WATCH: The Golden Girls' Theme Song Almost Wasn't "Thank You for Being a Friend"
So you've memorized more than a handful of Golden Girls quotes. You've dressed up as one of the girls (or all of 'em over the years) for Halloween. Maybe you'll even be embarking on a Golden Girls-themed cruise in 2020.
It's safe to say you're a Golden Girls superfan. Now, what's one of the first things that comes to mind when someone brings up the show? After the laughter and love Blanche, Dorothy, Rose, and Sophia bring to your screen, it's likely the ever-catchy theme song, "Thank You for Being a Friend."
While you may not be able to picture the show without the timeless anthem written and recorded by Andrew Gold before Cynthia Fee put her spin on it for show's version, you may be surprised to learn producers were hoping to use another song for the show.
"'Thank You For Being a Friend' wasn't the first choice the producers wanted. Initially, they actually approached the studio that had the rights to Bette Midler's song 'Friends,'" writes Lesley Cornelius for Screenrant. "However, the cost of buying the license was too expensive and they had to pass. Not everyone had a massive budget to spend on theme songs at this time. Thankfully, someone on the crew remembered Andrew Gold's song and pitched it to the team. Licensing that song wasn't as expensive, so they went for it and had Fee do her recording." Ah, so that explains why Midler's song never made it to the airwaves.
Can you imagine the show with any other theme song but "Thank You for Being a Friend?" If you ask us, that's like imagining Stanley Zbornak being worthy of our gal Dorothy.