As Long As We Got Each Other (Growing Pains) | History of the best-loved TV song
‘As Long As We Got Each Other’ is the most successful TV series theme song of all time. Growing Pains intro song, performed by B.J. Thomas, tells a story that you will find yourself reflecting on.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Video | Growing Pains As Long As We Got Each Other
- Trembol | Story behind As Long As We Got Each Other
- You Can’t Miss | Best parts of As Long As We Got Each Other
- This is what it says | As Long As We Got Each Other Lyrics
- Did you know? | Fun facts about the song
- Much more | A new version each season
- Technical Note about Growing Pains theme song
B.J. Thomas and Dusty Springfield As Long As We Got Each Other (Growing Pains theme song)
Trembol | Story behind Growing Pains theme song
Years go by, yet every time I hear ‘As Long As We Got Each Other‘, I get excited. It’s so good, it stands the test of time. In fact, my kids enjoy listening to it now, as much as I did when, as a teenager, I used to watch the legendary series ‘Growing Pain‘, to which it belongs.
The series lasted 7 seasons, from 1985 to 1992. The merit of this long duration is due to the amusing scripts and a bunch of actors in a state of grace, especially Kirk Cameron, who played Mike, the eldest and naughty son of the Seaver family. But that’s not all, because the series would have been only moderately successful if it weren’t for the wonderful theme song that played for more than a minute before each episode, ‘As Long As We Got Each Other‘.
You’re probably thinking, what a drag, 1 minute of intro in every episode 🥱! Well, it was the opposite, people were looking forward to that minute, do you know why? Of course because the song is spectacular, but also because in the 80’s there was no Netflix, we had to wait 1 week to see the next episode and to make matters worse, its singer, B.J. Thomas, didn’t release it as a complete song until almost a year later as part of his album ‘Throwing Rocks at the Moon‘. Therefore it wasn’t played on the radio and the only way to listen to those wonderful 60 seconds of music was to watch the weekly episode, which added to the success of the series.
What is the origin of the song?
The producers of Growing Pains commissioned two experienced songwriters, John Bettis and Steve Dorff, to write the track. They focused on the bonds that hold the Seaver family together, the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your family is always there for each other.
They wrote the lyrics from start to finish in 1 hour, almost by instinct ✍️
The show’s directors wanted Frankie Valli to sing it, but the composers insisted that B.J. Thomas would be perfect. Thomas was already well known, most notably for the song ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head‘ from the Robert Redford and Paul Newman film.
B.J. recorded it for the first season, being adapted in the 2nd season as a duet with Jennifer Warnes (from Dirty Dancing). Later B.J. Thomas would sing it again as a duet, this time with Dusty Springfield, becoming the most popular version of ‘As Long As We Got Each Other’.
Whichever version it is, it is undoubtedly the best song ever made for a TV series.
‘As Long As We Got Each Other’in the words of the series producer
Growing Pains (Cover)
B.J. Thomas, ‘As Long As We Got Each Other’ singer (Google Image)
Growing Pains Season 7
B.J. Thomas, ‘As Long As We Got Each Other’ singer (Google Image)
Claro que los actores son importantes, pero para crear un éxito en Hollywood hace falta algo más que habilidades interpretativas. También se necesita un gran tema musical. Por suerte, “As Long As We Got Each Other” -o “ALAWGEO”, como se le conoce en varios foros- fue la encargada de llevar la serie, casi sin ayuda, de un estatus de fracaso a un monstruo de la audiencia.
Neal Marlens (Los Problemas Crecen, Executive Producer)
Sure, actors are important, but creating a hit in Hollywood requires more than just acting chops. It also requires a great theme song. Thankfully, “As Long As We Got Each Other” — or “ALAWGEO,” as it’s known on multiple message boards — was there to almost single-handedly carry the show from also-ran status to ratings juggernaut.
Neal Marlens (Growing Pain, Executive Producer)
🎵 Find more amazing stories of the best tunes of all time
You can’t miss ⭐️ The best parts of As Long As We Got Each Other
1. The beginning when it says: ‘Show me that smile, don’t waste a minute on your crying‘.
2.The most magical chorus in the history of television: ‘as long as we got each other‘ … everything will be fine.
3. Just before the final chorus, which goes up a tone, it says: ‘I need you like the air I breathe‘.
This is what it says | As Long As We Got Each Other Lyrics
B.J. THOMAS | AS LONG AS WE GOT EACH OTHER | LYRICS IN ENGLISH
Show me that smile again
Oh, show me that smile
Don’t waste another minute on your cryin’
We’re nowhere near the end
We’re nowhere near
The best is ready to begin
All in a cloudy daze
I look into your eyes and see them shining out
Holding you close this way
Holding you this way
Is like having summer everyday Ooh, ooh
As long as we got each other
We got the world spinnin’ right in our hands
Baby, you and me – We gotta be
The luckiest dreamers who never quit dreamin’As long as we keep on givin’
We can take anything that comes our way
Baby, rain or shine – All the time
We got each other
Sharin’ the laughter and love
Promise me here and now
Nothing but jokes
Will never come between us
You can depend on me
‘Cause I need you like the air I breathe Oh, oh
As long as we got each other
We got the world spinnin’ right in our hands
Baby, you and me – We gotta be
The luckiest dreamers who never quit dreamin’As long as we keep on givin’
We can take anything that comes our way
Baby, rain or shine – All the time
We got each other
Sharin’ the laughter and loveAs long as we got each other
We got the world spinnin’ right in our hands
Baby, you and me – We gotta be
The luckiest dreamers who never quit dreamin’As long as we keep on givin’
We can take anything that comes our way
Oh, baby, rain or shine – All the time
We got each other
Sharin’ the laughter and love
B.J. THOMAS | AS LONG AS WE GOT EACH OTHER | LYRICS IN SPANISH
Muéstrame esa sonrisa de nuevo
Oh, muéstrame esa sonrisa
No pierdas ni un minuto más en tu llanto
No estamos cerca del final
No estamos cerca
Lo mejor está listo para comenzar
Cuando estoy aturdido y nublado
Te miro a los ojos y los veo brillar
Abrazándote así de cerca
Abrazándote de esta manera
Es como tener el verano todos los días. Ooh, ooh
Mientras nos tengamos el uno al otro
Tenemos el mundo girando en nuestras manos
Nena, tú y yo – Tenemos que ser
Los soñadores más afortunados que nunca dejan de soñarMientras sigamos dando
Podemos afrontar cualquier cosa que se ponga en nuestro camino
Nena, llueva o haga sol – Todo el tiempo
Nos tenemos el uno al otro
Compartiendo la risa y el amor
Prométeme aquí y ahora
Nada más que bromas
Nada se interpondrá entre nosotros
Puedes contar conmigo
Porque te necesito como el aire que respiro. Oh, oh
Mientras nos tengamos el uno al otro
Tenemos el mundo girando en nuestras manos
Nena, tú y yo – Tenemos que ser
Los soñadores más afortunados que nunca dejan de soñarMientras sigamos dando
Podemos afrontar cualquier cosa que se ponga en nuestro camino
Nena, llueva o haga sol – Todo el tiempo
Nos tenemos el uno al otro
Compartiendo la risa y el amorMientras nos tengamos el uno al otro
Tenemos el mundo girando en nuestras manos
Nena, tú y yo – Tenemos que ser
Los soñadores más afortunados que nunca dejan de soñarMientras sigamos dando
Podemos afrontar cualquier cosa que se ponga en nuestro camino
Nena, llueva o haga sol – Todo el tiempo
Nos tenemos el uno al otro
Compartiendo la risa y el amor
Did you know...?
Much more | A different version each season
As Long As We Got Each Other Versions
‘As Long As We Got Each Other’ underwent several changes over the course of the series’ 7 seasons.
- Season 1 – B.J. Thomas (singing solo):
- Season 2, 3, 5, part of Season 7 – B.J. Thomas sang the theme song with Jennifer Warnes.
- Season 4 – B.J. Thomas featured Dusty Springfield for the intro. The series was already a hit and a full version of the song was recorded to be sold as a single and distributed to radio.
- Season 6 and part of Season 7 – Joe Chemay, Jim Haas, Jon Joyce and George Merrill sang a capella version of ‘As long as we got each other’.
Technical Note | B.J. Thomas As Long As We Got Each Other
In the 1980s American families used to sit around the television every week waiting for a new episode of their favourite series, but not before singing the theme song, which had very particular characteristics:
- It lasted about 1 minute ⏱️, not a few seconds like today.
- It showed images related to the series and included the names of the actors, nowadays this goes at the end of the episode.
- It contributed greatly to the success of the series. Now theme songs are just skipped with the famous “Skip Intro” button 🥺.
🎼 As Long As We Got Each Other Chords and key:
- The song is in D flat major and the main chords are: D♭ – G♭ – B – B♭ – B – B# – D# – F – A♭ – F – B♭
B.J. Thomas ‘As Long As We Got Each Other’
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B.J. Thomas | Music 1985 | Music USA | Spanish Lyrics | Story behind the song | Technical Note
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