The Goddess Speaks Jeannine Grenier-Wheeler

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David Cassidy redux;
I think I love you, still

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He's baack! That would be David Cassidy, otherwise known as Keith Partridge, the squeaky-clean pop idol of the 1970s, who turned the innocent hearts of teenage girls to mush.

I hadn't thought about Keith Partridge in more than 25 years. Until the other day I heard the sweet, sonorous sound of his voice in a new General Mill's TV commercial celebrating perhaps one of this country's greatest unions -- the marriage of a 7-foot-tall Cheerio and a "snap-dried" strawberry. The now 54-year-old, thrice-married Cassidy "officiated" the marriage, crooning out the old familiar tune.

I think I love you
So what am I so afraid of?
I'm afraid that I'm not sure of
A love there is no cure for ...

I admit it! I was a swooning prepubescent member of the David Cassidy Fan Club -- not quite old enough to appreciate the rebellious lyrics of Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones and Three Dog Night (you remember "Joy to the World").

But when I heard David Cassidy's voice the other day, I felt as if he'd never left us.

The poofed-up shag, the puka-shell necklace, the psychedelic pants and the winsome smile. This mega-star of The Partridge Family show, which aired 96 episodes from 1970-74, kept teenage girls across America glued to their TV sets every Friday night. And while my two brothers fantasized about Keith's comely sister Laurie (played by Susan Dey), my sister and I imagined ourselves snuggling up with Keith on the family's groovy, colorful tour bus.

In the midst of this revelry, I decided I needed to reconnect. I jumped on the Internet and grabbed the lyrics to his "I Think I Love You" song -- the No. 1 record of 1971 -- and began to serenade my family.

IN NO TIME, they were begging for mercy. But I couldn't help myself and for the next 24 hours, I was doomed to sing that tune. Those of my generation will remember the excitement ...

I'm sleeping
And right in the middle of a good dream
Then all at once I wake up
From something that keeps knocking at my brain
Before I go insane
I hold my pillow to my head
And spring up in my bed
Screaming out the words I dread ....
'I think I love you!' (I think I love you)

Did you know that there are still hundreds of David Cassidy fans out there? There are Web sites devoted to his career and hundreds of items bearing his likeness, including screensavers, CDs, books, photos, Christmas ornaments and hey, he's even in concert now in various locales around the world.

America is no longer a "David Cassidy-Free Zone" -- all thanks to a new cereal called BerryBurst Cheerios.

I haven't yet tried the cereal, but I'm hoping it sticks around for awhile; if not for the sake of General Mills, but for all the great memories of a nostalgic love for David, the bubbly songs of The Partridge Family and the sweet innocence of a girlhood gone by.

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The Goddess Speaks is a feature column by and
about women. If you have something to say, write
"The Goddess Speaks," 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813;
or e-mail features@starbulletin.com.

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