What do the lyrics of the ballad of Gilligan's Island mean

In this author's view, there are four perfect TV theme songs in the history of the medium. For instrumentals, the two best themes are Jack Marshall's surf-like monster music for “The Munsters” and Danny Elfman's Platonic-ideal-of-a-haunted-house music for “Tales from the Crypt.”

About theme songs with Two of the greatest lyrics of all time weren't by Sherwood Schwartz, coincidentally. He and Frank de Waal composed the handy, catchy theme for Schwartz's own sitcom The Brady Bunch, while Schwartz teamed up with George Wyle for The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle. These two theme songs, only about 60 seconds each, managed to succinctly explain the premise of their respective shows while also introducing each of the characters. Moreover, the songs are catchy earworms that burrow deep into the brains of the listeners, latch onto the memory and never let go. When I'm 90 and my brain has thrown away all memories of my life and family, I'll still be able to sing the Gilligan's Island theme song.

“The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle” explains to potential viewers that the show's seven main characters were on a three-hour tour of Hawaii when their ship, the SS Minnow, ran into bad weather. The ship was damaged and washed up on an unmarked deserted island in the Pacific Ocean. Seven characters are listed: Gilligan (Bob Denver), Captain (Alan Hale Jr.), Millionaire (Jim Backes) and his wife (Natalie Shaffer), Movie Star (Tina Louise), Professor (Russell Johnson), and Mary Ann (Dawn Wells ).

“The Ballad of Gilligan's Island” has a lot of history and several interesting stories about its creation. First, the well-known “Ballade” was not the first suggested theme song. Another band that recorded it was forced to gather in the studio. And, of course, there is the matter of the well-known “And the rest” controversy. Read on for all the facts.

The original pilot for Gilligan's Island was quite different from the show that actually aired. While Denver, Hale, Backus and Schafer were involved, the professor was originally a high school teacher played by Jon Gabriel. There was a character named Ginger, but she wasn't a movie star. She was a secretary played by Kit Smith. There was no Mary Ann, but the second secretary, Ginger's best friend Bunny, played by Nancy McCarthy. After a few workshops, Sherwood Schwartz redesigned the Professor with Russell Johnson and invented the Ginger and Mary Ann we know today.

To keep with the spirit of the show's nautical themes, this original pilot theme song had a distinct calypso sound, complete with a different set of lyrics. The original theme was written by future film score maestro John Williams, with lyrics sung by Schwartz himself. Schwartz was said to imitate the famous calypso master Sir Lancelot. (No, it's not sung by Mel Blanc.) The original pilot, titled “Marooned,” wasn't made available to the public until TBS aired it on October 16, 1992. Now of course original John Williams song is widely available online.

Perhaps finding the calypso song too silly (and having to rewrite the lyrics to accommodate the new characters), Schwartz settled on the well-known sea shack we all know and love today. This new theme song for the first season of Gilligan's Island was performed by a band called the Wellingtons. Despite their name, the Wellingtons were not from England, but from Illinois. They also changed their original name to the Lincolns to get money for the British invasion. The Wellingtons even appeared in an episode of Gilligan's Island. performing as a fictional band called the Mosquitoes.

There's an amusing story that Schwartz told about the recording of “The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle.” with Wellingtons. It seems that he needed the subject on tape as soon as possible, but thanks to some planning errors, all the local recording studios were closed. Luckily a close friend of his had one at home and the Wellingtons were rushed over. Unfortunately, a close friend was preparing for a party, so the Wellingtons could only record in between spurts of party preparation noise.

“Ballads”, as many know, had to be re-recorded after the first season of “The Island” due to a credit dispute. Tina Louise, who played Ginger, appeared to have arranged for her credits to be listed last, prompting Schwartz and the Wellingtons to sing “And the rest” as the credits rolled for Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells.

Bob Denver, seeing Louise's stipulation as unfair to Johnson and Welles—who were as important to Gilligan's Island as any other cast member—basically won her over. It appears that Denver also had a rule that allowed him to be listed her credit wherever he wanted. So he threatened to pass his credit after Louise, knowing that he had the right to do so as he played the eponymous character. Rather than fight Denver, Louise capitulated and a new theme song was written to replace “And the rest” with “The Professor and Mary Ann”.

The new theme song, which was used in the second and third seasons of the show, was performed a singing group called Corresponding. The Wellingtons had little more than a professional music career beyond their Gilligan's Island gig, but the Eligibles were more of a winged musical act who didn't do much outside of singing “Ballades”. We do know they were visiting with Eartha Kitt.

The original “Gilligan's Island” lasted only 98 episodes over three seasons. The story goes that a new CBS executive wanted to cancel the long-running western hit “Gunsmoke” to make room for some new shows, but the older executive's wife complained. “Gunsmoke” was her favorite series. So the cast of “Gunsmoke” was hired at higher salaries, and CBS had to cancel “Gilligan's Island” to compensate.

Although “Gilligan's Island” only lasted three years, it was syndicated endlessly, with reruns airing on television for literally decades. Interest in the show remained strong, so spin-offs were inevitable in the form of subsequent TV movies and two animated shows. All the cast returned for all the sequels and spin-offs, except for Tina Louise, who happily stepped down to work on other projects.

The first of two animated shows was 1974's The New Adventures of Gilligan, which merely continued the outcast's adventures on the same island. Because it was released by Filmation and aired on ABC, the new show, although also created by Sherwood Schwartz, needed the rights to “The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle” to use it. When the production could not secure said rights, the show's managers opted for a spoken substitute “Ballads” read by the actors. It was … close to the original theme song, but legally different. Strangely enough, Denver didn't read any of the opening poems.

The same “spoken word” approach was adopted for 1982's Gilligan's Planet, an animated sci-fi spin-off from the original show that transposed the setting to a distant alien world (!). This show, also on Filmation and aired on ABC, lasted only one season. To this point, it was the last piece of authorized “Gilligan's Island” media to be produced (aside from a few crossovers with shows like “ALF” and “Baywatch”).

Here, for posterity's sake, is a full transcription of the lyrics to “The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle”:

• Just sit down and you will hear a fairy tale, a story of a fateful journey,
• It started from this tropical harbor, on this little ship.
• The owner was a mighty sailor, the captain brave and confident.
• That day, five passengers went on a three-hour excursion. A three-hour tour.
• (Cloak of Thunder)
• The weather began to get rough, the little ship was tossed about.
• If not for the courage of the intrepid crew, the Minnow would have been lost. The minnow would be gone.
• The ship landed on the shore of this unmarked desert island.
• With Gilligan, also a captain, a millionaire and his wife.
• Movie Star and the Others*
• Here on Gilligan's Island!

* “And the rest”, as mentioned above, was replaced by “The Professor and Maria Anna” in the second season.

Schwartz also composed the lyrics for a variation of “Ballades” played over the show's closing credits, sung to the same tune. They went:

• Now this is the story of our forsaken. They have been here for a long, long time.
• They will have to make the best of it, it's an uphill climb.
• The first mate and his captain will also do their best
• For the rest to be comfortable in their tropical island nest.
• (Speaking) No phone! There is no light! (sung) without cars. No luxury.
• Like Robinson Crusoe, it's as primitive as it gets.
• So join us here every week, my friends, you are sure to get a smile
• Of the Seven Deadly Abandons, here on Gilligan's Island.

By the way, “Weird Al” Jankovic also borrowed the bit about phones and lights and the reference to Robinson Crusoe for his hit song “Amish Paradise.”

Now, dear readers, I invite you to forget the lyrics. It may never happen.