WDC sound trackers day 1 |
He was my favorite then and remains so today. His sense of whimsy, his kind spirit, his earnest nature, and his interest in people helped make him someone I wanted to be with. I was with him, at least some of the time, when I watched my show, Sesame Street. His name is Kermit the Frog and he became my friend when Sesame Street began broadcasting in 1969. Kermit wasn't much like the other Muppets. Ernie would tease and joke, Oscar would complain constantly, and Grover was adept at making mistakes. Kermit, however, was an island of calm and possibly the only Muppet on that show that knew calm existed. Many of the Muppets had signature songs, songs with titles such as I Love Trash and Rubber Ducky. Kermit's signature song, unlike the others, was reflective and philosophical. Bein' Green may have appeared on a children's show, but it was not a "kiddie song." I didn't understand it, but I loved Bein' Green, and so did many others. Probably the best known after Kermit the Frog was Ray Charles, who gave the song a special depth and performed it multiple times. Bein' Green was written by Joe Raposo, who also wrote many other songs for Sesame Street and even gave voice to the occasional Muppet. But Bein' Green was a song about life, and who we are inside, a song that still reaches people in every age category. If this is the only thing Joe Raposo is remembered for, than he still had a far-reaching legacy. It's Not Easy Being Green Video: Lyrics to It's Not Easy Being Green It's not that easy being green Having to spend each day the color of the leaves When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold Or something much more colorful like that It's not easy being green It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water Or stars in the sky But green's the color of Spring And green can be cool and friendly-like And green can be big like an ocean, or important Like a mountain, or tall like a tree When green is all there is to be It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful And I think it's what I want to be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZJxL3PrrLM |