Gloria Loring | Talking Friends & Lovers and Singing The Facts of Life, Part 1

Gloria Loring | Talking Friends & Lovers and Singing The Facts of Life, Part 1

Author: 134 West | Susan Lambert Hatem & Sharon Johnson May 21, 2025 Duration: 53:03
“When I sang, I knew who was on the stage. When I got off the stage, I was very shy, couldn’t look people in the eye. But when I was ON the stage I was just filled with my own light.”  - Gloria Loring

Susan and Sharon welcome Gloria Loring -- singer, song-writer, actress, author and diabetes advocate.  Known for her Number One hit “Friends & Lovers”, Gloria is also the legendary co-composer and singer of the impossible to forget Facts of Life theme song!

THE CONVERSATION
  • WHERE THE MUSIC COMES FROM: Five generations of musicians -- all the way down to her son Robin Thicke, and grandson.
  • Slamming doors, thrown dishes and late-night fights -- learning that her father, a brilliant musician, was also an alcoholic.
  • ON SINGING: “It was the only thing that made me feel important or valued. When I sang, I was beautiful, I was powerful, people watched me, people listened to me -- every kid wants that."
  • THE GLAMOROUS LIFE: Gloria’s early days as a singer -- living in a cheap motel room and surviving on a quart of milk, a box of cereal and a can of peas!
  • Arranging a “chance” meeting with Ed Sullivan -- and four years later she’s on his show!
  • Future husband Alan Thicke brought something special along on his first date with Gloria: his parents!
  • THE DAYS OF “THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES”: Laughs, pranks, songs, love -- and a steady job for six-and-a-half years!
  • SETTING INTENTIONS: Gloria says out loud to the universe: “I want to record a hit record” -- and a week later she’s recording “Friends & Lovers”.
  • ON COINCIDENCES: “I left ‘Days of our Lives’, my divorce from Alan Thicke became final, my first book was released and “Friends & Lovers” hit number one -- all in the same week.” 
  • BECOMING A DIABETES BOOKWRITER: When her son Brennan was diagnosed with diabetes, she (and Alan Thicke) became creative fundraisers, spokespersons and she became an author
  • COOKING ON DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Recipes traded by cast members led to the Days of Our Lives Celebrity Cookbook to raise money for Diabetes Research Foundation.
So, join Susan and Sharon -- and Gloria -- as they talk Tommy Dorsey, Thicke of the Night, Carol Burnett, advocating for diabetes, Merv Griffin -- and hiding runaway potatoes under lettuce leaves at the White House!

AUDIO-OGRAPHY
Watch Season 2 and 3 of The Facts of Life for free on Tubi.
Buy the complete season on DVD at Ebay.
Visit the official website for GloriaLoring.com

VITAL READING
Check out Democracy Docket here.
Learn more about the ACLU here.

Let your voice be heard! 
Call your reps. Make 5 Calls makes it easy.

CONNECT
Visit 80sTVLadies.com for transcripts.
Sign up for the 80s TV Ladies mailing list.
Support us and get ad-free episodes on PATREON. 

This year is the 45th anniversary of President Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech. Get Susan’s new play about it: Confidence (and the Speech) at

Remember those iconic women from television who defined an era? 80s TV Ladies revisits the groundbreaking, often delightfully campy, female-driven series that filled our living rooms with big hair and even bigger personalities. Hosts Susan Lambert Hatem and Sharon Johnson, under the 134 West banner, aren't just offering nostalgic recaps. They dig into the fascinating stories behind how shows like "Murder, She Wrote," "Kate & Allie," or "Designing Women" were actually made, examining the creative forces and network battles that brought them to air. Each episode explores how the politics and social climate of the 1980s shaped these narratives, and conversely, how the characters and stories themselves pushed cultural conversations forward, often in a complex dance of progress and tradition. This podcast celebrates the legacy of these programs while honestly assessing their place in history through that "two-steps forward, one-step-back" lens. It's a deep, engaging listen for anyone who loves television history, cultural analysis, and the powerful, complicated women who made the decade's TV so memorable. The show's quality is underscored by its recognition as a 4-time Podcast Awards winner and a Webby nominee for Best Indie Podcast. Tune in for thoughtful, well-researched discussions that go far beyond the opening credits.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

80s TV Ladies
Podcast Episodes
Ch-ch-ch-changes: The 20 Most Revolutionary 80s Music Videos, Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:07
"Music videos were an avenue for women to break into directing, which was really important at the time. A lot of women basically got their start directing music videos because nobody wanted to do them... until they becam…
Ch-ch-ch-changes: The 20 Most Revolutionary 80s Music Videos, Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:49
"The more that things change, the more they stay the same... Nevertheless, we have to keep pushing forward. We have to keep moving that line forward in order to make a better tomorrow for all of us." - Sharon JohnsonWelc…
RERUN: Bruce Boxleitner | The Scarecrow And Mrs. King Years, Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:22
“Katie and I, our relationship could be a little exciting -- I had to watch my step, I had to toe the line. I had to behave myself or I’d get taken to the principal’s office... And she was the principal.” -- Bruce Boxlei…