Why The Monkees’ Songwriter Wrote So Many Songs for The Partridge Family
TL;DR:
- Bobby Hart wrote many songs for both The Monkees and The Partridge Family.
- Hart explained how he got a job writing for The Partridge Family.
- The Partridge Family only had one No. 1 single in the United States.
One of The Monkees‘ songwriters wrote songs for The Partridge Family. Subsequently, he explained how another songwriter helped him get a job writing for The Partridge Family. Notably, The Partridge Family beat one of The Monkees’ records.
2 of The Monkees’ songwriters left the band’s production company
Bobby Hart co-wrote many Monkees songs with Tommy Boyce, such as “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I Wanna Be Free,” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone.” In his 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart discussed fellow songwriter Wes Farrell.
“Wes Farrell had recently moved to L.A. to produce the music and records for a new television show, The Partridge Family, a job that had been earmarked for Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, had we not parted ways with [The Monkees’ production company] Screen Gems,” Hart wrote.
Why Bobby Hart wrote songs for The Partridge Family
Hart also crossed paths with a songwriter called Danny Janssen. “Before I met him, Danny Janssen had already written The Partridge Family TV theme song with Wes Farrell,” he said. “One day, Janssen made the suggestion, ‘Wes likes my writing, and I know he likes yours. Why don’t we try to write some songs together for The Partridge Family?‘
“The result was that at least one Janssen & Hart song ended up on every one of The Partridge Family LPs and even the David Cassidy solo albums,” he added. “The group also recorded songs I had written with Tommy Boyce and Jack Keller, giving me more Partridge Family writer credits that anyone except for Wes himself.”
How The Partridge Family’s debut single performed compared to The Monkees’
The Partridge Family’s most famous song was “I Think I Love You,” the group’s debut single. The Monkees’ debut single was “Last Train to Clarksville.” According to The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, “Last Train to Clarksville” reached the top of the chart exactly two months after The Monkees’ sitcom premiered. Subsequently, “I Think I Love You” reached No. 1 less than two months after The Partridge Family’s sitcom premiered. The Partridge Family beat The Monkees’ record by four days.
However, The Monkees beat The Partridge Family in the long run. The Prefab Four had two more No. 1 singles after “Last Train to Clarksville”: “I’m a Believer” and “Daydream Believer.” Meanwhile, “I Think I Love You” was The Partridge Family’s only chart-topper.
One of the members of The Partridge Family, Shirley Jones, was shocked she had a No. 1 single. She admitted she only provided backing vocals on the track, but she was nevertheless proud of her accomplishment. She kept a copy of “I Think I Love You” on her wall.
To this day, The Partridge Family and The Monkees are two of the most famous sitcom bands of all time.
