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.
Together We're Better
The Partridge Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tossing and turning about,
Thinking about the way it's been
Hey, it's been so hard to figure out,
We go on sneaking around smokey places all over town,
You go home and it's all over,
Baby you know it's getting me down:
'Cause we're one step short of our heaven,
And we won't stop short till we get there together,
Together baby we're better,
On our own we're fine but united we're dynamite
One step short of our heaven,
And we won't stop short till we get there together,
Together baby we're better, we're better together
Together we're better
You and me sneaking round, meeting in shadows hiding away,
Till we're free to stay together,
All of the time baby all the way,
'Cause we're one step short of our heaven,
And we won't stop short till we get there together,
Together baby we're better,
On our own we're fine but united we're dynamite
One step short of our heaven,
And we won't stop short till we get there together,
Together baby we're better, we're better together
Together we're better.
The Partridge Family's song, "Together We're Better," is about two people who are sneaking around to be with each other despite the obstacles they face. The singer of the song couldn't sleep and is struggling to figure out the situation they are in. The two lovers sneak around to meet each other in secret places and hideaway. They long to be free to stay together all the time. The two are one step short of their heaven and will not stop until they get there together. The song emphasizes that they are better together than they are alone.
"Together We're Better" depicts the struggles of forbidden love, and the lyrics encourage people to unite to face challenges rather than doing it alone. The song's meaning is universal and can apply to any situation where two people are struggling to overcome obstacles. David Cassidy, who played the lead singer in The Partridge Family TV series, delivers a compelling performance with a voice that is both powerful and soulful. The song was written by Wanda Mallette and Stephan T. Lawrence.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night you know I couldn't sleep, wouldn't sleep,
I was so restless, couldn't close my eyes, tossing and turning all night.
Thinking about the way it's been
I was pondering over the past and how we have been.
Hey, it's been so hard to figure out,
It's been a tough nut to crack, challenging to make sense of things.
We go on sneaking around smokey places all over town,
We keep meeting secretly in various dimly-lit spaces around the city.
You go home and it's all over,
Once you leave, it feels like everything has come to a grinding halt.
Baby you know it's getting me down:
You realize this is wearing me out and bringing me down.
'Cause we're one step short of our heaven,
We are almost there, at the brink of reaching our ultimate happiness.
And we won't stop short till we get there together,
And we'll not rest until we both achieve that together.
Together baby we're better,
We are stronger as a duo, and collaboration makes us better.
On our own we're fine but united we're dynamite
While we're okay independently, we are exceptionally powerful and effective as a team.
You and me sneaking round, meeting in shadows hiding away,
Just you and I, hiding from the world in dark corners, consistently meeting like this.
Till we're free to stay together,
Until we don't have to hide or be fearful of being together all the time.
All of the time baby all the way,
Forever and always, through thick and thin.
Together baby we're better, we're better together
Together, we shine brighter and accomplish more than any other way.
Together we're better
We are more efficient and successful when operating together than on our own.
One step short of our heaven,
We are extremely close to attaining our ultimate goal and the greatest happiness.
And we won't stop short till we get there together,
We won't give up until we achieve it together.
Together baby we're better,
The two of us together are stronger and more successful.
On our own we're fine but united we're dynamite
Although we are self-sufficient, we are a force to be reckoned with when we pool our resources.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KENNY JACOBSON, TONY ROMEO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bluespeyerful
Last night you know I couldn't sleep, wouldn't sleep
Tossing and turning about
Thinking about the way it's been
Hey, it's been so hard to figure out
We go on sneaking around smokey places all over town
You go home and it's all over
Baby you know it's getting me down
'Cause we're one step short of our heaven
And we won't stop short till we get there together
Together baby we're better
On our own we're fine but united we're dynamite
One step short of our heaven
And we won't stop short till we get there together
Together baby we're better, we're better together
Together we're better
You and me sneaking around, meeting in shadows hiding away
Till we're free to stay together
All of the time baby all the way
'Cause we're one step short of our heaven
And we won't stop short till we get there together
Together baby we're better
On our own we're fine but united we're dynamite
One step short of our heaven
And we won't stop short till we get there together
Together baby we're better, we're better together
Together we're better
@RB-rv3yc
"Together We're Better"
Last night you know I couldn't sleep
Wouldn't sleep tossing and turning about
Thinking about the way it's been
Hey, it's been so hard to figure out
We go on sneaking around
Smoky places all over town
You go home and it's all over
Baby, you know it's getting me down
'Cause we're one step short of our heaven
And we won't stop short till we get there together
Together, baby, we're better
On our own we're fine but united we're dynamite
One step short of our heaven
And we won't stop short till we get there together
Together, baby, we're better
We're better together, together we're better
You and me sneaking round
Meeting in shadows hiding away
Till we're free to stay together
All of the time, baby, all the way
'Cause we're one step short of our heaven
And we won't stop short till we get there together
Together, baby, we're better
On our own we're fine but united we're dynamite
One step short of our heaven
And we won't stop short till we get there together
Together, baby, we're better
We're better together, together we're better
One step short of our heaven
And we won't stop short till we get there together
Together, baby, we're better
On our own we're fine but united we're dynamite
@foxworthhall726
This is Partridge Family GOLD!!! Thanks for posting! Good times at Kings Island!
@merika206
I loved that show and David Cassidy has such a great voice!💕💕
@rarejule2587
Yes... he did. And was so cute. God rest him.
@bluespeyerful
That golden, iconic voice
@bluespeyerful
Last night you know I couldn't sleep, wouldn't sleep
Tossing and turning about
Thinking about the way it's been
Hey, it's been so hard to figure out
We go on sneaking around smokey places all over town
You go home and it's all over
Baby you know it's getting me down
'Cause we're one step short of our heaven
And we won't stop short till we get there together
Together baby we're better
On our own we're fine but united we're dynamite
One step short of our heaven
And we won't stop short till we get there together
Together baby we're better, we're better together
Together we're better
You and me sneaking around, meeting in shadows hiding away
Till we're free to stay together
All of the time baby all the way
'Cause we're one step short of our heaven
And we won't stop short till we get there together
Together baby we're better
On our own we're fine but united we're dynamite
One step short of our heaven
And we won't stop short till we get there together
Together baby we're better, we're better together
Together we're better
@rarejule2587
OK I'll sing the backup 😄😄
@dirkboa8636
What a great voice!
@susanb2015
I love this song and video!
@user-cq9ss2bm2y
He should be in the rock and roll hall of fame now!!!!!!!!
@pattibrooks1907
David had a dreamy voice ! I miss him deeply so RIP dear David !