Friday Song: "The Muppet Show Theme"
A fount of musical joy, the show was pure fun from start to finish
The Muppets win your hearts on so many levels, and music is central. From “C is for Cookie” to “It Ain’t Easy Being Green” to “Rainbow Connection,” Muppet songs have entertained and even moved audiences for decades now.
The Muppet Show — which ran for five seasons (1976-1981) and 120 episodes — often featured musical guests and song parodies, and its band (Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem) is famous for its gold-toothed leader, Animal, Floyd Pepper, Janice, and Zoot.
Sesame Street and The Muppet Show have been nominated for — and won — multiple Grammy Awards. The Muppet Show album itself won the Grammy for “Best Recording for Children” in 1978. Paul Williams helped write many of the songs that we remember.
One Muppet song always reminds me of journal review meetings, and it’s the theme to the show. A renowned editor would often sing this tune as he walked into a bi-weekly editorial review meeting, and it would lighten the mood and break the ice.
Of course, the opening of The Muppet Show has a renewed presence in our lives as the panel of players featured at the end reminds us of our Zoom calls.
This version features both the opening and end credits, with a young Steve Martin making an appearance with his banjo.
Enjoy!
The Geyser — Hot Takes & Deep Thinking on the Info Economy is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.