The Rainbow Connection
Encyclopedia
"Rainbow Connection" is a popular song written by Paul Williams
and Kenneth Ascher
and originally performed by the character of Kermit the Frog
(Jim Henson
) in The Muppet Movie
in 1979. By extension, as evidenced in the TV special, The Muppets at Walt Disney World
, the song has come to epitomize the ideals and artistic spirit of Henson and his company
as much as "When You Wish Upon a Star
" represents Walt Disney
and his company
.
and Paul Williams
received Oscar nominations at the 52nd Academy Awards
for the score of The Muppet Movie and for Rainbow Connection, which Allmusic described as an "unlikely radio hit ... which Kermit the Frog sings with all the dreamy wistfulness of a short green Judy Garland
" and went on to add that "'Rainbow Connection' serves the same purpose in The Muppet Movie
that "Over the Rainbow
" serves in The Wizard of Oz
, with nearly equal effectiveness: an opening establishment of the characters' driving urge for something more in life." The song was also nominated for the Golden Globes for Best Original Song
in 1979, but lost the Oscar to "It Goes Like It Goes
" from Norma Rae
, a win that some critics decried.
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
, a summer camp for seriously ill children, and a horseback riding camp for people with disabilities. The name's influence can also be seen throughout culture - from business names to artificial Christmas tree products.
The American Film Institute
named Rainbow Connection the 74th greatest movie song of all time in AFI's 100 Years…100 Songs.
Kermit the Frog reprises the song in The Muppets
. A shorter version of the song performed by The Moopets tribute band is also used in the film.
in November 1979; the song remained in the Top 40
for seven weeks total. Artists who have covered
"Rainbow Connection" include Judy Collins
, The Carpenters
, Sarah McLachlan
, DAT Politics
, Aaron Lewis
, Kenny Loggins
, The Dixie Chicks, Justin Timberlake
, Kris Aquino
, Kiki and Herb
, Jason Mraz
, The Pussycat Dolls, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
, Tay Zonday
, Jim Brickman
, Caroline's Spine
, Estradasphere
, Leftöver Crack
(with dramatically different lyrics), The Dresden Dolls
, Willie Nelson
(who is quite often incorrectly credited with penning the song), Peter Cincotti
, Jane Monheit
, pop-punk band Fifteen
, Lea Salonga
, Andy Bernard
(played by Ed Helms
) in The Office, Jim James
of My Morning Jacket
, The Loves
and Trespassers William
. It was sung by Blondie
's Debbie Harry
in a duet with Kermit on The Muppet Show
in 1981 (Season 5) and implied that Kermit is well known for the song in the Muppet universe. Free Wild performs a rendition of the song on their 2010 Spin Dry tour. Also sung by Vonda Shepard in Ally McBeal (Season 2, episode "Angels and Blimps")
"Rainbow Connection" is the title song on Jane Monheit
's 2009 album The Lovers, the Dreamers, and Me (the album title being a line from "Rainbow Connection"). Prior to this album, Jane Monheit's closing song in her concerts had usually been "Over the Rainbow". In her 2009 tour, she usually closed with "Rainbow Connection" followed by a direct segue into "Over the Rainbow".
Character personality, Miss Richfield 1981, regularly works "Rainbow Connection" into her own comedic routine where she plays the song with a saw and bow.
Samuel Preston recorded a version on Jim Henson's birthday in 2010 and gave it away free on his twitter page.
Weezer
and Hayley Williams
recorded the song for the tribute album: Muppets: The Green Album
, released in 2011.
Mx. Justin Vivian Bond and Kenny Mellman (a.k.a. Kiki and Herb) covered this song on the album, "Kiki and Herb Will Die For You - Live at Carnegie Hall" (2004).
In the Yo Gabba Gabba!
season 2 episode Weather, Paul Williams
himself performs the vocals for the song during the Super Music Friends Show segment.
In 2011, characters from the web series Waterman
covered the song.
Paul Williams (songwriter)
Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. is an Academy Award-winning American composer, musician, songwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World",...
and Kenneth Ascher
Kenneth Ascher
Kenneth "Kenny" Lee Ascher , is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger who is active in jazz, rock, classical, and musical theater genres — in live venues, recording studios, and cinema production. He is widely known for co-writing, with Paul Williams, The Rainbow Connection...
and originally performed by the character of Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
(Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
) in The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979, the film was produced by Henson Associates, Children's Television Workshop and ITC Entertainment....
in 1979. By extension, as evidenced in the TV special, The Muppets at Walt Disney World
The Muppets at Walt Disney World
The Muppets at Walt Disney World is a television special starring Jim Henson's Muppets at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. This was the last Muppets project that Jim Henson worked on before his death on May 16, 1990. The special aired on NBC May 6, 1990.-Plot:In this...
, the song has come to epitomize the ideals and artistic spirit of Henson and his company
The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company, an American entertainment organization, traces its origins to the founding of Muppets, Inc. in 1958 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The Muppets helped the company gain worldwide acclaim in family entertainment for more than four decades...
as much as "When You Wish Upon a Star
When You Wish upon a Star
"When You Wish upon a Star" is a song written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for Walt Disney's 1940 adaptation of Pinocchio. The original version of the song was sung by Cliff Edwards in the character of Jiminy Cricket, and is heard over the opening credits and again in the final scene of the...
" represents Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
and his company
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
.
Critical reception and legacy
Kenneth AscherKenneth Ascher
Kenneth "Kenny" Lee Ascher , is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger who is active in jazz, rock, classical, and musical theater genres — in live venues, recording studios, and cinema production. He is widely known for co-writing, with Paul Williams, The Rainbow Connection...
and Paul Williams
Paul Williams (songwriter)
Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. is an Academy Award-winning American composer, musician, songwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World",...
received Oscar nominations at the 52nd Academy Awards
52nd Academy Awards
The 52nd Academy Awards were presented April 14, 1980 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Johnny Carson, who in noting the long duration of the production, joked that President Jimmy Carter was working hard for their "release" from the ceremonies, a...
for the score of The Muppet Movie and for Rainbow Connection, which Allmusic described as an "unlikely radio hit ... which Kermit the Frog sings with all the dreamy wistfulness of a short green Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
" and went on to add that "'Rainbow Connection' serves the same purpose in The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979, the film was produced by Henson Associates, Children's Television Workshop and ITC Entertainment....
that "Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
" serves in The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
, with nearly equal effectiveness: an opening establishment of the characters' driving urge for something more in life." The song was also nominated for the Golden Globes for Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1960s:...
in 1979, but lost the Oscar to "It Goes Like It Goes
It Goes Like It Goes
"It Goes Like It Goes" is a song written by David Shire and Norman Gimbel. It was sung by Jennifer Warnes for the Norma Rae soundtrack in 1979...
" from Norma Rae
Norma Rae
Norma Rae is a 1979 American drama film that tells the story of a factory worker from a small town in North Carolina, who becomes involved in the labor union activities at the textile factory where she works...
, a win that some critics decried.
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
Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501 non-profit organization founded in the United States that grants wishes to children who have life-threatening medical conditions. The charity now operates in forty-seven countries around the world through thirty-six affiliate offices.The president & CEO of this...
, a summer camp for seriously ill children, and a horseback riding camp for people with disabilities. The name's influence can also be seen throughout culture - from business names to artificial Christmas tree products.
The American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
named Rainbow Connection the 74th greatest movie song of all time in AFI's 100 Years…100 Songs.
Kermit the Frog reprises the song in The Muppets
The Muppets (film)
The Muppets is a 2011 American musical and comedy film, and the first Muppets theatrical release in 12 years, as well as the first Disney-produced Muppets film since 1996's Muppet Treasure Island...
. A shorter version of the song performed by The Moopets tribute band is also used in the film.
Cover versions
The original (Kermit the Frog's) version of "Rainbow Connection" reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in November 1979; the song remained in the Top 40
American Top 40
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
for seven weeks total. Artists who have covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
"Rainbow Connection" include Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
, The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
, Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
, DAT Politics
DAT politics
DAT politics is a French electronic band created in 1999. Their energetic live shows explain the cult like enthusiasm that surrounds the French electronic combo as they’ve been touring the world extensively over the years...
, Aaron Lewis
Aaron Lewis
Aaron Lewis, , is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and founding member of the rock group Staind, with whom he has released seven studio albums. He has since ventured into country music with his debut solo album, Town Line...
, Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins
During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
, The Dixie Chicks, Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
, Kris Aquino
Kris Aquino
Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino , commonly known as Kris Aquino, is a Filipino television and movie personality who gained prominence from her talk shows, game shows, and numerous endorsements. Known as the Queen of All Media and Philippines' Queen of Talk, she is the youngest daughter of...
, Kiki and Herb
Kiki and Herb
Kiki and Herb are an American drag cabaret duo. Bond portrays Kiki DuRane, an aging, alcoholic, female lounge singer...
, Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
, The Pussycat Dolls, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is a punk rock supergroup and cover band that formed in 1995. The Gimmes work exclusively as a cover band. The band is named after a children's book of the same name by Gerald G. Jampolsky and Diane V. Cirincione...
, Tay Zonday
Tay Zonday
Adam Nyerere Bahner , better known by the pseudonym Tay Zonday, is an American musician, YouTube personality and voice actor. He is well known by listeners for his deep baritone voice whilst singing. He garnered mainstream exposure when his song "Chocolate Rain", and accompanying video on YouTube,...
, Jim Brickman
Jim Brickman
Jim Brickman is an American songwriter and pianist. He has been named the most charted male Adult Contemporary artist to date, with six of his albums receiving Gold and Platinum status. He is known for his solo piano compositions, pop-style instrumentals, and vocal collaborations with artists...
, Caroline's Spine
Caroline's Spine
Caroline's Spine is an alternative rock band based in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's touring schedule in the mid 1990s landed them a record deal with Hollywood Records. They have released several studio albums and shared billings with such bands as Aerosmith, Kiss, and Queensrÿche...
, Estradasphere
Estradasphere
Estradasphere was an experimental band that originated in Santa Cruz, California during the late 1990s. The band, which in its last incarnation was based in Seattle, consisted of 6 multi-instrumentalists from a variety of musical backgrounds trained in disciplines ranging from classical music and...
, Leftöver Crack
Leftöver Crack
Leftöver Crack is an American punk rock band formed in 1998, following the breakup of the ska punk band Choking Victim. Primarily playing an amalgam of ska and hardcore punk, they classify themselves as "crack-rocksteady". The band is currently signed to Fat Wreck Chords for CD releases, and...
(with dramatically different lyrics), The Dresden Dolls
The Dresden Dolls
The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2000, the group consists of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione...
, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
(who is quite often incorrectly credited with penning the song), Peter Cincotti
Peter Cincotti
Peter Cincotti is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He attended the Horace Mann School and Columbia University.-Biography:...
, Jane Monheit
Jane Monheit
Jane Monheit is a jazz and adult contemporary vocalist for Concord Records. She has collaborated with artists such as Michael Bublé, Ivan Lins, Terence Blanchard and Tom Harrell, and has received Grammy nominations for two of her recordings.-Early life:Jane Monheit was raised in Oakdale, New York...
, pop-punk band Fifteen
Fifteen (band)
Fifteen was a punk rock band formed by Jeff Ott. Ott was the group's main songwriter and only consistent member. According to Ott, the band had a total of fifteen members by the time it finally disbanded in 2000: Jack Curran, Mikey Mischief, Mark Moreno, Jean Repetto, Lucky Dog, Chris Flanagan,...
, Lea Salonga
Lea Salonga
Lea Salonga-Chien is a mezzo-soprano singer and actress from the Philippines well known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, for which she won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World awards.She was the first Asian to play the roles of Éponine and...
, Andy Bernard
Andy Bernard
Andrew "Andy" Baines Bernard is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. The character is highly insecure, yet egotistical, constantly mentioning his education at Cornell University...
(played by Ed Helms
Ed Helms
Edward Paul "Ed" Helms is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Andy Bernard on the US version of the sitcom/mockumentary The Office and for his role as Dr. Stu Price in The Hangover films.- Early life :Helms was born and raised...
) in The Office, Jim James
Jim James
James Edward Olliges Jr. , professionally known as Jim James or Yim Yames, is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of Louisville, Kentucky-based rock band My Morning Jacket. James grew up in the Hikes Point neighborhood of Louisville, attended St. Martha grade school and graduated...
of My Morning Jacket
My Morning Jacket
My Morning Jacket is an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky.The band consists of Jim James , Tom 'Two-Tone Tommy' Blankenship , Patrick Hallahan , Carl Broemel , and Bo Koster .-History:My Morning Jacket was...
, The Loves
The Loves
The Loves were a heavily 1960s influenced pop band, formed in 2000 in Cardiff, Wales-Career:Their debut album Love was released on Track and Field Records in 2004, but attracted generally hostile press coverage, and was commercially unsuccessful...
and Trespassers William
Trespassers William
Trespassers William are an indie rock/dream pop band known for their ethereal music. Hailing from Southern California, they work and live in the Sodo/Capitol Hill area of Seattle, Washington. Their latest release is the 2009 EP, The Natural Order of Things. They are currently working on their...
. It was sung by Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
's Debbie Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
in a duet with Kermit on The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
in 1981 (Season 5) and implied that Kermit is well known for the song in the Muppet universe. Free Wild performs a rendition of the song on their 2010 Spin Dry tour. Also sung by Vonda Shepard in Ally McBeal (Season 2, episode "Angels and Blimps")
"Rainbow Connection" is the title song on Jane Monheit
Jane Monheit
Jane Monheit is a jazz and adult contemporary vocalist for Concord Records. She has collaborated with artists such as Michael Bublé, Ivan Lins, Terence Blanchard and Tom Harrell, and has received Grammy nominations for two of her recordings.-Early life:Jane Monheit was raised in Oakdale, New York...
's 2009 album The Lovers, the Dreamers, and Me (the album title being a line from "Rainbow Connection"). Prior to this album, Jane Monheit's closing song in her concerts had usually been "Over the Rainbow". In her 2009 tour, she usually closed with "Rainbow Connection" followed by a direct segue into "Over the Rainbow".
Character personality, Miss Richfield 1981, regularly works "Rainbow Connection" into her own comedic routine where she plays the song with a saw and bow.
Samuel Preston recorded a version on Jim Henson's birthday in 2010 and gave it away free on his twitter page.
Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
and Hayley Williams
Hayley Williams
Hayley Nichole Williams is an American singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist of the band Paramore.- Life and career :...
recorded the song for the tribute album: Muppets: The Green Album
Muppets: The Green Album
Muppets: The Green Album is a cover album of popular Muppet songs by various contemporary music artists. The album was released by Walt Disney Records on August 23, 2011 on CD and as a digital download in the iTunes Store....
, released in 2011.
Mx. Justin Vivian Bond and Kenny Mellman (a.k.a. Kiki and Herb) covered this song on the album, "Kiki and Herb Will Die For You - Live at Carnegie Hall" (2004).
In the Yo Gabba Gabba!
Yo Gabba Gabba!
Yo Gabba Gabba! is an American children's television show currently airing on the Nick Jr. cable network in the United States and the Nick Jr. networks in the United Kingdom & Ireland, Italy, France and Australia as well as Treehouse TV network in Canada and RTE2 on RTEjr see Raidió Teilifís...
season 2 episode Weather, Paul Williams
Paul Williams (songwriter)
Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. is an Academy Award-winning American composer, musician, songwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World",...
himself performs the vocals for the song during the Super Music Friends Show segment.
In 2011, characters from the web series Waterman
Waterman (series)
Waterman is an animated web series created by Bryan Waterman. The first episode of the series was released on Newgrounds on August 21, 2003, which quickly became popular, being viewed over 327,000 times. The series became a hit, and a total of eight more episodes have since been produced...
covered the song.
External links
- Rainbow Connection lyrics
- Paul Williams
- YouTube: Performance in The Muppet Movie by Kermit the Frog
- YouTube: Performance by Debbie Harry and Kermit the Frog
- YouTube: Performance by the Dresden Dolls
- YouTube: Performance by Jason Mraz
- YouTube: Performance by Sam Bolen and the Yale Whiffenpoofs of 2010