Welcome Back

To that same old place that you laughed about

SONG: Welcome Back

ARTIST: John Sebastian

ALBUM: Welcome Back

YEAR: 1976

Today, my Gen X brothers and sisters, we’re going to be thinking outside of the (juke)box. Because it wasn’t just the radio or the video star that shaped the soundtrack of our mighty generation. There was also the television and the memorable theme songs it produced.

Let’s begin with a joke, shall we?

Did I tell you my uncle’s getting married for the 4^th time?

- 4^th time? What happened to his first three wives?

The first one died from eating poison mushrooms.

- Poison mushrooms. How about the 2^nd wife?

Poison mushrooms as well.

- Wow, really. How about the 3^rd one?

Fractured skull.

- Fractured skull. How did that happen?

She wouldn’t eat the poison mushrooms.

It’s corny jokes like these that kicked off every episode of Welcome Back, Kotter.

Welcome Back, Kotter is a legendary sitcom that revolved around the Sweathogs of James Buchanan High: a remedial class of ne’er-do-wells who were taught by the wise-cracking Mr. Kotter, who in turn had to answer to Mr. Woodman, the high school’s gruff and cantankerous vice principal.

The show aired on ABC from September 9, 1975 to May 17, 1979. While it never managed to win any awards, its impact on the culture was immediate. Unfortunately (though hardly surprising), some of that impact was negative.

A local ABC affiliate in Boston refused to air the show when it debuted. The city had been plagued with widespread protests and riots due to a controversial school bussing program. The affiliate felt that Kotter’s depiction of an integrated classroom would exacerbate Boston’s volatile situation. Eventually, the affiliate relented, and picked the show up after its fifth episode. Not because they had a kumbaya moment, mind you. Their change of heart occurred once the show became a success and suddenly there was plenty of money to be made.

Meanwhile, teachers across the country were concerned about how Kotter would portray their sacred profession (no, really). The show’s producers agreed to allow a union rep on the set to ensure those concerned that the overall image of the mighty teacher would not be besmirched in any way. Gabe Kaplan (the comedian who played Mr. Kotter) resisted the idea and ridiculed the decision by asking a reporter during an interview if there was a junkman on the set of Sanford and Son to protect the sacred reputation of junkmen.

Controversy aside, the show enjoyed tremendous success, especially during its first two seasons. Perhaps most notably, it provided a then unknown actor named John Travolta with his first big break.

It also showered upon our generation a bevy of original and unforgettable lines. Who could forget classic insults like Up your nose with a rubber hose, and Off my case, toilet face.

Then, of course, there were classic bits like Barbarino’s dance…

…and Horshack’s exuberance.

Viewers were even treated to the occasional guest star.

Finally, there was Welcome Back: the show’s easy-going theme song that graces today’s Gen X Jukebox.

Welcome Back reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. It was written and recorded by John Sebastian - winner of the John Denver lookalike contest and founding member of The Lovin’ Spoonful, who were responsible for monster smashes like Daydream, Summer in the City, and Do You Believe In Magic?

Sebastian penned Welcome Back following the commercial failure of his 1974 album Tarzana Kid. He was signed with Reprise at the time and contracted to produce one more album. When Welcome Back became a hit, the record weasels pounced, and demanded Sebastian capitalize on the song’s surprise success. Sebastian obliged, even though he didn’t have much in the way of polished material. The result? Welcome Back (the album) wound up being as bloated and unimpressive as any other cash grab you’ve ever heard.  

Contract fulfilled, Reprise decided to drop John Sebastian shortly after the album’s release; a rare and rather bizarre occasion when an artist reaches #1 and is subsequently dropped by their label. Seventeen years would pass before John Sebastian would make another record.

Still…

Welcome Back (the single) continues to resonate forty-nine (!) years later. Its laid-back melody and simple chorus reflect a simpler and more laid-back time. The song ferries you gently to the innocence of childhood, to that same old place that you’ve laughed about, to a decade when corduroy and polyester reigned, when bang cuts and mustaches were considered good ideas, when fifty shades of brown informed our rooms and furniture, an entire era bathed in shag, beckoning while crooning softly in your ear: welcome back, welcome back, welcome back…