Thank You For Being a Friend - Andrew Gold (1978) 7/29/21

Trivia Question: Can you name a "Gold" record that was a moderate hit, but when it was covered for use as a TV theme, it became iconic, and retroactively made the song a "Great Song of the '70s?" If you said, "Thank You For Being a Friend," you were right.

The song was originally released in 1978, when singer/songwriter Andrew GOLD took it to #15 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart. In Canada, it did even better: #5 on the matching chart. Not too shabby...but then, in 1982, singer Cynthia Fee was tapped to re-record the song as the theme for a new TV show centering around 4 women-of-a-certain age living in Florida. When "The Golden Girls" debuted on NBC, it was an instant hit...and so was "Thank You for Being a Friend." Again! Cynthia's version has become so iconic, Andrew Gold's original version has almost been forgotten. Well, not really. But whether you prefer the original version, or the "Golden Girls" version, you've got to admit the song itself is pretty iconic--and therefore a "Great Song of 1978--and 1982." :-) Note: "Thank You For Being a Friend" has been covered time and time again. It's also been parodied on "SNL," "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy." Andrew Gold:

Cynthia Fee: