Can You Imagine ‘The Golden Girls’ With A Different Theme Song?

Our TV Binge Bracket Contest is down to the “elite eight!” It’s the FINAL ROUND and voting is open now for your chance to win $500! 

One of the songs still going strong is the theme song from “The Golden Girls.” “Thank You for Being a Friend” won our hearts just like Blanche, Dorothy, Rose, and Sophia did! Every time we hear it, we are hit with a wave of nostalgia and can’t help singing along!

Now, the story behind the song is pretty interesting. It was written in 1978 by a man named Andrew Gold. He worked with Linda Ronstadt, and he said the song took him about an hour to write as it was “just this little throwaway thing.” Gold’s version of the song hit No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 after its release.

Fast forward to 1985, the year “The Golden Girls” premiered on NBC. The producers initially wanted Bette Midler’s song, “Friends,” as the theme song. However, they decided to pass when they learned the cost of buying the license was too expensive. Someone on the crew remembered Andrew Gold’s song, it was less expensive, so they hired a singer named Cynthia Fee to re-record it. She has said she didn’t think much of it at the time, and recorded the whole song in just a couple of takes!

The same song was used throughout all seven seasons of the “The Golden Girls,” and then it was re-recorded for the spin-off. Did you ever watch “The Golden Palace?” It only aired for one season. The spin-off followed Blanche, Rose and Sophia’s adventures after they invested in a hotel.

A gospel remix of the song went viral about seven years ago, thanks to a man on YouTube named Finally Aaron. He started with a short clip, but people absolutely loved it so he did a full version of the song!

There you have it, the story behind the song… thank you for being a friend, Blanche, Dorothy, Rose, and Sophia!