby, please believe me
And don't you cry
I'm here to dry your tears
And in awhile I'll make you smile again and see it's me
Hello baby, yes it's me again once more
I know that we can find the love that we once had before
I'll tell you baby I can't face another day
And before the sun goes down tonight I have to hear you say
[Chorus]
The Partridge Family's "It's You" is a love ballad that expresses the lead singer's deep affection towards his significant other. Through the song, the singer is searching for the rainbow's end which he believes is hidden in the mind of his partner. He also feels that he has the ability to bring her through whatever it is she is going through or struggling with. The chorus emphasizes on how much the singer cares for his love and how she is the only one for him. He then reassures her that he will always be there for her to dry her tears and make her smile again. The song reveals the singer's persistence in pursuing his love and his eagerness to hold onto the relationship despite their current challenges.
The lyrics of the song convey a sense of true love and devotion. The lead singer's unrelenting pursuit of his love portrays the idea that love takes work and effort, even when things become tough. The rainbow's end acts as a metaphor for the couple's quest for a happy and fulfilling relationship. The significance of the opal blue eyes is also an interesting aspect of the lyrics, as opals are known for their beauty and mystery, which further emphasize the depth of the lead singer's affection towards his partner.
Line by Line Meaning
It's you
The subject of the song is proclaiming that the person they are addressing is the focus of their feelings and affections.
It's you
They repeat the opening line to emphasize the point that the person is the most important thing to them.
Hello baby, yes it's me again and I'm Looking for the rainbow's end
The subject is making contact and expressing their desire to find happiness with the person they are addressing.
It's hidden in your mind
The subject suggests that their love interest holds the potential for happiness within themselves.
I'll tell you baby I think I can bring you through The answer lies within those lonely eyes of opal blue
The subject believes that they can help their love interest find happiness, and suggests that it can be found by looking within themselves.
[Chorus:] It's you, it's you I'll never find another love like you It's you, I would die if you should leave me Baby, baby, please believe me
The chorus reiterates that the person they are addressing is irreplaceable and that they would be devastated if they were to lose them.
And don't you cry I'm here to dry your tears And in awhile I'll make you smile again and see it's me
The subject offers comfort and reassurance, suggesting that they can make their love interest feel better and happy again.
Hello baby, yes it's me again once more I know that we can find the love that we once had before
The subject expresses their confidence that they and their love interest can rekindle their love and happiness again.
I'll tell you baby I can't face another day And before the sun goes down tonight I have to hear you say
The subject makes their feelings clear and expresses a sense of urgency regarding their desire to hear their love interest reciprocate their feelings.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats to emphasize the song's main message and sentiment.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHNNY CYMBAL, PEGGY CLINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bridget D
David Cassidy had many talents: a great voice, played guitar and piano, could write songs and was also such a good looking guy in his heyday. Unforgettable! RIP
Bridget D
@sharna valli Yes and he played drums, that`s right!
sharna valli
And he played the drums
sharna valli
Dont forget he could play the drums to
Bridget D
@Patti Macomber I agree 100%. An info: an awful derogatory comment about David is written on youtube under TVography The Partridge Family by Gerald O'Hare. David didn't deserve that. Here we are asked as fans. Take a look.
Patti Macomber
He has the most beautiful voice I've ever heard an have never seen a more gorgeous man in my life.
John Mazza
I always loved the Partridge Family songs even as a teen in the 80's when everyone else would laugh at the thought but the older I grow and more I listen I realize how utterly fantastic these songs were and what incredible voice and ability David Cassidy had. He deserves hands down to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So much more talent than many people in there. And this song "It's you" is fast becoming my fav. Only wish I had taken the time to see him in person while he was with us. So sad.
Joanne Lamothe
I love your message!!!!!
John Mazza
@LuvTadnDixie Funny thing is that we all loved the show but we were too cool to admit it.
Woodysdrums
I agree