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.
Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque
The Partridge Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
feelin mighty good
and I noticed from the corner
how all alone she stood
underneath the lamplight
an angel in disguise
lonely little runaway with teardrops in her eyes
her hair was wild and tossed
and I put my arm around her
cuz i knew that she was lost
she didnt seem to notice
that anyone was near
until she suddenly turned to me and whispered in my ear
Point me in the direction of Albuquerque
I want to go home and help me get home
Point me in the direction of Albuquerque
I need to get home need to get home
Showed me a ticket for a greyhound bus
her head was lost in time
she didnt know who or where she was
and anyone that helps me
is a real good friend of mine
Point me in the direction of Albuquerque
and help me get home help me get home
Walked her to the station
and kissed away the tears
knowing I'd remember
through all the coming years
rag doll on that greyhound
who waved with all her might
weeped against the window as the bus rolled out of sight
Point me in the direction of Albuquerque
I want to go home and help me get home
Point me in the direction of Albuquerque
I need to get home need to get home
Point me in the direction of Albuquerque
The Partridge Family's song "Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque" tells the story of a protagonist who is walking downtown and spots a young woman who appears lost and alone under a lamppost. Upon closer inspection, he realizes that she is a runaway with tears in her eyes. The singer takes the girl under his wing and tries to help her find her way back home in Albuquerque. She shows him a ticket for a Greyhound bus, but is so lost that she does not even know who or where she is. The singer offers to help her and walks her to the station, where he bids her farewell and watches her leave on the bus. Throughout the song, the singer offers words of comfort to the girl and shows a great deal of empathy and compassion towards her.
The song is a touching tale of a young woman's plight and a protagonist who selflessly offers to help her. The lyrics are straightforward but emotionally charged, evoking compassion and empathy from the listener. The use of a Greyhound bus and Albuquerque creates a sense of geographic distance and mobility that adds to the theme of the song. The song's melody is upbeat, poppy, and catchy, making it a classic hit from the early 1970s.
Line by Line Meaning
Window walking downtown
I was walking in the city looking out of a window
feelin mighty good
I was feeling really good
and I noticed from the corner
Then, I looked from the corner of my eye and saw
how all alone she stood
that she was standing all alone
underneath the lamplight
She was standing under the light of a lamppost
an angel in disguise
She looked like an angel despite her situation
lonely little runaway with teardrops in her eyes
She was a young girl who had run away from home and was crying
Crazy little rag doll
She looked a little wild and disheveled
her hair was wild and tossed
Her hair was messy and unkempt
and I put my arm around her
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder
cuz i knew that she was lost
Because I could tell she was lost
she didnt seem to notice
She didn't seem to be aware
that anyone was near
That anyone was around her
until she suddenly turned to me and whispered in my ear
But then, she suddenly turned and whispered something personal to me
Point me in the direction of Albuquerque
She asked me to direct her to Albuquerque
I want to go home and help me get home
She wanted to go back home and needed help to get there
Showed me a ticket for a greyhound bus
She showed me her ticket for Greyhound bus
her head was lost in time
She was lost and disoriented in time
she didnt know who or where she was
She didn't know her identity or location
and anyone that helps me
She believed that anyone who helped her
is a real good friend of mine
Was a true friend to her
Point me in the direction of Albuquerque
Again, she asked me to direct her to Albuquerque
and help me get home help me get home
She once again pleads for help to get back home
Walked her to the station
I escorted her to the bus station
and kissed away the tears
I comforted her by wiping her tears with a kiss
knowing I'd remember
I knew I would never forget
through all the coming years
For years to come
rag doll on that greyhound
She looked like a ragdoll on the Greyhound bus
who waved with all her might
She waved goodbye with a lot of energy and enthusiasm
weeped against the window as the bus rolled out of sight
She cried as the bus left and disappeared out of sight
Point me in the direction of Albuquerque
The song ends with her repeating her plea for help to get home
I need to get home need to get home
She is desperate to get back home
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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