"The series chronicles the rocky coexistence of midwestern American Larry Appleton and his distant cousin from eastern Mediterranean Europe, Balki Bartokomous."
(For a more detailed premise, see below)
Standing tall, on the wings of my dream.
Rise and fall, on the wings of my dream.
The rain and thunder
The wind and haze
I'm bound for better days.
It's my life and my dream,
Nothing's going to stop me now.
I was pretty young when the show was on, but remember it from ABC's TGIF line-up (if you don't know what the TGIF line-up is, that's just one sad life you've lived). I especially remember Balki saying "Don't be reedicoolose" (ridiculous) whenever his uptight cousin was being reedicoolose (which was often) (see extended premise below...).
Recently my sister Elizabeth told me that she pretty much always has the theme song for Perfect Strangers running through her head. I thought it was crazy until she texted me the lyrics - they're really inspirational!! (Unlike the Odd Couple theme song, which is constantly stuck in my head...)
Sometimes the world looks perfect,
Nothing to rearrange.
Sometimes you just, get a feeling
Like you need some kind of change.
No matter what the odds are this time,
Nothing's going to stand in my way.
This flame in my heart,
And a long lost friend
Gives every dark street a light at the end.
Sometimes you just, get a feeling
Like you need some kind of change.
No matter what the odds are this time,
Nothing's going to stand in my way.
This flame in my heart,
And a long lost friend
Gives every dark street a light at the end.
Standing tall, on the wings of my dream.
Rise and fall, on the wings of my dream.
The rain and thunder
The wind and haze
I'm bound for better days.
It's my life and my dream,
Nothing's going to stop me now.
I mean, seriously - I'm a little misty-eyed right now! You guys, NOTHING'S GONNA STOP ME NOW!!! I may have to memorize it and make it my mantra. You're welcome to do that, too. Then report back here ways it's inspired you!
So, a big thanks to my big sis for an inspirational Lyrical Thursdays!!
A more detailed synopsis of the series:
The series chronicles the relationship of Larry Appleton (Mark Linn-Baker) and his distant cousin Balki Bartokomous (Bronson Pinchot). Larry, a Wisconsin native from a large family, has just moved into his first apartment in Chicago, Illinois, and is savoring his first taste of privacy when Balki, a hitherto-unknown cousin from a Mediterranean island, Mypos, arrives intending to move in with him. Balki, who was a shepherd on Mypos, interprets what little he knows about the United States by relying on his own (often out-of-context) recollections of American pop culture ("America: Land of my dreams and home of the Whopper"). Balki's signature is his "Dance of Joy", a cross between the dosado and the hokey pokey that he performs (with Larry) to celebrate good fortune. He debuts it in the third episode, "First Date", at a singles bar when he realizes that the song the band is playing sounds like the "Dance of Joy".
After initially gently rebuffing his cousin's request to stay at his apartment, aspiring-photographer Larry decides to take Balki under his wing and teach him about American life. However, the neurotic Larry frequently proves to be as inept as Balki, if not more so, and often gets the pair into situations that only Balki can set right. Major influences on the show include "buddy sitcoms" such asLaverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy, both of which were produced by the Perfect Strangers team. Balki's famous quote was "Don't be ridiculous" and Larry's was "Watch and learn." Often when Larry says no to something Balki had set his mind on, Balki would cry until Larry feels sorry for him and gives in.
