I was seven-years-old, living on Shenandoah Circle. My daily routine started with a bowl of Froot Loops. Then my mom would make me weed the garden for 30 minutes or so. After that, she kicked me out of the house for the rest of the day so I wouldn't mess up the house &/or interrupt her while she watched "All My Children." The day was spent hanging out with the Frank brothers (Jon, Ben & Tim) and Mark Christensen. After a lunch of a bologna sandwich, Clover Club potato chips and Mountain Berry Punch Kool-Aid, we would ride our bikes around the neighborhood, pretending we were Ponch on "CHiPs". We'd then go beg our moms for money to get a Bomb Pop from the ice cream man and play out in the streets until we were called in for dinner.
After dinner, we'd be back outside, playing kick-the-can until late.
There were some days, however, when we would change things up a bit by going to the movies with my older brother, Martin. One of the movies we saw that summer was The Muppet Movie.
I always loved the Muppets. I loved "Sesame Street" and "The Muppet Show", so I was quite excited to see this movie. From the time I heard those first banjo notes on "Rainbow Connection", I knew that was not only going to love this movie, but the music as well. (To this day, I still can't figure out how that song lost to "It Goes Like It Goes" from Norma Rae for the Oscar. I mean, no offense to David Shire, but your song is no "Rainbow Connection.")
The songwriting credits go to Paul Williams & Kenny Ascher. Williams - who makes a cameo in the movie as the El Sleazo pianist - is responsible for such songs as "Evergreen" (#1 hit for Barbra Streisand), "Rainy Days and Mondays" (#2 hit for The Carpenters), "We've Only Just Begun" (#2 hit for The Carpenters) and "An Old Fashioned Love Song" (Top-10 hit for Three Dog Night). He also wrote the lyrics for the theme of "The Love Boat". (♪Love...exciting and new...Come aboard...we're expecting you.♪)
Ascher wrote the music to A Star is Born (with Williams), arranged parts of Meatloaf's fantastic album Bat Out of Hell and was a studio musician for James Taylor, John Lennon, Carly Simon, Harry Nilsson and others.
We saw that movie a few times that summer and then I received the cassette tape for Christmas and wore the thing out. Besides "Rainbow Connection", I found myself listening to "Movin' Right Along", "Can You Picture That", "I Hope That Something Better Comes Along" and "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday" more than others. Don't get me wrong, I listened to the entire tape from beginning to end more times than I can count, but those were my favorites.
The last time I watched this movie with my kids, my wife told me that always have the biggest smile on my face when I watch it. "It's like your a kid again," she told me.
That's what this music does to me. It takes me back to that summer of '79.
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