TV Theme Songs: Those Were the Days
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (86999)
United States
February 16, 2023 11:08am CST
Ah, ha! We’ve referenced this one indirectly a few times, so now it’s time for it to take its place front and center on the stage of this countdown. This is a month-long look at my favorite TV theme songs. So sing along!
Those Were the Days - Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton
Hooray for Edith Bunker, the second worst singer in history (behind Yoko Ono, of course 
)!!
Someone asked about All in the Family yesterday. No, I didn’t watch it. I was too young. My parents wouldn’t allow it. So it made for a long half-hour wait before M*A*S*H came on.
They called NBC’s Thursday lineup “Must-See TV” in the 80s. CBS invented it with the 73-74 lineup of All in the Family, M*A*S*H, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, and The Carol Burnett Show. AITF was the only show I didn’t watch. (Understand, I’m of the age that, when my parents said something, I did it!)
I do love the way series stars Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton sang this in character. The song is great, even if the series didn’t ever strike a chord with me.
Those Were the Days
Written by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse
Recorded by Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton
From All in the Family, 1971-79
Gee our old LaSalle ran great:
)!!
Someone asked about All in the Family yesterday. No, I didn’t watch it. I was too young. My parents wouldn’t allow it. So it made for a long half-hour wait before M*A*S*H came on.
They called NBC’s Thursday lineup “Must-See TV” in the 80s. CBS invented it with the 73-74 lineup of All in the Family, M*A*S*H, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, and The Carol Burnett Show. AITF was the only show I didn’t watch. (Understand, I’m of the age that, when my parents said something, I did it!)
I do love the way series stars Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton sang this in character. The song is great, even if the series didn’t ever strike a chord with me.
Those Were the Days
Written by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse
Recorded by Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton
From All in the Family, 1971-79
Gee our old LaSalle ran great:
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16 people like this
15 responses
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
16 Feb 23
The song was great and the show still ranks as one of the best things TV has done. As a satire of racial & other nonsensical prejudices, it was great.
3 people like this
@FourWalls (86999)
• United States
17 Feb 23
The scene of Sammy Davis Jr. kissing Archie was so perfect.
2 people like this
@FourWalls (86999)
• United States
17 Feb 23
Jean Stapleton had a terrific singing voice, which makes this funnier.
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (51849)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
17 Feb 23
@FourWalls I was going to mention that...
Her mother was an opera singer.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (128861)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Feb 23
This is my ALL-TIME favorite TV theme song. And I say that because of how bad Jean Stapleton's singing is. I just bust out laughing in tears every time I hear it. I could sit and listen to it over and over all day long, and just be crying with laughter. Such a great "bad" song.
I watched the show as a kid, and then again in my teen years as syndicated re-runs. I thought the show was cutting edge for its time and made fun of those who were racists and bigots. But they did it in a humorous way. A show like that could never be made nowadays because it would offend everyone.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86999)
• United States
18 Feb 23
I don’t know if people understand how DIFFICULT it is for professionals to perform that badly.
And yes, Mel Brooks has said for decades that he couldn’t possibly make Blazing Saddles now.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128861)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Feb 23
@FourWalls I'm willing to bet that Jean Stapleton had a beautiful singing voice in reality. I wonder how much of a struggle it was for her to actually sing that badly in the title song?
@LindaOHio (223055)
• United States
17 Feb 23
Watched the series and remember the song. The MTM Show and Bob Newhart were staples for my husband and me. Loved those two shows.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86999)
• United States
17 Feb 23
I think Bob was my least favorite of them, but I’ll give him credit for having the GREATEST TV series finale in history with Newhart, when he woke up from a dream and was back in The Bob Newhart Show. That was pure genius.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (223055)
• United States
17 Feb 23
@FourWalls Yes. It was definitely a surprise ending.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
19 Feb 23
Ah, those were the days when people could take a joke, even an off-color one and not be offended. Archie and Edith, got to love their harmonies 
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86999)
• United States
19 Feb 23
If you call that “harmonizing.” They could both actually sing very well, and I wish they had done this in their “regular” voices.
They could both actually sing very well, and I wish they had done this in their “regular” voices.1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
20 Feb 23
@FourWalls I did not know that! Although Carol O'Connor being Irish probably could croon a nice rendition of "When Irish Eyes are Smiling"
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (91297)
• United States
16 Feb 23
Aw those were the days alright..now I am melancholy
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86999)
• United States
17 Feb 23
Those were the days, my friend
We thought they’d never end
Oops, different song.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86999)
• United States
17 Feb 23
I’ve watched it some as an adult and I understand the groundbreaking aspect of it. Even as a caricature he was too harsh.
@wolfgirl569 (136167)
• Marion, Ohio
17 Feb 23
She was great at singing very off key. We watched that growing up as reruns
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86999)
• United States
17 Feb 23
Ah to be young. I grew up with it on TV every Saturday night at 8 o’clock.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (136167)
• Marion, Ohio
17 Feb 23
@FourWalls I wish we could go back a little at least.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (98215)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
16 Feb 23
My mother always got a good laugh from Archie and Edtih singing this song,
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86999)
• United States
17 Feb 23
If you call that “singing.”
Of course, they both COULD sing, which makes this better. Here’s Jean singing “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.”
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1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (98215)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
17 Feb 23
@FourWalls thanks for the link, I didn't know she could sing so well, And here is a pretty one by Archie or Carrol O'Conner
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1 person likes this
@Dena91 (17046)
• United States
16 Feb 23
I did watch it and maybe didn't always understand what was going on, because I was 5 when it first came on. My parents weren't as strict as yours when it came to tv. If it was something they wanted to watch, we all watched it. Not like today when it seems everyone has a tv in their own bedroom. We had one television until I was a teenager. Even today, Mike and I have only ever had one television in our home.
I did like the family dynamics, and their singing the theme song each week.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86999)
• United States
17 Feb 23
I had a TV in my room, but I had no-nos. Laugh-In was the first one I remember.
1 person likes this
@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
17 Feb 23
I often watched the re-runs during the day in the summer (came on after the Today show, but before the game shows), but my mom was not a fan. She thought Archie was too crude.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86999)
• United States
17 Feb 23
Sometimes you have to be vicious to make a point.
1 person likes this
@spiderdust (14756)
• San Jose, California
17 Feb 23
@FourWalls I suspect my mom was being classist too, but I didn't understand things like that back then.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112972)
• United States
17 Feb 23
I GREW UP on this show AND The Jeffersons. Man, those WERE the days. It is a time we badly need to return to where we could just have a little bit of fun and not take everything so seriously, and even MAKE FUN of ourselves. Truly a lost era.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86999)
• United States
17 Feb 23
I have a photo of Don Rickles and Carroll O’Connor together, and I post it on Facebook every time I see something too snowflaky.
1 person likes this
@porwest (112972)
• United States
19 Feb 23
@FourWalls They are great reminders for people to just smile a bit more, not be so offended all the time, and for Heaven's sake, just to lighten up.
As I often joke, we were once a country of very strong people. Now we're offended by pancake syrup. lol
1 person likes this
@NJChicaa (127206)
• United States
16 Feb 23
Yup! Back in my heyday (and also this past summer) we would go see a musician/comedian who would do sing-alongs with other funny stuff and songs mixed in. You haven't lived until you've been in a full bar with all of the patrons singing this song.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86999)
• United States
16 Feb 23
Even hitting the bad note in “And you knew who you WERE!!!!!!!!!!!!! then”?
1 person likes this
