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Rainbow Connection

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This article is about the song from The Muppet Movie. For the 2001 Willie Nelson album, see Rainbow Connection (album). For the concept in graph theory, see Rainbow coloring.

"Rainbow Connection"
International single cover
Single 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"
ReleasedJune 1979 (1979-06)
Recorded1978
StudioA&M Studios
Genre
Length3:15
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Paul Williams
  • Jim Henson

"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 – in 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

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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 "Who said that every wish/ Would be heard and answered/ When wished on the morning star?/ Somebody thought of that/ And someone believed it/ Look what it's done so far", 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

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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

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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]

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, the then-current performer of 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 April 25, 2020, Kermit the Frog released a new performance of the song (performed by Matt Vogel) on social media to lift spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic.[22]

On January 14, 2022, during Epcot's Festival of the Arts, "Rainbow Connection" was featured in a lighting display on Spaceship Earth.[23]

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for "Rainbow Connection"
Chart (1979–1980) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[24] 14
US Billboard Hot 100 25
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[25] 18

Year-end charts

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Year-end chart performance for "Rainbow Connection"
Chart (1980) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[26] 98

Carpenters version

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"The Rainbow Connection"
Single by Carpenters
from the album As Time Goes By
LanguageEnglish
B-side"Leave Yesterday Behind"
ReleasedJuly 25, 2001 (2001-07-25)
Recorded1981
GenrePop
Length4:34
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Ken Ascher
Paul Williams
Producer(s)Richard Carpenter
Carpenters singles chronology
"Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again"
(1994) 		"The Rainbow Connection"
(2001) 		"Catch My Breath"
(2010)

Tracklist

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  • CD single UICY-5006
  1. "The Rainbow Connection"
  2. "Leave Yesterday Behind"
  3. "Medley (Superstar/Rainy Days and Mondays)"
  • JP CD promo (2001) SIC-1039
  1. "The Rainbow Connection"
  2. "Leave Yesterday Behind"


Other versions

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The following artists have also recorded the song:

Artist Year Notes
Judy Collins 1980 album Running for My Life
Mary O'Hara 1980 album The Scent of the Roses
The Brothers Cazimero 1980 album Waikiki, My Castle by the Sea (sung primarily in Hawaiian)
The Carpenters 1981 2001 album As Time Goes By; an outtake from the 1981 album Made in America
Michael Kwan 1980 Cantonese version 明日再明日 from album 人在江湖
Lea Salonga 1981 album Small Voice
Susie Burke 1993 album Sweet Potatoes[27]
Kenny Loggins 1994 album Return to Pooh Corner
Less Than Jake 1997 EP Muppets
Vonda Shepard 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
Willie Nelson 2001 album Rainbow Connection
Sarah McLachlan 2002 album For the Kids
Peter Cincotti 2003 album Peter Cincotti
Jason Mraz 2004 album For the Kids Too!
The Dixie Chicks 2004 album Mary Had a Little Amp
Johnny Mathis 2005 album Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album
Jane Monheit 2009 album The Lovers, the Dreamers and Me
Trespassers William 2010 album Sing Me to Sleep: Indie Lullabies[28]
Weezer and Hayley Williams 2011 album Muppets: The Green Album
Jim Brickman 2012 album Piano Lullabies
Andrew Horowitz 2012 album Sketches 3d
Yale Whiffenpoofs 2013 released as "Rainbow Connection (Glee Cast Version) – Single" and credited as the Glee Cast[29]
Zee Avi 2014 album Nightlight
Gwen Stefani 2015 album We Love Disney
Todd Smith 2016 album Bellissimo!, as "El-Creepo!"
Sleeping at Last 2016 album Covers, Vol. 2
Julian Velard 2017 album Fancy Words for Failure[30]
Lisa Loeb 2017 album Lullaby Girl
Dan Stevens 2017 official soundtrack of the Legion TV series[31]
Maddie Poppe 2018 American Idol audition (solo) and finale performance (duet with Kermit the Frog)
Jim James 2019 Performance at Newport Folk Festival (duet with Kermit the Frog)
Kacey Musgraves and Willie Nelson 2019 Performance on 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards
Barbra Streisand 2021 album Release Me 2 (duet with Kermit the Frog)
Kermit the Frog, Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke, Ken Joeng, Nick Cannon, and Jenny McCarthy-Walhberg[32] 2022 Performance from season 8 of The Masked Singer for Muppet Night

Appearances in other media

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References

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  1. ^ "Watch Muppets Sing 'Rainbow Connection' at Hollywood Bowl Concert". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  2. ^ "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)
  3. ^ Kiefer, Halle. "Ryan Murphy Is Still Haunted by The Muppet Movie's Best Song Oscar Loss". Vulture. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ a b Paul Williams interview, NAMM Oral History Program, June 12, 2013.
  6. ^ Liebenson, Donald (June 21, 2019). "A Frog, a Banjo, and an Indelible Message: Making "The Rainbow Connection"". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  7. ^ "Story Behind the Song: 'The Rainbow Connection'". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Cater, Darryl. "Muppet Movie Original Soundtrack Review". Allmusic. Retrieved May 9, 2007.
  9. ^ Holmes, Linda (July 25, 2019). "Rainbows, Frogs, Dogs And 'The Muppet Movie' Soundtrack At 40". Npr.org.
  10. ^ "The 52nd Academy Awards | 1980". Oscars.org. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  11. ^ ""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.
  12. ^ 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' ..."
  13. ^ 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 ..."
  14. ^ "Rainbow Wish Connection". Rainbow Wish Connection. September 11, 2010. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  15. ^ "Rainbow Connection Camp". Childhood Cancer Connection, Inc. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ "The Rainbow Connection – Suspenders & Ties". Archived from the original on March 12, 2005. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  18. ^ "The Rainbow Connection Arch". Treetopia.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  19. ^ "The Top Movie Songs of All Time" (PDF). 2004. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  20. ^ "CNN, 1996". CNN.com. March 27, 1996. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 114.
  26. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1980". Kent Music Report. January 5, 1981. Retrieved January 17, 2022 – via Imgur.
  27. ^ Madrina Music MM#102 CD
  28. ^ "Rainbow Connection". Spotify. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  29. ^ "Rainbow Connection (Glee Cast Version)". YouTube. February 8, 2017. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  30. ^ "Fancy Words For Failure, by Julian Velard". Julian Velard. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  31. ^ Ryan, Mike (March 8, 2017). "Dan Stevens On His Creepy 'Legion' Rendition Of 'The Rainbow Connection'". Uproxx. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  32. ^ The Judges Perform "Rainbow Connection" | Season Ep. 5 | THE MASKED SINGER (MUPPETS NIGHT), October 24, 2022, retrieved February 25, 2024
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