The Singer of ‘The Golden Girls’ Theme Is Still Thankful for ‘Thank You for Being a Friend’

Watching an episode of The Golden Girls is the television equivalent of eating a big, creamy slice of cheesecake. For 180 episodes across seven seasons, the sharply written, superbly acted sitcom offered highly comforting comedy that resulted in an incredible legacy. The show debuted on September 13, 1985 and it’s still a beloved comfort watch 40 years later — no matter your generation. 

In honor of the show’s anniversary, I reached out to Cindy Fee, who sang the show’s now deeply nostalgic theme song, “Thank You for Being a Friend.” Originally written and recorded by Andrew Gold, “Thank You for Being a Friend” was rerecorded for The Golden Girls by Fee, a session singer, who still loves to perform the song at Golden Girls conventions and other events. 

How did you come to record the theme song for The Golden Girls?

At the time, I was a very successful session singer, and this was probably one of three theme songs I sang that year. This just happened to be the show that went big. When I went into the studio, I didn’t know anything about it. I didn’t know what it was for. I just knew that I got this call for work, and when I got there, they told me a little bit about the show and that they had picked an Andrew Gold song.

Do you know how this song was chosen as the theme?

I have no idea, but I will say, when you listen to the lyrics, it makes a lot of sense that it was picked because it’s really about finding family, not a real family, but finding a family through friends.

What do you remember about the recording session?

It was a very quick session. I’m usually very, very fast. In this case, they would’ve played me Andrew Gold’s song, and they had already picked a key that they thought would work for my voice, which it did. I listened to it a couple of times, then I went into the booth and I sang it — I think twice. Then they said, “We think we have it but, just in case, let’s do another time,” and I did. 

Part of why I was very successful is that I sang from emotion. I don’t just sing from the notes. I listen to a tune, and then I do my own interpretation of it. I’m pretty quick because music has always just flowed through me.

Given what you said about emotion, is there anything about this song that resonated with you in particular?

I remember listening to the lyrics and thinking that it was a lovely thought because we don’t always thank our friends for being friends.

Listening to Andrew Gold’s version, was there anything you wanted to do differently than what he did with the song? 

Well, I don’t really ever think about it in terms of “How do I make this my own?” I listen to a tune, and I think about what the lyrics say, what they mean and then I just sing. That’s part of why I was very, very successful — because I didn’t approach anything like a session singer. I just plugged into my own creativity and sang it. I can’t even tell you if I remember what Andrew’s song was like. When I went in there, I’d meet people, and they’d tell me what it was about. 

Even though they told me a little bit about the show, I still had no concept, really. I mean, what was there on the air that was like that? Nothing. Would they put something like that on the air today? Hell no. Four women in their early 60s? It was a groundbreaking show in so many different ways, and I think that’s part of why its appeal still rings true today.

Do you have memories of the show first coming on and it blowing up?

I doubt very much, to be frank with you, that I even watched the first episode. It was on a Saturday night and I was 23 years old, so I’m sure I would’ve been out doing something on a Saturday night. But I do recall, fairly quickly, someone calling me and telling me the show was this big hit. So I’m sure I watched a few episodes later on when they came up.

I do remember, a number of years later when they had reruns on TV, being at the gym and someone had a TV on and it was playing The Golden Girls. I thought, “I’m going to watch the show because I haven’t seen it in quite a while.” I remember thinking that I understood the show’s popularity and its longevity because of the fact that the episode that I was watching was an episode where Bea Arthur’s character found out that the man she was dating was married. So, Blanche is saying, “Go for it! You deserve happiness,” while Rose is saying, “No, it’s wrong.” I remember thinking, “I get it now, because that is something that every woman of any age has had happened to her at least once or twice in her life.”

They showed these episodes that were relevant to women in particular, but weren’t really age-related. That’s why so many people of all ages love the show — and certainly gay men as well. It was an eye-opening experience for me. My manager says, “The Golden Girls is still where it’s at because funny never dies,” but I think it’s about issues that affect all of us. And, certainly, in some ways, it’s much easier to talk to your friends — your found family — than it is to talk to your regular family.

From your experience, is there a secret to a great theme song?

Well, first of all, it’s got to be catchy music. Certainly, it has to have lyrics that mean something and have something to do with the show. For example, I’m old enough to remember the Patty Duke theme song and that was fabulous, as was the one from Gilligan’s Island. So, songs that have something to do with the show and songs that had catchy melodies or some kind of hook, whether it’s an instrumental hook or a vocal hook, something that draws people back in. 

You still perform the song at Golden Girls conventions and things like that. Does it ever get tiresome for you?

No, because it means so much to so many people. I mean, when I walk out on stage to sing this song, if I’m opening or closing a Golden Girls show of some sort, people start crying.

My last question for you is: Are you a fan of cheesecake? And, if so, how do you like it?

I do like cheesecake. I like cheesecake with cherries because that’s how my mom always made it.