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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"
Song

"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 Kermit the Frog (Jim Henson) 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 total.[2] Williams and Ascher received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song at the 52nd Academy Awards.[3]

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' 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' 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.[4]

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".[4]

Critical reception and legacy

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"[5] 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."[5]

Ascher and Williams received Oscar nominations at the 52nd Academy Awards for both the score of The Muppet Movie and for "Rainbow Connection", which was nominated for Best Original Song. The song lost to "It Goes Like It Goes" from Norma Rae, a win that some critics decried.[6][7]

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,[8] a summer camp for seriously ill children,[9] and a horseriding camp for people with disabilities.[10] The name's influence can also be seen from business names[11] to artificial Christmas tree products.[12]

The American Film Institute named "Rainbow Connection" the 74th greatest movie song of all time in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs.[13]

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 "Rainbow Connection" by Kermit the Frog be played.[14]

Other renditions in Muppets productions

Kermit the Frog reprised the song on The Muppet Show in 1980 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. 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 also 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" is also used in the film. The iTunes release of The Muppets soundtrack includes 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".

Covers

The following artists have also covered 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)
Kenny Loggins 1994 album Return to Pooh Corner
Less Than Jake 1997 EP Muppets
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes 1999 album Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Are a Drag
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
The Carpenters 1981 2004 album As Time Goes By; an outtake from the 1981 album Made in America
Weezer and Hayley Williams 2011 album Muppets: The Green Album
Jim Brickman 2012 album Piano Lullabies
Yale Whiffenpoofs 2013 released as "Rainbow Connection (Glee Cast Version) - Single" and credited as the Glee Cast[15]
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[16]
Lisa Loeb 2017 album Lullaby Girl
Maddie Poppe 2018 American Idol audition (solo) and finale performance (duet with Kermit the Frog)

Dan Stevens recorded a version of the song for the official soundtrack of the Legion TV series.

References

  1. ^ "Watch Muppets Sing 'Rainbow Connection' at Hollywood Bowl Concert". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  2. ^ "CASEY KASEM AMERICAN TOP 40 - 10/11/79 (and see also 102779.html, 110379.html, 111079.html, 111779.html, 112479.html, 120179.html, on the same site)". www.oldradioshows.com. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  3. ^ Kiefer, Halle. "Ryan Murphy Is Still Haunted by The Muppet Movie's Best Song Oscar Loss". Vulture. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  4. ^ a b Paul Williams interview, National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Oral History Program, June 12, 2013
  5. ^ a b Cater, Darryl. "Muppet Movie Original Soundtrack Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 May 2007.
  6. ^ 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' ..."
  7. ^ 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 ..."
  8. ^ "Rainbow Wish Connection". Rainbow Wish Connection. 2010-09-11. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  9. ^ "RC Camp". RC Camp. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  10. ^ Carlisle Graphics - Jeff Carlisle - www.carlislegraphics.com (2012-11-03). "The Rainbow Connection.org". The Rainbow Connection.org. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  11. ^ "The Rainbow Connection - Suspenders & Ties". Archived from the original on 2005-03-12. Retrieved 5 November 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "The Rainbow Connection Arch". Treetopia.com. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  13. ^ "The Top Movie Songs of All Time" (PDF). 2004. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  14. ^ "CNN, 1996". CNN.com. 1996-03-27. Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  15. ^ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rainbow-connection-glee-cast/id646951141
  16. ^ "Fancy Words For Failure, by Julian Velard". Julian Velard. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
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