Rainbow Connection
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| "Rainbow Connection" | |
|---|---|
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| Template:Infobox song/link by Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog | |
| from the album The Muppet Movie: Original Soundtrack Recording | |
| B-side | "I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along" |
| Released | Script error: No such module "Date time". |
| Recorded | 1978 |
| Studio | A&M (Hollywood, California) |
| Genre | |
| Length | Script error: No such module "hms". |
| Label | |
| [[Songwriter|SongwriterTemplate:Pluralize from text]] | |
| [[Record producer|ProducerTemplate:Pluralize from text]] |
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"Rainbow Connection" is a song from the 1979 film The Muppet Movie, with music and lyrics written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher.[1] The song was performed by Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog during the film's opening number, where it opens with Kermit sitting alone on a log in the swamp, playing the song on his banjo. The song is an integral part of Kermit's character's arc, since it establishes his dream of "making millions of people happy", which motivates his journey to Hollywood throughout the film.
"Rainbow Connection" reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1979, with the song remaining in the Top 40 for seven weeks in total.[2] Williams and Ascher received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song at the 52nd Academy Awards.[3]
In 2020, "Rainbow Connection" was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry.[4]
Production
Williams and Ascher, who had previously collaborated on several songs for the 1976 film A Star Is Born, were tasked with writing the songs for The Muppet Movie. For the song that became "Rainbow Connection", Jim Henson told them that the opening scene should feature Kermit the Frog by himself, singing and playing the banjo. Williams and Ascher wrote most of the song fairly quickly at Williams's house but got stuck trying to think of appropriate words for the part in the chorus that eventually became the phrase "the rainbow connection"; they were looking for a way to tie in the chorus to the song's theme of rainbows. As they sat down for dinner with Williams's then-wife, Kate Clinton, they explained to her their predicament of looking for a phrase that would provide "a rainbow connection", then realized, in the course of explaining the problem to her, that the phrase "the rainbow connection" would itself be a good fit.[5] Williams and Ascher used "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio as inspiration for the song.[6]
Williams has said that his favorite lyrics in the song are in the second verse, which begins with "Who said that every wish / Would be heard and answered / When wished on the morning star?", because they imply that "there's power in your thoughts".[5] He also noted that the lyrical phrasing was written weirdly with Kermit's speech patterns in mind.[7]
Critical reception and awards
Allmusic described "Rainbow Connection" as an "unlikely radio hit ... which Kermit the Frog sings with all the dreamy wistfulness of a short, green Judy Garland"[8] and went on to add that "'Rainbow Connection' serves the same purpose in The Muppet Movie that 'Over the Rainbow' served in The Wizard of Oz, with nearly equal effectiveness: an opening establishment of the characters' driving urge for something more in life."[8] Others have similarly referred to "Rainbow Connection" as the film's "I Want" song.[9]
Ascher and Williams received Oscar nominations at the 52nd Academy Awards for the score of The Muppet Movie and for "Rainbow Connection", which was nominated for Best Original Song.[10] The score lost to Bob Fosse's All That Jazz.[11] The song lost to "It Goes Like It Goes" from Norma Rae, a win that some critics denounced.[12][13]
Legacy and other Muppet renditions
The song's name has been used by a number of charitable organizations wishing to evoke its message, including a children's charity similar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation,[14] a summer camp for seriously ill children,[15] and a horseriding camp for people with disabilities.[16] The name's influence can also be seen from business names[17] to artificial Christmas tree products.[18][original research?]
The American Film Institute named "Rainbow Connection" the 74th greatest movie song of all time in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs.[19]
Kermit the Frog reprised the song on The Muppet Show in 1981 as a duet with Debbie Harry when she was a guest star. Jeff Moss and Ralph Burns also quoted the song's intro as the intro to the instrumental, "carriage ride" rendition of "Together Again" that segued into the Muppet Babies song sequence, "I'm Gonna Always Love You" in The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). The song is also reprised by a large group of Muppets as the closing number in the 1985 special The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years.
Kermit reprises the song in the 2011 film The Muppets, this time as a duet with Miss Piggy that leads into the entire Muppet group singing together. A shorter version of the song performed by tribute band "The Moopets", along with Fozzie Bear, is also used in the film. The iTunes release of The Muppets soundtrack included a new version of the song as an exclusive bonus track, recorded by Steve Whitmire as Kermit. The song was also reprised in the TV series The Muppets, in the 2015 episode "Pig's in a Blackout".
In 1996 in Whanganui, New Zealand, a 21-year-old man burst into the radio station Star FM and took the manager hostage, demanding that Kermit the Frog's rendition of the song be played.[20]
On September 24, 2011, the town of Leland, Mississippi, changed the name of a local bridge to "The Rainbow Connection" in honor of Henson on what would have been his 75th birthday. Henson had lived in Leland and played near the bridge as a child.[21]
On January 7, 2019, Kermit and Jimmy Fallon performed "Rainbow Connection" on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.[22]
On April 25, 2020, Disney released a new performance of the song (performed by Matt Vogel as Kermit the Frog) on social media to lift spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic.[23]
On January 14, 2022, during Epcot's Festival of the Arts, "Rainbow Connection" was featured in a lighting display on Spaceship Earth.[24]
Charts
| Chart (1979–1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[25] | 14 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 25 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary[26] | 18 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1980) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[27] | 98 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[28] | Gold | 500,000 |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Carpenters version
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| "The Rainbow Connection" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Infobox song/link by Carpenters | ||||
| from the album As Time Goes By | ||||
| Language | English | |||
| B-side | "Leave Yesterday Behind" | |||
| Released | Script error: No such module "Date time". | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Length | Script error: No such module "hms". | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| [[Songwriter|SongwriterTemplate:Pluralize from text]] | Ken Ascher Paul Williams | |||
| [[Record producer|ProducerTemplate:Pluralize from text]] | Richard Carpenter | |||
| Carpenters singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
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Tracklist
- CD single UICY-5006
- "The Rainbow Connection"
- "Leave Yesterday Behind"
- "Medley (Superstar/Rainy Days and Mondays)"
- JP CD promo (2001) SIC-1039
- "The Rainbow Connection"
- "Leave Yesterday Behind"
Other versions
The following artists have also recorded the song:
| Artist | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dana Valery | 1979 | 45rpm single |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 1980 | album Running for My Life |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 1980 | album The Scent of the Roses |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 1980 | album Waikiki, My Castle by the Sea (sung primarily in Hawaiian) |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 1980 | Spoof version as "Middle East Connection" from album Iskul Bukol |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 1981 | 2001 album As Time Goes By; an outtake from the 1981 album Made in America |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 1980 | Cantonese version 明日再明日 from album 人在江湖 |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 1981 | album Small Voice |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 1993 | album Sweet Potatoes[29] |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 1994 | album Return to Pooh Corner |
| Fifteen | 1995 | album Extra Medium Kick Ball Star (17) |
| Less Than Jake | 1997 | EP Muppets |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 1999 | TV Ally McBeal (season 2, episode 13 – "Angels and Blimps") |
| Me First and the Gimme Gimmes | 1999 | album Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Are a Drag |
| Ryan Shupe & the RubberBand | 2001 | album Live |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2001 | album Rainbow Connection |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2002 | album For the Kids |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2003 | album Peter Cincotti |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2004 | album For the Kids Too! |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2004 | album Mary Had a Little Amp |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2005 | album Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2009 | album The Lovers, the Dreamers and Me |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2010 | album Sing Me to Sleep: Indie Lullabies[30] |
| Weezer and Hayley Williams | 2011 | album Muppets: The Green Album |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2012 | album Piano Lullabies |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2012 | album sketches |
| Yale Whiffenpoofs | 2013 | released as "Rainbow Connection (Glee Cast Version) – Single" and credited as the Glee Cast[31] |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2013 | album Hulog Ka Ng Langit |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2014 | album Nightlight |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2015 | album We Love Disney |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2016 | album Bellissimo!, as "El-Creepo!" |
| Sleeping at Last | 2016 | album Covers, Vol. 2 |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2017 | album Fancy Words for Failure[32] |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2017 | album Lullaby Girl |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2017 | official soundtrack of the Legion TV series[33] |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2018 | American Idol audition (solo) and finale performance (duet with Kermit the Frog) |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2019 | Performance at Newport Folk Festival (duet with Kermit the Frog) |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". and Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2019 | Performance on 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards |
| Carter Rubin | 2020 | Performance on the Top 9 semi-finals of the nineteenth season of The Voice |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2021 | album Release Me 2 (duet with Kermit the Frog) |
| Kermit the Frog, Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong, Nick Cannon, and Jenny McCarthy-Walhberg[34] | 2022 | Performance from season 8 of The Masked Singer for Muppet Night |
| Grayson Perry | 2025 | Performance as "Kingfisher" on the first episode of the sixth series of The Masked Singer UK |
| Script error: No such module "Sort". | 2025 | album Music from Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration |
Appearances in other media
- The song was featured in the 1994 episode "Cold Spell" of the TV show Picket Fences.
- The Carpenters cover of "Rainbow Connection" was used as the opening theme for the 2001 TBS Japanese TV drama Koi ga shitai Koi ga shitai Koi ga shitai.
- In the 2006 episode "The Convict" of the television show The Office, Ed Helms sings "Rainbow Connection".
- Paul Williams performed the song on the preschool show Yo Gabba Gabba! in the 2008 episode "Weather".
- The television show Legion featured the song in the 2017 episode "Chapter 5".
- In the 2021 episode "Juice Box" (season two episode 8) of Mythic Quest, the Willie Nelson version of the song was played at the end, alongside Charlotte Nicdao singing.
- The 2022 episode "Walk of Faith" (season two episode 4) of the Netflix show Sweet Magnolias features a duet of "Rainbow Connection" with both Katie and Ty on guitar.
- On October 26, 2022, on season 8 of The Masked Singer, Kermit was joined by Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong, Nick Cannon, and Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg for Muppet Night.
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Watch Muppets Sing 'Rainbow Connection' at Hollywood Bowl Concert". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Casey Kasem American Top 40 – 10/11/79". www.oldradioshows.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
(and see also 102779.html, 110379.html, 111079.html, 111779.html, 112479.html, 120179.html, on the same site)
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kiefer, Halle. "Ryan Murphy Is Still Haunted by The Muppet Movie's Best Song Oscar Loss". Vulture. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Schuessler, Jennifer (March 24, 2021). "Janet Jackson and Kermit the Frog Added to National Recording Registry". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- ^ a b Paul Williams interview, NAMM Oral History Program, June 12, 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Liebenson, Donald (June 21, 2019). "A Frog, a Banjo, and an Indelible Message: Making "The Rainbow Connection"". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Story Behind the Song: 'The Rainbow Connection'". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cater, Darryl. "Muppet Movie Original Soundtrack Review". Allmusic. Retrieved May 9, 2007.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Holmes, Linda (July 25, 2019). "Rainbows, Frogs, Dogs And 'The Muppet Movie' Soundtrack At 40". Npr.org.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The 52nd Academy Awards | 1980". Oscars.org. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.""All That Jazz" and "A Little Romance" winning Music Oscars®". YouTube. February 12, 2014. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ Tom Shales. "Kramer vs. Everybody," The Washington Post (DC), April 15, 1980, page B1: "The already forgotten ballad 'It Goes Like It Goes,' from 'Norma Rae,' won the Oscar as best song over competitions that included 'The Rainbow Connection' ..."
- ^ Rich Copley. "'The 75th annual Academy Awards' – trophy date on your night with unpredictable Oscar. Will he be a dream—or a dud?", Lexington Herald-Leader (KY), March 21, 2003, Weekender section, page 18: "Sometimes, old baldy leaves us scratching our skulls: ... the 1979 Oscar for best original song goes to It Goes Like It Goes from Norma Rae instead of Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie ..."
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Rainbow Wish Connection". Rainbow Wish Connection. September 11, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Rainbow Connection Camp". Childhood Cancer Connection, Inc. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Welcome to The Rainbow Connection". Rainbow Connection Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center. November 3, 2012. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Rainbow Connection – Suspenders & Ties". Archived from the original on March 12, 2005. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Rainbow Connection Arch". Treetopia.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Top Movie Songs of All Time" (PDF). 2004. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."CNN, 1996". CNN.com. March 27, 1996. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Muppets Creator Jim Henson Honored on 75th Birthday". The Hollywood Reporter. September 24, 2011. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Jimmy and Kermit Announce Doodle For Google Competition". January 8, 2019.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hughes, William (April 25, 2020). "Kermit singing "The Rainbow Connection" might be the best celebrity singalong yet". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Francis, Katie (January 14, 2022). "Photos, Video: The Muppets "Rainbow Connection" Points of Light Show Debuts on Spaceship Earth – Epcot Festival of the Arts 2022". WDW News Today. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 165. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 114.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."National Top 100 Singles for 1980". Kent Music Report. January 5, 1981. Retrieved January 17, 2022 – via Imgur.
- ^ Script error: No such module "cite".
- ^ Madrina Music MM#102 CD
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Rainbow Connection". Spotify. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Rainbow Connection (Glee Cast Version)". YouTube. February 8, 2017. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Fancy Words For Failure, by Julian Velard". Julian Velard. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ryan, Mike (March 8, 2017). "Dan Stevens On His Creepy 'Legion' Rendition Of 'The Rainbow Connection'". Uproxx. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.The Judges Perform "Rainbow Connection" | Season Ep. 5 | THE MASKED SINGER (MUPPETS NIGHT), October 24, 2022, retrieved February 25, 2024
External links
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- The Rainbow Connection on Lua error in Module:Data at line 9: 'Template:Wikia/list2' is not a valid data page.
- "Rainbow Connection" lyrics
- Kermit the Frog Joins National Recording Registry
- Rainbow Connection at IMDbTemplate:Edit at Wikidata Muppet Show – season 5, episode 9
- Story behind the song: Rainbow connection
- The Judges Perform "Rainbow Connection" The Masked Singer – season 8, episode 5
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