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.
Love Must Be The Answer
The Partridge Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la,
I don't know but I've been told,
The streets of heaven are paved with gold
Someday I may find out for myself,
So will you. But till that day,
I've got to say (ooh)
Love must be the answer,
I've searched high and low,
I know love must be the answer,
Got it (you) get it (now)
Let me be your guide, get it (ya) got it (now),
Let some love inside
Are you searchin for the key,
Just take my hand and follow me,
Bring along a little love to share,
It'll get you there. Why be lonely,
You'll know only (ooh)
Love must be the answer,
I've searched high and low,
I know love must be the answer,
Got it (you) get it (now)
Let me be your guide, get it (ya) got it (now),
Let some love inside
La la la la la la la la la, love must be the answer,
La la la la la la la la la, love must be the answer,
Love must be the answer,
I've searched high and low,
I know love must be the answer,
Got it (you) get it (now)
Let me be your guide, get it (ya) got it (now),
Let some love inside
La la la la la la la la la, love must be the answer,
La la la la la la la la la, love must be the answer,
La la la la la la la la la, love must be the answer,
La la la la la la la la la, love must be the answer,
La la la la la la la la la, love must be the answer.
The Partridge Family's song Love Must Be The Answer is a call to action to embrace love as an answer to everything in life. The repeated "la la la" in the beginning creates a light and playful tone that is quickly juxtaposed by lyrics that reference the search for heaven and gold. The idea of searching for something greater than oneself is echoed in the line "Are you searching for the key, just take my hand and follow me."
The chorus repeats the core message of the song, that love must be the answer. The singer has searched "high and low" and is convinced that love is the only solution to all problems. The repetition of "got it" and "now" creates a sense of urgency and importance, emphasizing that the listener needs to understand the message as well. The final stanza includes the repeated "la la la" and "love must be the answer" to reinforce the message in a light and playful way.
Line by Line Meaning
La la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la,
An introduction to the song, setting the upbeat and cheerful tone.
I don't know but I've been told,
Admitting lack of firsthand knowledge, but suggesting belief in heard rumors.
The streets of heaven are paved with gold
Heaven is believed to be magnificent beyond imagination.
Someday I may find out for myself,
One hopes to see it firsthand and gain personal proof.
So will you. But till that day,
Encouraging the listener to seek out their own path and knowledge.
I've got to say (ooh)
A quick musical interlude.
Love must be the answer,
The belief that love can explain much of the mysteries of the world.
I've searched high and low,
One has been on a quest to find answers, but has landed on love as the most valid one.
I know love must be the answer,
A confident statement, after the search has ended in favor of love as the answer.
Got it (you) get it (now)
An urging to the listener to follow along, agree with the message, and embrace love.
Let me be your guide, get it (ya) got it (now),
A suggestion to let love be the guiding force in life, and to understand it has been found as the answer.
Let some love inside
An invitation to let love in and spread its influence.
Are you searchin for the key,
A rhetorical question, inquiring whether the listener is seeking answers and direction.
Just take my hand and follow me,
An offer to join the singer on their journey of love and discovery.
Bring along a little love to share,
An instruction to the listener to have love and share it with others.
It'll get you there. Why be lonely,
The belief that love is the key to happiness and fulfillment and that one doesn't need to be lonely when they have love.
You'll know only (ooh)
A quick musical interlude.
La la la la la la la la la, love must be the answer,
A repeating chorus, reiterating the message and mission of the song.
La la la la la la la la la, love must be the answer,
A repeating chorus, reiterating the message and mission of the song.
La la la la la la la la la, love must be the answer,
A repeating chorus, reiterating the message and mission of the song.
La la la la la la la la la, love must be the answer,
A repeating chorus, reiterating the message and mission of the song.
La la la la la la la la la, love must be the answer.
A repeating chorus, reiterating the message and mission of the song.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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