The Rainbow Connection

Call it weird or dark, but I often wonder what song I would choose to go out to. You know, fade to black… exit… depart…

Die.

Yea, it’s very dark, but music is a big part of my life and it should be a big part of yours. Still, my choice of song may surprise you:

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The Muppet Movie – “Rainbow Connection,” by Kermit the Frog

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Sometimes, all we need is a push back to songs we know to make us love them again, and Rainbow Connection is no different. I got turned onto it yesterday after hearing that Jason Segel’s The Muppets has brought the song back. It was released in 1979 as part of the soundtrack for The Muppet Movie, and was nominated for Best Original Song at the corresponding Oscars. It also hit #25 on the Billboard Hot 1oo chart that year. Since then, it has been covered by Sarah McLachlan, Willie Nelson, Debbie Harry (in a duet with Kermit) and many others, but none of them strike the same effect of Kermit’s work in the original.

There really is something magical about the song.

It could be that this is a tremendously intelligent song with deep lyrics that is being performed by a frog puppet. There’s something perfectly comical about Kermit, even though he’s the most serious or traditional of all the Muppets and he never really says anything that is actually intentionally funny.

Mostly, though, I think it’s just that the theme of the song is to never stop dreaming, to never stop wondering what’s beyond the rainbow. We’ve heard that lesson a lot recently from Steve Jobs, and David Foster echoed the same sentiments while visiting his old high school in Victoria, B.C., last weekend.

For me, I picture Jim Henson, surrounded by all his creations that in turn became his best friends, his livelihood, and his legacy.

I don’t know if the song was written by Henson or not (and I’m sure you can find it just by going to Wikipedia), but I can’t help but get the feeling that the guy knew what he was talking about. He realized his dream, and he accomplished it.

Always keep searching for what’s beyond the rainbow.

That’s the kind of song I’d like to go out to.

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“So we’ve been told, and some choose to believe it.
 Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it.”

@KolbySolinsky