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For no discernible reason I have found myself singing the theme tune to the 1970s sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter”.
Here it is.
It’s not a show that I remember very much about at all. In fact, until I looked it up I was convinced that the eponymous hero of the piece was black. I must be confusing it with some other show, although I did recall the moustache.
I know it was set in a school and I know John Travolta was in it and I would take a punt on the fact that it’s about a guy who used to be at the school coming back to teach at the school, but all that info (apart from John Travolta’s involvement) can be ascertained from the theme song. I definitely used to watch the show too, but all that has remained is the song. And these are the lyrics as I remember them
“Welcome back, your dreams are all ticking out
Welcome back to the same old place that we laughed about
So the names have all changed since you hung around, but the dreams have remained, la de da de dound
Who’d have thought we’d need you? Who’d have thought we’d need you?
Back here’s where we need you! Back here’s where we need you.
Oh we tease him a lot cos we’ve got him on the spot. Welcome back.
Welcome back, Welcome back, welcome back.”
That’s not bad for a song that I haven’t heard for probably 45 or so years, one bit I can’t recall and one bit what my childhood brain turned into the wrong lyrics (I think listening again that the first line is “your dreams were your ticket out.”)
It wasn’t a show that had any impact on me and yet that song has stuck in there. I don’t know what made it pop out again today, but there it is. Probably when it comes down to us all we will remember about nearly any of our TV watching experiences is the theme tune and the opening titles (didn’t remember the visuals to Kotter though). I’ve discussed this before with
The Lost Islands. It’s a reminder to all creatives to spend less time and money on the scripts and more on a memorable song. Everything else is just a waste of your time. In the long run.
I think Kotter was a pretty big show in America, but suspect it was shown in the afternoon on TSW in the 1980s and I only viewed it sporadically. But that fucking song. Still in there. Still ready to jump out for no good reason.
RHLSTP with the legendary Robin Askwith is now up
