Bein' Green

"Bein' Green"
Song by Jim Henson
Published 1970
Writer Joe Raposo
Cover versions
Kermit the Frog
Ray Charles
Van Morrison
Andrew Bird

"Bein' Green" is a popular song written by Joe Raposo in 1970 for the first season of the children's television program Sesame Street. It was originally performed by Kermit the Frog (voiced by Jim Henson).

In the song, Kermit begins by lamenting his green coloration, expressing that green "blends in with so many ordinary things" and wishing to be some other color. But by the end of the song, Kermit recalls positive associations with the color green, and concludes by accepting and embracing his greenness. ("It's beautiful! And it's what I want to be...") Research by Children's Television Workshop in 1989 indicated that "many preschool children failed to recognize that Kermit felt happy about being green by the end of the song."

The song's signature line "It's not easy being green" is a phrase that has since appeared in many contexts in pop culture. It is often quoted as an expression of melancholy over one's lot in life. The song is associated with questions of identity and individuality, but also with themes such as self-love and celebration of diversity, especially in terms of race (or "color"), which was at the forefront of social debate within American culture at the time of the song's debut. With the growing usage of green as a reference to environmentalism, the phrase (or its counterstatement) is often used in that context as well.

Contents

Recordings of Bein' Green

Memorial

The song was sung by Big Bird at the two memorial services for Jim Henson in 1990. (In his comedy special No Cure For Cancer, Denis Leary incorrectly mentions, in passing, Kermit singing the song at the Henson funeral as well.[1])

References

  1. ^ By glee too. "Goofs for No Cure for Cancer". Internet Movie Database. http://imdb.com/title/tt0248752/goofs. Retrieved 2007-11-07. 

External links