David Cassidy Didn't Want To Sing This 'Lame' Partridge Family Song — But Fans Loved It

The Partridge Family may have been a fictional band, but the music they played was very real (and quite popular at that). In the four years the hit '70s sitcom "The Partridge Family" was on the air, the real-life band of the same name — fronted by series stars Shirley Jones and David Cassidy — put out a total of eight studio albums. Not only that but their 1970 debut single, "I Think I Love You," reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In other words, The Partridge Family helped write the blueprint for TV bands releasing real songs, setting the stage for future acts like Big Time Rush and Dethklok. However, Cassidy, in particular, didn't always believe in the material. In fact, he objected to one specific song so strongly that he did everything in his power to nix it.

Cassidy was always something of a rebel among the cast of "The Partridge Family." Take, for example, the time he caused a panic by driving off with the show's iconic bus in order to escape a shoot that was going poorly. Unfortunately for Cassidy, there was no getting out of recording The Partridge Family's hit 1971 single, "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted," no matter how badly he wanted to. "I had no say in what I was to perform," Cassidy wrote in his 1994 memoir, adding that he hated the song's spoken-word section so much, he threatened to quit the show over it. Even after relenting and moving forward with the recording, he "begged" the studio to shelve the track. Per Parade, Cassidy eventually embraced the song's popularity by playing it live during his solo career, although he called it "extraordinarily lame" at one of his final shows.

"The Partridge Family" star and singer David Cassidy may have absolutely despised the song "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted" in both concept and execution, but given its success, it certainly seems the general public disagreed with him at the time of the track's release. "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted" was The Partridge Family's second single, having been given a standalone release in early 1971 to coincide with its inclusion on the real-life band's sophomore album, "Up to Date." While it didn't quite reach the heights "I Think I Love You" did the previous year, it was still a considerable hit, reaching the No. 6 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and securing an RIAA Gold certification.

As we noted earlier, though, while Cassidy did eventually acknowledge the song's popularity by playing it live at his solo shows, he never really softened on his disdain for it. That being said, he did develop a good sense of humor about the whole thing. For instance, before playing "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted" at a concert in 1991 (via YouTube), he said, "There were a couple of songs that I recorded back in those days that were not exactly my personal favorites. So, when, the tour was over, I said, 'Ha ha, I'll never have to sing these turkeys again.' Yeah, right."

If it's any consolation, Cassidy seems to be in good company when it comes to hating one of his own songs despite its popularity. After all, Elton John feels the exact same way about "Crocodile Rock."