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.
That'll Be The Day
The Partridge Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and my soul can sail away to a better life -
That'll Be The Day
And when the silence is broken and words unspoken
can finally have their say, then we'll all sing out -
That'll be the Day
That'll be the Day
We should be together like the sand and the sea
Like the rocks in the sunshine go together with the
grass on the summer ground, the leaves on the tree
Like the sheep and the meadow go together like the words and the music
The honey and the bee, like the work and the play -
that'll be the day
And when those feelings I've hidden are no longer forbidden
and our love is here to stay
Then we'll all shine on -
That'll be the Day
That'll be the Day
REPEAT AND FADE
The Partridge Family's "That'll Be The Day" is a song about hope and optimism. The lyrics speak of breaking free from the chains that bind us and being able to live a better life. The metaphorical chains represent the obstacles that are keeping the singer from achieving their goals and desires. They are longing for the day when they can be liberated and set sail towards a brighter future. The refrain "That'll be the day" is used to express the hope and excitement they feel about achieving their dreams.
The next verse speaks of the power of words and the importance of communication. The singer longs for a time when things that have gone unsaid can finally be spoken, and everyone can rejoice in the newfound openness and freedom of expression. This line emphasizes the importance of honesty and the freedom that comes from being able to speak your mind without fear or hesitation.
The song also touches on the idea of unity and togetherness. The singer compares various pairs of things that go together, such as sand and sea, rocks and sunshine, and leaves and trees. This reinforces the idea that people should come together and support one another, just as these natural elements are intertwined and interdependent.
Overall, "That'll Be The Day" is a song about hope, freedom, communication, and togetherness. It speaks to the human desire for a better tomorrow and a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
When the chains around me no longer ground me
When I am free from the constraints that hold me down,
and my soul can sail away to a better life -
and I can finally escape to a happier existence,
That'll Be The Day
That will be the moment of my liberation.
And when the silence is broken and words unspoken
When we can finally speak about the things we've kept inside,
can finally have their say, then we'll all sing out -
and express ourselves, it will be a joyful moment for all.
That'll be the Day
That will be the day when our voices are heard.
We should be together like the sand and the sea
We are meant to be together, like the natural elements complement each other.
Like the rocks in the sunshine go together with the grass on the summer ground, the leaves on the tree
Just as the different elements of nature coexist in harmony, so should we.
Like the sheep and the meadow go together like the words and the music
Just like the sheep and their grazing ground belong together, so do the lyrics and the melody of a song.
The honey and the bee, like the work and the play -
Just like the natural pairings of honey and bees, or work and leisure, we are destined to be together.
that'll be the day
That day will come when we are united and in harmony.
And when those feelings I've hidden are no longer forbidden
When I can finally share my true emotions without fear of judgment,
and our love is here to stay
and our relationship is strong and enduring,
Then we'll all shine on -
We will all radiate with joy and happiness.
That'll be the Day
That will be the day when our love is finally realized.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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