Rainbow Connection

"Rainbow Connection" is a song from the 1979 film The Muppet Movie, with music and lyrics written by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher. 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. Williams and Ascher received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song at the 52nd Academy Awards.
==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.Paul Williams interview, National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Oral History Program, June 12, 2013 Williams and Ascher used "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio as inspiration for the song.
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". He also noted that the lyrical phrasing was written specifically with Kermit's speech patterns in mind.
==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" 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." Others have similarly referred to "Rainbow Connection" as the film's "I Want" song.
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 denounced.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 ..."
==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, a summer camp for seriously ill children, and a horseriding camp for people with disabilities. The name's influence can also be seen 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.
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.
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 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".
On April 25, 2020, Kermit released a new performance of the song (recorded by Matt Vogel) on social media to lift spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
==Charts==
Chart (1979/80) 	Peakposition
Australia (Kent Music Report)	14
==Other versions==
The following artists have also recorded the song:
Artist 	Year	Notes
 	1980	album Running for My Life
 	1980	album The Scent of the Roses
 	1980	album Waikiki, My Castle by the Sea (sung primarily in Hawaiian)
 	1981	album Small Voice
 	1981	2004 album As Time Goes By; an outtake from the 1981 album Made in America
 	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
 	2001	album Rainbow Connection
 	2002	album For the Kids
 	2003	album Peter Cincotti
 	2004	album For the Kids Too!
 	2004	album Mary Had a Little Amp
 	2005	album Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album
Jane Monheit 	2009	album The Lovers, The Dreamers And Me
Weezer and Hayley Williams 	2011	album Muppets: The Green Album
 	2012	album Piano Lullabies
Edu 	2012	album sketches
Yale Whiffenpoofs 	2013	released as "Rainbow Connection (Glee Cast Version) – Single" and credited as the Glee Casthttps://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rainbow-connection-glee-cast/id646951141
 	2014	album Nightlight
 	2015	album We Love Disney
 	2016	album Bellissimo!, as "El-Creepo!"
Sleeping at Last 	2016	album Covers, Vol. 2
 	2017	album Fancy Words for Failure
 	2017	album Lullaby Girl
 	2017	official soundtrack of the Legion TV series
 	2018	American Idol audition (solo) and finale performance (duet with Kermit the Frog)
 	2019	Performance at Newport Folk Festival (duet with Kermit the Frog)
and 	2019	Performance on 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards
==Appearances in other media==
In 2008, Paul Williams performed this song on preschool show Yo Gabba Gabba! titled "Art".
Kermit the Frog's original version of this song from The Muppet Movie was featured in the 2015 compilation album This Record Belongs to....
In the season 3 episode of the television show The Office "The Convict," Andy Bernard played by Ed Helms sings a rendition of Rainbow Connection to Pam Beesley played by Jenna Fischer.
==References==
==External links==
*"Rainbow Connection" lyrics
Category:1979 singles
Category:1979 songs
Category:1970s ballads
Category:The Muppets songs
Category:Disney songs
Category:Pop ballads
Category:Songs written for films
Category:Songs with music by Kenneth Ascher
Category:Songs written by Paul Williams (songwriter)
Category:Theme music