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.
You Don
The Partridge Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't have to tell me that you're going out
You don't wanna see me is what it's all about
I know you're needed and wanted badly
east and west of the Mississippi
You don't have to tell me who's been knockin' down your door
It's not the first time, no, we've been there before
I haven't seen you and I miss you so
You don't have to stand there and tell me that you love me or anything
There've been too many things we've been fakin'
You don't have to play no games or think of reasons to call me names
It's the last call that I'm makin'
Honey, don't mislead me, just tell me how you feel
And if you don't need me, hey, it's no big deal
OK, I'm lyin' right through my teeth - and I'm dyin' underneath
Let's get together, oh, baby, please
Let's get together, I'm beggin' on my knees
If it's all over, there's no need to cry
All you have to tell me is goodbye
The Partridge Family's song "You Don't Have to Tell Me" is a melancholic tune that tells the story of a person who is struggling to come to terms with their partner's emotional distance. The song's narrator seems to understand that their loved one is needed and wanted by others and that they don't need to try to deceive the singer about it. The singer states that they haven't seen their partner and miss them dearly.
The song's lyrics suggest that their relationship has been filled with pretense and games. The singer tells their partner that they don't have to play games or think of reasons to call them names. They urge their partner not to mislead them and to tell them honestly how they feel. However, the singer seems to acknowledge that their partner may be trying to distance themselves because they no longer need the singer in their life. The singer admits that they are lying through their teeth and dying underneath. The song's chorus is a plea for the partner to return to them and to give their relationship another chance. The song ends on a bittersweet note with the singer saying that if it's all over, all they need to say is goodbye.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't have to tell me that you're going out
It's unnecessary to inform me about your plans to leave.
You don't wanna see me is what it's all about
The reason you're leaving is that you don't want to be around me.
I know you're needed and wanted badly
I am aware that you are in demand and highly desired by others.
east and west of the Mississippi
This is true across the entire United States.
You don't have to tell me who's been knockin' down your door
It's unnecessary to reveal the identity of the person who has been pursuing you.
It's not the first time, no, we've been there before
This is a recurring issue that we've dealt with in the past.
I only called you to let you know
The only reason I'm reaching out is to inform you.
I haven't seen you and I miss you so
I haven't had the chance to spend time with you, and I'm longing for it.
You don't have to stand there and tell me that you love me or anything
It's not necessary to express affection or any other emotional sentiment towards me.
There've been too many things we've been fakin'
We've been pretending to be something we're not for too long.
You don't have to play no games or think of reasons to call me names
There's no need to manipulate the situation or engage in verbal abuse.
It's the last call that I'm makin'
This will be the final attempt I make to contact you.
Honey, don't mislead me, just tell me how you feel
Please be honest about your emotions instead of misleading me.
And if you don't need me, hey, it's no big deal
If you don't require my presence, that's perfectly fine.
OK, I'm lyin' right through my teeth - and I'm dyin' underneath
Contrary to what I said earlier, I am not okay with the current situation.
Let's get together, oh, baby, please
I'm pleading with you to spend time with me.
Let's get together, I'm beggin' on my knees
I'm begging you to give me the opportunity to be with you.
If it's all over, there's no need to cry
There's no reason to be emotional if the relationship has ended.
All you have to tell me is goodbye
All I need from you is a farewell.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind