Jim Henson’s creation lives on today as strong as ever. It seems every year (season?) there is a new show from the Muppets on Disney+ or some other outlet. To wit, right now, the streaming service is playing The Muppets Mayhem, a show about the famed Muppet band led by Dr. Teeth making its first album.
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But there are countless songs from the Muppets—from Kermit the Frog to Miss Piggy and beyond—that have tickled fans throughout the decades. Well, we here at American Songwriter thought that now would be the perfect time to go through the Top 10 songs from the Muppets.
1. “Rainbow Connection”
The heartfelt classic from Kermit the Frog, “Rainbow Connection” from the 1979 film The Muppet Movie earned an Academy Award nomination for its writers, Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher. In it, Kermit laments, why are there so many songs about rainbows? When all he wants is a nice damp swamp.
2. “When the River Meets the Sea”
The song that explains death in the most moving of ways, “When the River Meets the Sea” arrived to fans via the 1977 holiday classic, Emmet Otther’s Jug-Band Christmas. It’s a lovely song from a lovely film.
3. “Can You Picture That”
A song from the Muppets’ wild house band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, “Can You Picture That” is rambunctious and rowdy. It also has a great New Orleans flair. This track is one of the important tunes from the 1979 film The Muppet Movie.
4. “Life’s A Happy Song”
For a while, the Muppets weren’t in the limelight like perhaps they once were. Enter actor Jason Segel, who helped revive the characters in his 2011 movie, The Muppets. The track, “Life’s A Happy Song,” came from the film, which re-energized the storylines.
5. “Man or Muppet”
Another from the 2011 movie The Muppets, “Man or Muppet” asks the question of the central character: is he a Muppet or a man? Written by Bret McKenzie, the track offers similar comedic styles to McKenzie’s band, Flight of the Conchords.
6. “It Feels Like Christmas”
A familial song from the seminal 1992 movie A Muppet Christmas Carol, “It Feels Like Christmas” is the perfect track to get you excited for the holiday season. Food with friends, sharing presents with kin. That’s the spirit.
7. “Original Theme Song”
The theme song to end all theme songs. You can’t go wrong with this one from the show that started it all for Kermit and the gang in 1976
Photo by Antony Jones/Getty Images for AEG – The o2
