The Flintstones
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Meet the Flintstones (also worded as (Meet) the Flintstones) is the iconic theme song featured in the third through sixth seasons of the original series, The Flintstones. The song, however, was commercially released on album before its use on TV, and the song's melody was also heard as background music prior to it being adopted as the new theme.

Premise[]

In the opening version, Fred comes home from work at the Slate Rock and Gravel Company, happily and excitedly saying his most iconic catchphrase, "Yabba-Dabba-Doo!", slides on a dinosaur's back and tail with his feet and drives his Flintmobile on the way to pick up Wilma, Dino and Baby Puss (in the third season), Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm, Barney, and Betty (in the fourth through sixth seasons), plus he goes to the Bedrock Drive-In Theater to see a movie, The Monster.

In the closing version with the ending credits, after they see a movie in a drive-in theater, Fred and the whole gang goes to the Bronto-Burgers and Ribs Drive-in Restaurant and a waitress serves them some huge Bronto-Ribs, causing the Flintmobile to tilt. When Fred tries to put Baby Puss outside for the night after Wilma, Pebbles and Dino are in the house, the saber-toothed cat shuts the door on him. After that, Fred furiously and angrily pounds on the front door so many times, shouting, "WILMA!"

Lyrics[]

Chorus: Flintstones, meet the Flintstones
They're the modern stone age family
Hello, Fred and Wilma
They're a couple just like you and me

Fred: Dino is our little dinosaur
He's good, but nobody knows what for
Chorus: When you meet the Flintstones
Have a...
Fred: Yabba-Dabba-Doo time
A Dabba-Doo time
Chorus: You'll have a gay old time!

(instrumental break)

Chorus: Rubbles, meet the Rubbles
That's the other stone age family
Barney, and his Betty
They're as neighborly as they can be
Barney: Barney, I'm Fred's bosom buddy friend
Betty: As long as he has a buck to lend
Chorus: When you're with the Rubbles
Have a...
Barney: Scooba-Dooba-Doo time
A Dooba-Doo time
Chorus: You'll have a gay old time!

Fred Flintstone: Yabba-Dabba-Doo!

The Randy Van Horne Singers:
Flintstones, meet the Flintstones
There the modern stone age family
From the town of Bedrock
There a page right out of history

Let's ride with the family down the street
Through the courtesy of Fred's two feet
When you're with the Flintstones
Have a Yabba-Dabba-Doo time, a Dabba-Doo time
You'll have a gay old time

The Randy Van Horne Singers:
Flintstones, meet the Flintstones
There the modern stone age family
From the town of Bedrock
There a page right out of history

Someday, maybe Fred will win the fight
Then the cat will stay out for the night
When you're with the Flintstones
Have a Yabba-Dabba-Doo time, a Dabba-Doo time
You'll have a gay old time

You'll have a gay old time

Fred Flintstone: WILMA!

Flintstones, meet the Flintstones
There the modern stone age family
From the town of Bedrock
There a page right out of history

And with the Rubbles by their side
They'll have a long and happy life

'Cause, when you're with the Flintstones
Have a Yabba-Dabba-Doo time, a Dabba-Doo time
You'll have a gay old time

Viva Rock Vegas
Viva Rock Vegas
Viva Rock Vegas turnin' day into nighttime
Turnin' night into daytime
If you see it once
You'll never be the same again
(Yabba-dabba-yabba-dabba-yabba-dabba-yabba-dabba-doo!)

Viva Rock Vegas
(Yabba-dabba-doo!)
Viva Rock Vegas
(Yabba-dabba-doo!)
Viva, Viva Rock Vegas!

We'll have a gay old time
We'll have a gay old…
Time

Flintstones, meet the Flintstones
There the modern stone age family
From the town of Bedrock
There a page right out of history

And with the Rubbles by their side
They'll have a long and happy life

'Cause, when you're with the Flintstones
Have a Yabba-Dabba-Doo time, a Dabba-Doo time
You'll have a gay old time

We'll have a gay old…
Time

Alternate Covers[]

Over the years, other bands have recorded their own officially-licensed versions of the song which have been met with positive reception.

The B-52's[]

The B.C

The B.C. 52's cover of "Meet the Flintstones".

For the release of the 1994 live-action film, The B-52's made their own cover version of the iconic theme song as a tie-in for the film in which they guest-starred in under the stone age name of "The B.C. 52's", a fictional band within the film's version of Bedrock. Within the film "The B.C. 52's" version of the song also had an additional verse. The song was released as a single from the movie's soundtrack, peaking at number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was the band's joint highest entry on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart at number three, tying with "Summer of Love" from 1986. The single was also released in a limited edition clam-shaped case with stone-age themed cover, lettering and listing to match the stone age feel of the film.

Jacob Collier[]

On May 1, 2016, Jacob Collier released a multitrack jazz vocal cover of the song as the second single from his debut album In My Room which won him the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals for the cover at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

Reception[]

The song has been considered a cultural and iconic song since the 60s and is usually regarded as one of the most remembered cartoon intros of all time. In 2010, a PRS for Music survey of 2,000 adults in the UK found that the "Meet the Flintstones" theme tune was the most recognized children's TV theme, ahead of those for Top Cat and Postman Pat. The continued popularity of the song since its debut has also led to both official and fan-made remixes that are vast in numbers.

The B-52's version of song was also the band's second highest-charting single in the United Kingdom (the highest being "Love Shack" at number two), also peaking at number three.

Jazz Standard[]

The popularity of the song led to it becoming a Jazz standard, being included in larger jazz medleys as part of jazz humor while blending well with the music it is combined with. The International Association of Jazz Record Collectors refer to it as "campy" and "cheek by jowl". The song has been performed in the middle of a jazz medley with "It Never Entered My Mind" and "I Love Lucy". In 2015, The Brian Setzer Orchestra recorded a version with Christmas-themed lyrics entitled "Yabba-Dabba-Yuletide" on his Christmas album Rockin’ Rudolph.

Notes/Trivia[]

  • This song with the sing-along lyrics also appeared in the teaser trailer of the 1994 live-action film, The Flintstones.
  • During the 70s, the word "gay" in the lyrics was replaced with a new word, "groovy" in The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show and The Flintstone Comedy Hour, and later with "great" in The New Fred and Barney Show, its spinoffs, primetime specials and The Flintstone Comedy Show. However, the line remained unchanged in reruns of the original show and the franchise went back to using the original line in new productions starting with I Yabba-Dabba Do! in 1993.
  • In addition to the 1961 album, Songs of the Flintstones, it also featured a version of the song with completely different lyrics.
  • For many years, syndicated prints of episodes from Seasons 1 and 2 replaced the original opening and closing credits sequence and theme, "Rise and Shine", with "Meet the Flintstones," even though as a result many closing credits from the first season featured incorrect names. The original theme was restored when the series was recirculated in the 1990s.
  • In the closing version Fred should have used the window to get inside after geetting locked.
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