David Cassidy in Popular Culture
From late 1969 to early 1970, David Cassidy appeared on a half dozen popular dramatic television shows. Then David signed on for The Partridge Family and the rest is history. When Wes Farrell found out that David could sing the dynamic of The Partridge Family and the music changed. After the show premiered, “I Think I Love You” rose to No. 1 on Nov. 20, 1970 — nine episodes into the series. It won the National Association of Recording Merchandisers award for the bestselling single of 1970 (beating out the Beatles’ “Let It Be”). By late 1971, the Partridge Family had four albums in the Top 100 at the same time with music label Bell Records reporting 200,000 Partridge Family albums sold in one day alone.
In 1972, David’s fan club grew to the largest in history, surpassing those of both the Beatles and Elvis. His concerts were selling out all around the world. The Partridge Family came to dominate pop culture on both television and radio. In 1972, David Cassidy became the highest-paid live entertainer on the planet, with the highest likability rating on television.
He was among the first stars to have his image and name heavily merchandised with posters, lunchboxes, and other items.
Internationally, Cassidy's solo career eclipsed the already phenomenal success of The Partridge Family. He had sellout concerts in major arenas around the world and featured in magazines and books from around the world.
After he finished touring in 1974 David took a break. He later starred in a number of theatre productions, wrote and produced shows, continued to release music and perform live.
All of this cemented his role in Popular Culture.
Below are examples of David’s role in Popular Culture. Click on the links for further information.
David in Popular Culture - Film
Film Title |
Reference to David |
| And Mrs | In the finale, the whole cast sing "I Think I Love You." |
| Ant Man and the Wasp | Ant-Man and the Wasp is a 2018 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics. One of the characters does karaoke to C'mon Get Happy. |
| Firefly Lane | Firefly Lane tells the story of the nearly three-decades-long friendship between Kate Mularkey and Tully Hart. Though their paths eventually diverge over the years, with Tully focusing on her career and Kate getting married and becoming a stay-at-home mom, the two remain close. In season 2 part 2, Kate has succumbed to her battle with cancer, and the final episode concludes with a funeral for the Firefly Lane character. Kate leaves Tully a final gift. The box from Kate contains important artifacts from her and Tully’s friendship, including a joint, an autographed photo of David Cassidy, an iPod, and most vitally, Kate’s novel about Firefly Lane. |
| Four Weddings and a Funeral | Hugh Grant in Four Weddings and a Funeral says "I just wondered, I really feel, in short, to recap in a slightly clearer version, in the words of David Cassidy, in fact, while he was still with The Partridge Family, I think I love you" |
| Must Love Dogs | During this film, the cast sing "C'mon Get Happy". |
| Scream 2 | A cover of "I Think I Love You" by Less Than Jake was featured in the film Scream 2, during the ending credits and is featured on the official soundtrack. |
| The Croods: A New Age | The Partridge Family version of the song “I Think I Love You” is used prominently throughout the 2020 DreamWorks Animation film The Croods: A New Age, with a cover version by Tenacious D being performed during the film's ending credits. |
| The Lovely Bones | David and The Partridge family are mentioned in the movie The Lovely Bones. The main character in the movie has posters of David Cassidy in her room and in her locker at school. At the house her older sister is watching the TV and a Partridge Family episode is on the TV. |
David in Popular Culture - TV
TV Show |
Reference to David |
| Arrested Development | Arrested Development is an American television sitcom. In "Not Without My Daughter" an episode of Arrested Development Oscar Bluth wears a jacket that reads David Cassidy Live! presumably from a concert. In the previous episode "Whistler's Mother" Oscar told Michael that David Cassidy was supposed to sing his song "All You Need Is Smiles" on The Mike Douglas Show but he was too embarrassed to do it in front of John and Yoko. |
| Bless This House | Bless This House was a British sit-com in the 1970's. A poster of David can be seen in the daughter's bedroom. |
| Family Guy | A poster of David Cassidy is featured in Season 7, episode 15 titled "3 Kings". |
| Frasier | In the episode "Odd Man Out", Laura says "I was always an odd kid. All my girlfriends had posters of David Cassidy. I had Pablo Casals". |
| Hard Quiz | Hard Quiz is an Australian game show in which four contestants answer questions based on their chosen topic. Lyn's topic was David Cassidy. |
| Life on Mars | David's "How Can I Be Sure" was played during this British TV series. |
| Rosanne | David is mentioned in S6, E3 “Party Politics” |
| The Nanny | In S3.E6 there is a reference to The Partridge Family. |
| The Simpsons | When Marge was young she had a poster of David in her room in the episode called There’s Something About Marrying", S16 E10. |
| The West Wing | There was a mention of David in an episode of The West Wing where the character "Bruno" who was the campaign manager for the "Vinnick" presidential campaign referred to him as a "rock star just like David Cassidy" |
| The X-Files | In Season 4, episode 13 when Ed Jerse bangs on the floor in his apartment, the girl downstairs cranks up the stereo, playing the Partridge Family song "Doesn't Somebody Want to be Wanted." |
| Tim Allen Show | In one episode Tim walks in with a Partridge on a Pear Tree. The tree has a picture of David's face on the top of the tree. |
| Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist | An American musical comedy-drama television series which features Zoey Clarke, a software developer who discovers she has the ability to hear the innermost thoughts of people as songs. Each episode features multiple song-and-dance numbers that develop the storyline, with each cast member singing their own character's songs. Season 1, Episode 1 included “I Think I Love You”. |
David in Popular Culture - Music
Song Title |
Reference to David |
| David Cassidy | A song by Betty and the werewolves. Lyrics include: "David Cassidy, Your magic's worked its trick on me". |
| iSlinky Squashin’ Martians app | On January 9, 2012 the iSlinky Squashin’ Martians app was released and David sing UFO (U Fine One). |
| "Sex Like David Cassidy" | In 2012 UK Legend released a CD of a mashup of David's 'I Think I Love You'. The three tracks are electronic, synth-pop dance tracks. |
David in Popular Culture - Plays
Play Title |
Reference to David |
| Could It Be Forever | This play was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival. It tells the story of two Camden girls love for 70's pop pin-up David Cassidy. The play focuses on a reunion of old friends, using David Cassidy as the glue that helped bring their past back into focus. Read a review of this play here. |
| Heidi Chronicles | Set in 1977. The expensive hotel room is absurdly grandiose. There is a wedding, an important socialite wedding, happening. Acquaintances of the Groom are seeking escape. But the Groom hunts them out, because even though David Cassidy is a guest, they are, to the Groom, the most interesting people in the room. Read a review of this play here. |
David in Popular Culture - Fiction Books
David in Popular Culture - Non-Fiction Books
David in Popular Culture - Magazines
