And Then There's Maude

"And Then There's Maude (Maude's Theme)" is the theme song for the television series Maude (1972–1978), written by Marilyn and Alan Bergman and Dave Grusin, and performed by Donny Hathaway.

Keeping with the theme of the liberal persona Maude (played by Bea Arthur) embodied, the theme lyrics compared historical figures Lady Godiva, Joan of Arc, Isadora Duncan and Betsy Ross to Maude.

"Lady Godiva was a freedom rider, She didn't care if the whole world looked,

Joan of Arc with the Lord to guide her, She was a sister who really cooked,

Isadora was the first bra-burner, Ain't ya glad she showed up? (Oh yeah!)

And when the country was fallin' apart, Betsy Ross got it all sewed up.

(CHORUS): (And then there's Maude), And then there's Maude, (And then there's Maude), And then there's Maude, (And then there's Maude), And then there's Maude, (And then there's.....),

That uncompromisin', enterprisin', anything but tranquilizin', Right on Maude!"

In popular culture

• Columnist Christopher Muther of The Boston Globe picked "And Then There's Maude" as his favorite television theme song of the 1970s.^[1]
• In the sitcom Seinfeld in Season 5, Episode 21: "The Hamptons," when Elaine walks out of the house to lie on the chair, Jerry says "Then there's Maude".
• Rosie O'Donnell sang the theme song during an episode of The Rosie O'Donnell Show while Bea Arthur was a guest.
• The song was also parodied on the Family Guy episode "No Meals on Wheels", in which it contains an extended version with a comically larger number of historical references to Madame Curie, Clara Barton, Susan B. Anthony, Pocahontas, Indira Gandhi, Babe Zaharias, Amelia Earhart, and Cleopatra. This version was sung by vocalist Arnold McCuller (one of James Taylor's backing vocalists for many years).
• The Wisconsin Band plays the song before the start of every home hockey game.
• Ned Flanders referenced "And then there's Maude, and then there's Maude!" in The Simpsons episode "Viva Ned Flanders"
• In The West Wing episode "The Wake Up Call", C.J. Cregg refers to the then British Ambassador to the United States - Lord John Marbury, with the statement "And then there's Maude".

Notes