Friday, February 22, 2019

A Window Above: Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Song: "Where Everybody Knows Your Name"
Writers: Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo
Premier: September 30, 1982
Peformer: Gary Portnoy
Television Show: Cheers



We've been watching Cheers a lot at our house recently.  I watched the sitcom religiously during the the initial run and it's tremendous fun exploring it with our daughter now.  37 years (!) after the original pilot, it's all too easy to forget how good Cheers truly was.  While I am willing to concede that Seinfeld maintained a more consistent level of quality, the best Cheers episodes are better than the best Seinfeld offerings.  The acting is top-notch.  In this most recent rewatch, I've been especially impressed by Rhea Perlman, the unforgettable Carla Tortelli.  It's the writing that sparkles brightest.  The Sam/Diane banter is frequently Grant/Hepburn-worthy.  What I admire most about Cheers: some of the best episodes are filmed entirely in one room.

The theme song is the best ever - no arguments worth considering.  Not only is the song itself objectively better than all others but no song better matches its show.  "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" was the fourth song submitted by Portnoy and Hart Angelo after three rejections.  The group sound in the chorus is actually Portnoy's own voice, overdubbed six times.  The simple instrumentation was maintained to enhance the intimate feel.

While the show's intro is worth celebrating exactly as is, it would be a shame to leave the full version of the song out of my post:



Want to hear all of the songs I have featured in a convenient playlist?

Enjoy: A Window Above

What are you listening to these days?
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9 comments:

  1. Tanza ErlambangFebruary 22, 2019 at 7:08 AM

    a very nice song ("Where Everybody Knows Your Name")
    thank you for sharing.

    Have a great day

    ReplyDelete
  2. Andrew LeonFebruary 22, 2019 at 2:34 PM

    I never watched Cheers. It ran during the no-TV portion of my life.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Armchair SquidMarch 31, 2019 at 5:02 PM

      I think it holds up well. My daughter seems to be genuinely enjoying it. My wife tolerates it.

      Delete
    2. Andrew LeonApril 1, 2019 at 10:40 AM

      My daughter recently got into 'Friends,' another show I never watched.

      Delete
    3. The Armchair SquidApril 1, 2019 at 5:47 PM

      We went through that one as a family - great at its peak, weaker as it wore on.

      Delete
  3. angryparsnipFebruary 22, 2019 at 8:27 PM

    I watched most of the early years of Cheers. Loved Coach and Carla.

    cheers, parsnip

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Armchair SquidMarch 31, 2019 at 5:03 PM

      Coach is definitely the show's heart in the beginning and it's sad when he dies. Woody's fun, too, though - one of the more successful swap outs in TV history.

      Delete
  4. Maurice MitchellFebruary 23, 2019 at 9:53 PM

    I gotta agree with you on that one but “Believe it or not” is a close second. It’s a shame they don’t make songs like that anymore

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Armchair SquidMarch 31, 2019 at 5:03 PM

      Love that one. "Welcome Back, Kotter" is good, too.

      Delete

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