I was looking at a British blog site and came across a link to the story behind the Theme from Cheers (Where Everybody Knows Your Name).   It is really amazing.  The producers wanted to use a different song, but it wasn't available.  So the writers wrote four more.  And you can hear all of the songs, including the piano demo of the very first version of Where Everybody Knows Your Name.  In case anyone else is interested.

                          http://www.garyportnoy.com

         
             Singing the blues when the Red Sox lose
             It's a crisis in your life
             On the run 'cause all your girlfriends
             Wanna be your wife
             And the laundry ticket's in the wash....

      I saw that also!  And I responded to it and the guy who put in on asked me if I was Gary Portnoy.  And I told him I am not even a "he".    ;)  But it is a great story.

      Sandy

Thanks for the interesting read, jim. I love reading about how some things we know and like actually got started.

There have been many good television show theme songs that sort of "pull you in" and Cheers has always been one of them.
It also ticks me off when they play the shortened version of that song during the show's later years.  >:(

:)

   

      I totally agree about the shorter theme.  The contrast between the introspective verse and the gleeful chorus is the beauty of the song.   I guess if they chop up the theme they can stick in more commercials.

So it was Gary Portnoy who actually sung the theme song to Cheers?



Howard

    Yeah, and it's funny, because hardly anybody knows his name!   A lot of people thought Woody Harrelson was singing the theme, which is really stupid since Woody did not appear until the fourth season of the show.   I went to his website and his other songs are excellent, too.

                                    http://www.garyportnoy.com

  I finally got around to doing that myself..and I agree.   

    I was bummed because they took Cheers off Nick-at-Nite, but I just found that they moved it to TV Land at midnight.  Kind of late but I need my "fix".    Theme still makes me feel like all is right with the world. :)

            http://www.garyportnoy.com

    I was bummed because they took Cheers off Nick-at-Nite, but I just found that they moved it to TV Land at midnight.  Kind of late but I need my "fix".    Theme still makes me feel like all is right with the world. :)

            http://www.garyportnoy.com

"Cheers" was always a great show, though I prefer Shelley Long to Kirsty Alley.  I also liked Coach better than Woody, but Nicholas Colasanto died in 1985.
:\'(
Big loss to the show.  Don't get me wrong, Woody Harrelson was great, too, just not quite as good as Coach.

Anyway, I always hated that song!  I remember my high school class voted it as our "Class Song," but the administration vetoed it because of its connection to "Cheers," thus to a bar, thus to drinking.  We wound up with Whitney H., "The Greatest Love of All."
::)
But I didn't vote for that either.  I voted for "You Can be Anyone This Time Around" by Dr. Timothy Leary.  A much more inspirational message!

I remember my high school class voted it as our "Class Song," but the administration vetoed it because of its connection to "Cheers," thus to a bar, thus to drinking.  We wound up with Whitney H., "The Greatest Love of All."              http://www.garyportnoy.com

                    I know someone whose AA meeting used it as their theme!

                   

I thought I'd bump this back up...seeing how the Red Sox are Winning!