Ja'net DuBois wrote ''The Jeffersons'' theme song without seeing the show
Ja'net DuBois was more than just her Good Times character. On the show, she played Willona Woods, Florida Evans' best friend who lived in the same building as the Evans family. She was basically a member of the family, her character often visited the Evans family apartment and they shared some of the same struggles.
Although the role was massive and impacted generations of sitcom watchers, DuBois should've been a superstar and it was something she was well aware of. The actress spent seven years of her career on Broadway. She was a playwright with a successful soap opera in her credits. Most importantly, she wrote and sang the theme song of The Jeffersons, which could be heard as the opener to every episode of the show's 11 seasons.
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"I know that I should be doing more—my career should be much further along than it is with all of these various talents I have," DuBois told The Sacramento Bee in 1975. The actress was humble and grateful for her progress, but she deserved more opportunities and recognition than what she was given.
With the success of the theme song and her role in Good Times, everyone should've known DuBois. The opening lyrics, "Well we movin' on up, to the east side. To a deluxe apartment, in the sky," are words viewers found themselves singing for 253 episodes of The Jeffersons. In the interview, she also talked about writing the theme song without seeing the show. Producers called her and asked if she could "compose a theme for a new show." They told her the basis, and she wrote it that night.
"They asked me how was I able to write that song without ever seeing what the show was about. I didn't have to see it to know. I know what we're going to do when we get some money; we're going to move; move to the hills or somewhere," DuBois added. "The first thing we're going to do is move out—move on up. And this is what they did, right? We always do."
Ja'net DuBois was a multi-skilled actress who deserved so much more than what the industry gave her, but the legacy she left will live on through The Jeffersons' theme song and her Good Times character.
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