“These are the Days,” a rare, updated version of the All in the Family theme, sung by the show’s cast. After first listening to it, I figured it was nothing more than a cute redux of the original. Turns out it was Norman Lear’s attack on the FCC for moving his show from Saturdays at 8pm to Mondays at 9. It was never aired.
From Wikipedia’s entry on the FCC ruling:
Producer Norman Lear, citing an infringement on creative freedom and on his First Amendment rights, mounted a lawsuit with the support of varying guilds including the WGA, but the case was later dropped. The show’s cast responded by recording a satirical, never-aired rendition of the show’s theme song, retitled “These Are the Days.”
Coolest part of the video: Listen in the beginning as Jean Stapelton catches herself from saying “are” instead of “were” when naming the original song. Also, Rob Reiner should sing more.
