We all get that feeling of joy when you hear those first few notes of the Golden Girls theme.....that beginning piano riff that sets your heart right, and lets you know it's time to smile and laugh with your favorite ladies! - Okay, maybe it's just me. But have you ever heard the REAL version of the song?
A lot of TV themes back in the 80's were derived from actual real songs from artists that where then shortened and sung by someone else just for the show. The same thing is true for the Golden Girls theme song.
I'm ashamed to admit as a huge fan of the show I had actually never heard the real song (nor investigated it), until Saturday when I was at HEB and it came over their speakers. The minute I realized what was happening, I stopped dead in my tracks in the beer aisle! I knew this song, but it sounds different - oh my god.....what is this and why do I love it so much?!
Turns out the Golden Girls theme song was written in 1978 by Andrew Gold. He actually hated the song, and thought it was a throwaway that took him an hour to write. He never dreamed it would turn into a huge hit. One of the producers of the Golden Girls was a huge fan of Andrew, remembered this song, and brought it up in a meeting - believe it or not, this song was their second choice! Cynthia Fee then re-recorded it for the TV show - she hated it too, and it took her one take to record. She just needed the money to support her early acting career. Unfortunately for her, that career never took off - but the theme song and the show did! That was probably her biggest career move to date.