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Synopsis. Elmo and Abby find out it can be easy being green when they stumble onto the Earth-a-Thon, hosted by Mr. Earth, happening right on Sesame Street. Telly, Rosita, and Cookie Monster answer phone calls from children calling in with pledges to reduce, reuse, recycle (and possibly send cookies to Cookie).
- 2009
- 12
- Emily Squires
- Overview
- Background
- Covers
- Instrumentals
- Publications
- Video releases
- Online releases
- Specials
- References
"Bein' Green," originally titled "Green," is one of Kermit the Frog's best-known songs. It was written in 1970 by Joe Raposo for the first season of Sesame Street, and has since become an American standard.
In the song, Kermit expresses his ambivalence about his color, noting that green "blends in with so many other ordinary things" and wishing that he were some other color instead. During the bridge, Kermit realizes that there are some powerful associations with the color -- "green can be big, like a mountain, or important, like a river, or tall like a tree." In the end, he decides that he's happy to be green -- "it's beautiful, and I think it's what I want to be."
The song was described in a Children's Television Workshop press release as "a frog's poignant realization of his own dignity and worth." The song has been viewed as a powerful message about race: music journalist Danyel Smith recalls in The Greatest TV Moments: Sesame Street Music A-Z that her mother said to imagine that instead of saying "green," they said "Black."
Kermit would return to the song twice more on Sesame Street, including as a duet with Lena Horne, then performances on The Muppet Show in episodes 112 and 219, where the song was used to lift Kermit up from a depressed state.
The song appeared on The Sesame Street Book & Record and has been recorded numerous times since, both by Jim Henson and Steve Whitmire as Kermit, as well as by musicians like Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra, demonstrating the song's universal themes. "Bein' Green" is not just for frogs.
"It's not easy being green," a paraphrased lyric from the song, has become one of Kermit's catchphrases. In a twist on the line, when Kermit filmed a commercial for the Ford Escape Hybrid he remarked upon seeing the environmentally friendly vehicle, "I guess sometimes it is easy being green." Media outlets have also used this phrase to associate with the environmental movement.
gives insight into the songwriting process:
•Andrew Bird ― The Green Album (2011)
•Wilford Brimley — MDA Telethon (1989) (YouTube)
•Mike Campbell ― Easy Chair Jazz album, spoken word (1994)
•Ray Charles ― Renaissance album (1975)
•Dick Van Dyke and the Vantastix ― Put On A Happy Face album (2008)
•Vincent Gardner — Jazz for Kids album (2019)
•The Frog Prince ― Underscores the luncheon scene, following King Rupert the Second's story of meeting Taminella Grinderfall (1971).
•Sesame Street ― An brief instrumental version is part of the ending music sting to a 1974 segment.
•The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years ― Plays at the beginning of the special, following a commercial break (1986)
•The Muppets at Walt Disney World ―Underscore during a helicopter shot over the Walt Disney World parks.
•Muppet*Vision 3D ― Theme park ambient music around the Muppet attraction.
•Boston Pops Orchestra ― Included on •Johnny Lytle ― Included on Easy Easy album (1997)
•The Sesame Street Song Book features lyrics and sheet music for this song.
•Being Green was an illustrated book which used the song's lyrics, but featured a lizard-like green creature instead of Kermit.
•The Muppet Show Book features lyrics to this song, along with illustrations based on the version from episode 219.
•The Reader's Digest Children's Songbook included sheet music for the song as "It's Not Easy Being Green."
•Sesame Street Unpaved included lyrics for this song, along with pictures from the original version.
•It's Not Easy Being Green and other things to consider is a book of Jim Henson and Muppet quotes released in 2005.
Sesame Street
•Original Version: ••A&E Biography: Sesame Street (Clip of first verse only) •• •1975 version: ••The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street (opening vamp cut) •Oscar the Grouch version: •
The Muppet Show
•Episode 112 version: • •Episode 219 version: •The Muppet Revue (1985) •••
Sesame Street
•Sesamestreet.org •Original (sesamestreet.org) •Oscar's version (sesamestreet.org) •SesameStreet's YouTube Channel •Original (YouTube) •Lena Horne's version (YouTube) •Oscar's version (YouTube)
Sesame Street
•Sing! Sesame Street Remembers Joe Raposo and His Music (clips of Kermit's original version with performances by Ray Charles and Joe Raposo) •Stars and Street Forever (very brief clip of original version only) •Sesame Street Unpaved (documentary) (original version, first verse cut) •The Greatest TV Moments: Sesame Street Music A-Z (1976 version)
Muppets
•The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (clips of the second Muppet Show version and Kermit and Ray Charles singing) •The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (clips of the first Muppet Show version and Ray Charles' performance from 20 and Still Counting) •The World of Jim Henson (Kermit and Ray Charles' version) •I Love Muppets (clips) •State of the Arts (clips)
The catchphrase "It's not easy being green" has been referenced many times, both by the Muppets and by others.
•Kermit hums the song to himself at the beginning of a 1972 Sesame Street sketch.
•On The Electric Company, the Short Circus perform the song, "Why", a lyrical list of questions about the world. Included is: "Why ain't it easy being green?" (The song appears on the penultimate episode of The Best of the Electric Company Vol. 1 DVD set.)
•In a 1976 appearance on The Mike Douglas Show, when Mike Douglas mentions that green is a good color, Kermit comments that it's not easy being green, leading to a brief discussion of the song.
•The 1977 book, Grover's Favorite Color, shows Grover near a pond, discussing the color green. He mentions something that's green is a "certain frog, who shall remain nameless." From the reeds of the pond, an unseen character remarks, "It isn't easy being green."
•The green section of 1978's Big Bird's Colors includes Oscar stating "it's not easy being green."
About. Elmo and Abby find out it can be easy being green when they stumble onto the Earth-a-Thon, hosted by Mr. Earth (Paul Rudd), happening right on Sesame Street. Telly, Rosita, and Cookie Monster answer phone calls from children calling in with pledges to reduce, reuse, recycle (and possibly send cookies to Cookie).
- Emily Squires
- Kevin Clash
Elmo and Abby find out it can be easy being green when they stumble onto the Earth-a-Thon, hosted by Mr. Earth (Paul Rudd), happening right on Sesame Street. Telly, Rosita, and Cookie Monster...
NR 54 min Apr 7th, 2009 Family. Movie Details Where to Watch Full Cast & Crew. Watch 'Sesame Street Being Green' Online. United States. powered by. Fancy watching ' Sesame Street Being...
