Gimme a Break - Original Intro

[Holloway6151975]

Nell Carter actually sang the intro herself

[781042]

Yeah I agree it does

[tvpirate05]

That sax solo at the end makes this theme song!

[cybertek3188]

Nell Carter was on that show hangin' with Mr. Cooper. I didn't know she died!!!!

[SweetLondon34]

Ur right @ Tolstoy111, i remember another version

[Immortal1000]

R.I.P. Nell Carter and Dolph Sweet

[jevonk]

The grandpa used to crack me up. "I can't sleep in Nell's bed. Great big sag in the middle!" HaHaHaHa!

[dpc1994]

The youngest daughter on the show, Lara Jill Miller, voices a cartoon character called Wubbzy that my toddler watches. Had no idea who the voice was until I watched the credits one day.  I remember watching "Give Me a Break" when I was a kid. Good show.

[WrestlingHeretic]

@dpc1994

She voices Widget, actually. Grey DeLisle voices Wubbzy.

[dpc1994]

@WrestlingHeretic Thanks. 

[mccarrpo]

This version sucks.

[Tolstoy111]

@mccarrpo What other version is there? They replaced with a different song.

[Tina85ok]

I love this show, take me back to the 80's please! lol :)

[vbvolleyballguy]

Damn I i remember this show! Straight throwback!

 Nell Carter is What Tyler Perry Wants to be. LMAO!!

[vbvolleyballguy]

Damn I iremember this show! Straight throwback!

[25phillycheesesteak]

Like it!!

[kimJosette]

The most ideal mother in the world! I loved her!

[assasinmark]

RIP Nell Carter and Dolph Sweet

[jriley1992]

I would be pissed off if my goldfish got vacuumed.

[rsmelto]

it looks like she ate everybodys piece of the cake

[buck2239]

I was very young, but this was one of my fav shows. She was so stong!

[PhysStud2006]

I had a huge crush on Kari Michaelsen!

[Smartboy8877]

@PhysStud2006

My crush was always Lauri Hendler!  I thought that Julie was hot stuff! Especially when she would wear designer boots! Oh baby!

[calgyrl1]

Now this is old skool t.v.

[marshallsimon]

Lauri Hendler was Ralph Malph's Cousin on Happy Days.

[PaperMoon2010]

I like the original theme but I also like the newer theme from season 3 a little bit better. :)

[pdynamics1]

I forgot about this show. Nell Carter reminds me of Oprah Winfrey

[midnightxoxosann]

@pdynamics1 me tooooo

[cowsquid]

this is the theme I remember... with the fish tank vacuum cleaner

[Disneydanny]

Version 1B (there were 2 vwersionsa of the Season 1 &2 theme) was better but not as good as the Season 3 theme

[amastara]

wow how close to the mammy archetype can u get

[DarkWillUser]

@amastara why do you say that? Nell was NOTHING like that on the show. For most of the series' run she was the head of the household after the death of the father, and even before his death, she took no crap from anyone.

[amastara]

@DarkWillUser hence the semi-modern mammy archetype...maybe you equate "mammy " with the the subservient big black woman, which is correct bc its one of the original depictions, however mammys have always had a controlling "i take no bs" persona when it came to their own kids while they'd do ANYTHING for white kids.hattie mcdaniel set the bar in Gone with the wind as far as broadening the extent of control.we learned about that in my ethnic relations course...u should look it up its interesting

[Disneydanny]

they must've tweaked this version because I havew this theme on a CD of Tv themes I bought but while it's the same tune the backup sinngers song a little bit more on the one I have

[Cokejoint]

I liked second version of the theme song better, but this still is a good one too.

[lurch321]

I always thought Dolph was the best actor out of the whole cast (yes, including Nell...........even though I liked her too).

[NotTooObvious]

i miss nell

[vineyardhouse]

DOES ANYONE REMEMBER P.O.R.K.O. PEOPLE ORGANIZED to REDUCE and KICK OBESITY...  I LOVED NELL!!!!!

[14DaveHunter]

I loved both theme songs. I didn't like Joey Lawence joining the cast, because I thought he played a brat to well. When he played in Blossom, I changed my view of him. He didn't get typecasted from Gimme a Break.

[SNSW1]

The themes songs are different, they have different beats and different lyrics. this is done purposely, the first theme signals Nell's arrival to the family, while the later theme, signaled that Nell has found her place in life, listen to these themes carefully, I know you might like one more than the other, but these themes are made to reflect the story lines and characters for where they are now in the show.

[tonmagicwon]

@SNSW1 @JRAMBOXL this is the version that was given to the show when nell carter wasnt in control and the whimsical like begining seems to almost demean her character as being the but of the jokes..ie.{big black lady lets laff} she soon took controll of her show and smoothed it out the way she liked it as an black american ,i like them both but love the 2nd better

[SNSW1]

The theme song still reflects the sitcom story line, I already knew the background infomation behind the scenes, but don't connect theme songs with what goes on behind the scenes, rather pay attention to the series and how it unfolds and you will understand why the theme changed. @tonmagicwon

[AllisonTheSNLGuru]

I used to watch this, but not until the later years (I was born in 1982). I always associated this show the the later theme song, but that's only because I don't think I've ever seen the earlier episodes.

[MikeLutton]

kind of like other version better

[vision10169666]

check out nell singin in hair the musical --check out "im black aint got no"

[bethshair]

Yes, I like the original theme much better too!

[bonjovigirl2011]

@bethshair me too , love it. thanks who upload it.

[JRAMBOXL]

I love this version of the theme better then the one they replaced it with. Why would you mess with something that good?

[evangar]

@JRAMBOXL I like this version too. The one used in later seasons kinda has a sullen and depressed undertone to it. That may be intentional; didn't the actor that played the father pass away halfway through the run of the show? I think his death was written into the script. Not sure, haven't watch the show since the 80s.

[mooky9669]

@evangar They wrote Dolph Sweet's death into the show in an episode called "Joey's Train". The show wasn't the same without the Chief.

[jmjfanss]

@mooky9669

And it got worse when the girls left.

[tonmagicwon]

@JRAMBOXL this is the version that was given to the show when nell carter wasnt in control and the whimsical like begining seems to almost demean her character as being the but of the jokes..ie.{big black lady lets laff} she soon took controll of her show and smoothed it out the way she liked it as an black american ,i like them both but love the 2nd better

[amastara]

@JRAMBOXL bcby that time this sound was seriously outdated and it was just time for something new. i noticed that they do this when there arent as many viewers as there were before

[geofosman]

@JRAMBOXL exactly!

[VideoVixen24]

@JRAMBOXL

They messed it up TWICE! The third version is even worse than the second. : (

[kictola]

@JRAMBOXL I agree with you i like the original theme song better. But i read somewhere that the songs told a story. the first one was about her now moving in and taking up her role as mom/housekeeper (e.g. ....plan my arrival....) while the other song had words like now( i know what it takes...)

[MegaSchoolRocks]

@JRAMBOXL This one was so great and so catchy and the next one was almost depressing!!! :-(

[Juliaflo]

@JRAMBOXL I second that, and hope you have a Merry Christmas.

[jmjfanss]

@JRAMBOXL

Because the 80's were very big now.



[jimyjam99]

Did Nell ask "What happened to my piece of the cake?" It looks like she ate it!

[coolbmartin]

I used to watch it, Neil Carter was pretty good in it.

[Prizm2356]

This should be my theme song

[malistar75]

I would watch Gimme break on the clock!

Loved this show..

[poutaine]

Kari Michaelsen was almost cast in the part of Jo on The Facts of Life.

[wandertwins]

love and miss you NELL!

[tanquantwal]

I used to love this show

[MoulonStooge]

I remember Kari Michaelson. You can see some of her side boob in Saturday the 14th.

[tnawcwvictoria]

Here are some facts:

Kari Michaelsen guest starred in Season 3 of Full House and Laurie Hendler and Lara Jill Miller are both doing voiceovers.

and both Laurie and Lara both have official webpages.

[wandertwins]

love you NELL!

[ProcrastinatingGuy]

wow, r u serious?! this is the original!? not to beat it, but i prefer the other ones with a bit more kick in it...

[tetragramgoddess11]

wow-amazing, the things i forget. seeing the cast brings it back. where are they now (the kids, anyway)?

[meowfit]

I know that Lara Jill Miller is doing a lot of voice acting, as she can be heard in Clifford the Big Red Dog and Wow Wow Wubbzy:)

[emlsox4life]

@meowfit I believe she did Digimon also am I correct on that?

[meowfit]

Yes. I just lookes this up on her website, and she voiced a character named "Kari" on Digimon: Digital Monsters. Ms. Miller's resume, for voice acting alone is quite extensive:)

[MrLogoman007]

@meowfit Straight up, man! And that's the truth.

[MrLogoman007]

@meowfit Not to mention she's also the voice of the girl on Digimon everybody wants...... Kari.

[MikeLutton]

sounds differnt to me not sure why it does good video

[Frank371292]

The original theme was changed a little in Season 2, which seems to be the version of the original theme heard more often.

[mooky9669]

now that I hear the original, I can tell it was changed a bit in season 2..which I perfer that theme better.