It’s common for theme songs to get radio play today, but back in the 1970s, not so much. Yet, Norman Lear’s shows became so popular that the theme songs became popular, too.
All in the Family is a classic television show that touched on many social topics, and its theme song is considered one of the greatest of all time. It was so loved that the song became a hit.
“Those Were the Days” was written by Lee Adams. Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton, who played the married couple Archie and Edith Bunker, sang the song in a common musical style in the ’70s.
Both were seated at a piano that Stapleton played. The song was a duet, as both actors took turns singing the lyrics. As they sang, shots of Manhattan would appear on the screen.
In the song, the Bunkers were missing “the days” when life was simple, as the show revolves around Archie’s opposition to societal change. Many versions of the song were released, including an extended version released as a single by Atlantic Records.
It reached number 43 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart and 30 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 1972. The extended version included the lyrics, “People seemed to be content / Fifty dollars paid the rent / Freaks were in a circus tent / Those were the days,” and a few more lines.
Some of the lyrics were seen as controversial, but that didn’t stop the single from being nominated for awards and inducted into the Online Film and Television Association’s Hall of Fame.
People also loved “Those Were the Days” because it was sung by the two stars of the show, which made it feel more personal to the characters they played.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Stapleton revealed that she had singing experience before being on the show. “Nobody knows it, but I’m a singer of sorts and have studied voice,” she said.
