May 8, 1976 –
John Sebastian’s theme song to the TV series Welcome Back, Kotter, Welcome Back, hits No. 1 on the Billboard Charts on this date.
Since it was written for the TV show, the song was less than a minute long. Viewers loved the song and related to the message about returning to the place where you laughed and your dreams were born. It became clear that there was demand for a full-length song, so Sebastian wrote a second verse and it was released as a single. Although the song does not have the word “Kotter” anywhere in the lyrics or title, the first pressings of the single were released as “Welcome Back, Kotter,” to make sure everyone connected the song with the TV show.
The Haus of Dcaligari 