View source for Rainbow Connection

{{short description|1979 song originally appearing in the Muppet Movie}}
{{about|the song from ''The Muppet Movie''|the 2001 Willie Nelson album|Rainbow Connection (album){{!}}''Rainbow Connection'' (album)|the concept in graph theory|Rainbow coloring}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}

{{Infobox song
| name     = Rainbow Connection
| cover    = Rainbow Connection.jpg
| alt      =
| caption  = International single cover
| type     = single
| artist   = [[Jim Henson]] as [[Kermit the Frog]]
| album    = [[The Muppet Movie (soundtrack)|The Muppet Movie: Original Soundtrack Recording]]
| B-side   = I Hope That Somethin' Better Comes Along
| released = {{Start date|1979|06}}
| format   =
| recorded = 1978
| studio   = [[Jim Henson Company Lot#Henson Recording Studios|A&M Studios]]
| venue    =
| genre    =
* [[Chamber pop]]
* [[Bluegrass music|bluegrass]]
* [[Folk music|folk]]
| length   = {{Duration|m=3|s=15}}
| label    =
* [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]] (US/Canada)
* [[Columbia Records|CBS]] (international)
| writer   =
* [[Paul Williams (songwriter)|Paul Williams]]
* [[Kenneth Ascher]]
| producer =
* Paul Williams
* Jim Henson
}}

"'''Rainbow Connection'''" is a song from the 1979 film ''[[The Muppet Movie]]'', with music and lyrics written by [[Paul Williams (songwriter)|Paul Williams]] and [[Kenneth Ascher]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/watch-muppets-sing-rainbow-connection-at-hollywood-bowl-w502125|title=Watch Muppets Sing 'Rainbow Connection' at Hollywood Bowl Concert|magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=2017-11-27}}</ref> The song was performed by [[Jim Henson]] as [[Kermit the Frog]] during the film's [[Opening act|opening number]], where it opens with Kermit sitting alone on a log in the swamp, playing the song on his banjo. The song is an integral part of Kermit's [[Character arc|character's arc]], since it establishes his dream of "making millions of people happy," which motivates his journey to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] throughout the film.

"Rainbow Connection" reached No. 25 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in November 1979, with the song remaining in the [[American Top 40|Top 40]] for seven weeks in total.<ref>{{cite web|title=Casey Kasem American Top 40 – 10/11/79 | quote=(and see also 102779.html, 110379.html, 111079.html, 111779.html, 112479.html, 120179.html, on the same site)|url=http://www.oldradioshows.com/at40/102079.html|website=www.oldradioshows.com|access-date=September 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924055742/http://www.oldradioshows.com/at40/102079.html|archive-date=September 24, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Williams and Ascher received an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]] at the [[52nd Academy Awards]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.vulture.com/2017/02/ryan-murphy-haunted-by-rainbow-connections-oscar-loss.html|title=Ryan Murphy Is Still Haunted by The Muppet Movie's Best Song Oscar Loss|last=Kiefer|first=Halle|work=Vulture |access-date=2017-11-27}}</ref>

In 2020, "Rainbow Connection" was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the [[Library of Congress]] and selected for preservation in the [[National Recording Registry]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Schuessler|first=Jennifer|date=March 24, 2021|title=Janet Jackson and Kermit the Frog Added to National Recording Registry|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/arts/music/national-recording-registry-janet-jackson.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324040556/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/arts/music/national-recording-registry-janet-jackson.html |archive-date=2021-03-24 |access-date=June 26, 2022}}</ref>

==Production==
Williams and Ascher, who had previously collaborated on several songs for the 1976 film ''[[A Star Is Born (1976 film)|A Star Is Born]]'', were tasked with writing the songs for ''The Muppet Movie''. For the song that became "Rainbow Connection", Jim Henson told them that the opening scene should feature Kermit the Frog by himself, singing and playing the banjo. Williams and Ascher wrote most of the song fairly quickly at Williams's house but got stuck trying to think of appropriate words for the part in the chorus that eventually became the phrase "the rainbow connection"; they were looking for a way to tie in the chorus to the song's theme of rainbows. As they sat down for dinner with Williams's then-wife, Kate Clinton, they explained to her their predicament of looking for a phrase that would provide "a rainbow connection", then realized, in the course of explaining the problem to her, that the phrase "the rainbow connection" would itself be a good fit.<ref name="namm oral history">[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/paul-williams Paul Williams interview], [[NAMM Oral History Program]], June 12, 2013.</ref> Williams and Ascher used "[[When You Wish Upon a Star]]" from ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' as inspiration for the song.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Liebenson|first=Donald|date=June 21, 2019|title=A Frog, a Banjo, and an Indelible Message: Making "The Rainbow Connection"|magazine=Vanity Fair|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/06/rainbow-connection-muppet-movie-kermit-the-frog-making-of|access-date=August 4, 2020}}</ref>

Williams has said that his favorite lyrics in the song are in the second verse, which begins with "Who said that every wish / Would be heard and answered / When wished on the morning star?", because they imply that "there's power in your thoughts".<ref name="namm oral history" /> He also noted that the lyrical phrasing was written weirdly with Kermit's speech patterns in mind.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka2DTKjrknc  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/ka2DTKjrknc |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Story Behind the Song: 'The Rainbow Connection' |publisher=[[The Tennessean]] |access-date=April 26, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Critical reception and awards==
[[Allmusic]] described "Rainbow Connection" as an "unlikely radio hit ... which Kermit the Frog sings with all the dreamy wistfulness of a short, green [[Judy Garland]]"<ref name="AMG">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r183384|pure_url=yes}} |title=''Muppet Movie'' Original Soundtrack Review |access-date=May 9, 2007 |last=Cater |first=Darryl |work=Allmusic}}</ref> and went on to add that {{" '}}Rainbow Connection' serves the same purpose in ''[[The Muppet Movie]]'' that '[[Over the Rainbow]]' served in ''[[The Wizard of Oz]]'', with nearly equal effectiveness: an opening establishment of the characters' driving urge for something more in life."<ref name="AMG" /> Others have similarly referred to "Rainbow Connection" as the film's [["I Want" song]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2019/07/25/744832650/rainbows-frogs-dogs-and-the-muppet-movie-soundtrack-at-40|title=Rainbows, Frogs, Dogs And 'The Muppet Movie' Soundtrack At 40|last=Holmes|first=Linda|date=July 25, 2019|website=Npr.org}}</ref>

Ascher and Williams received Oscar nominations at the [[52nd Academy Awards]] for the score of ''The Muppet Movie'' and for "Rainbow Connection", which was nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1980|title=The 52nd Academy Awards &#124; 1980|website=Oscars.org|access-date=April 23, 2021}}</ref> The score lost to [[Bob Fosse]]'s ''[[All That Jazz (film)|All That Jazz]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROitnydOx60 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/ROitnydOx60 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title="All That Jazz" and "A Little Romance" winning Music Oscars®|date=February 12, 2014 |access-date=April 23, 2021|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The song lost to "[[It Goes Like It Goes]]" from ''[[Norma Rae]]'', a win that some critics denounced.<ref name="shales">Tom Shales. "Kramer vs. Everybody," ''The Washington Post'' (DC), April 15, 1980, page B1: ''"The already forgotten ballad 'It Goes Like It Goes,' from 'Norma Rae,' won the Oscar as best song over competitions that included 'The Rainbow Connection' ..."''</ref><ref name="copley">Rich Copley. "'The 75th annual Academy Awards' – trophy date on your night with unpredictable Oscar. Will he be a dream—or a dud?", ''Lexington Herald-Leader'' (KY), March 21, 2003, ''Weekender'' section, page 18: "Sometimes, old baldy leaves us scratching our skulls: ... the 1979 Oscar for best original song goes to It Goes Like It Goes from Norma Rae instead of Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie ..."</ref>

==Legacy and other Muppet renditions==
The song's name has been used by a number of charitable organizations wishing to evoke its message, including a children's charity similar to the [[Make-A-Wish Foundation]],<ref name="rainbowwish">{{cite web|url=http://www.rainbowwishconnection.org/ |title=Rainbow Wish Connection |publisher=Rainbow Wish Connection  |date=September 11, 2010 |access-date=March 21, 2013}}</ref> a summer camp for seriously ill children,<ref name="rccamp">{{cite web|url=http://www.rccamp.org/ |title=Rainbow Connection Camp |publisher=Childhood Cancer Connection, Inc |access-date=March 21, 2013}}</ref> and a horseriding camp for people with disabilities.<ref name="rc-dot-org">{{cite web |url=http://www.therainbowconnection.org/ |title=Welcome to The Rainbow Connection |publisher=Rainbow Connection Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center  |date=November 3, 2012 |access-date=March 21, 2013 |archive-date=September 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902065554/http://www.therainbowconnection.org/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The name's influence can also be seen from business names<ref name="rc-suspenders">{{cite web |url=http://www.rainbowconnection.com/aboutus.php |title=The Rainbow Connection – Suspenders & Ties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050312234305/http://www.rainbowconnection.com/aboutus.php  |archive-date=2005-03-12 |access-date=November 5, 2013}}</ref> to artificial Christmas tree products.<ref name="rc-treetopia">{{cite web|url=http://www.treetopia.com/artificial-christmas-wreaths-and-garlands-p/rainbow-wedding-arch.htm |url-status=dead |title=The Rainbow Connection Arch |publisher=Treetopia.com |access-date=March 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315060503/http://www.treetopia.com/artificial-christmas-wreaths-and-garlands-p/rainbow-wedding-arch.htm  |archive-date=2012-03-15}}</ref>

The [[American Film Institute]] named "Rainbow Connection" the 74th greatest movie song of all time in ''[[AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/tvevents/pdf/songs100.pdf |title=The Top Movie Songs of All Time |year=2004 |access-date=November 5, 2013}}</ref>

Kermit the Frog reprised the song on ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' in 1981 as a duet with [[Debbie Harry]] when she was a guest star. Jeff Moss and Ralph Burns also quoted the song's intro as the intro to the instrumental, "carriage ride" rendition of "Together Again" that segued into the ''[[Muppet Babies (1984 TV series)|Muppet Babies]]'' song sequence, "I'm Gonna Always Love You" in ''[[The Muppets Take Manhattan]]'' (1984). The song is also reprised by a large group of [[The Muppets|Muppets]] as the closing number in the 1985 special ''[[The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years]]''.

Kermit reprises the song in the 2011 film ''[[The Muppets (2011 film)|The Muppets]]'', this time as a duet with [[Miss Piggy]] that leads into the entire Muppet group singing together. A shorter version of the song performed by [[tribute band]] "The Moopets", along with [[Fozzie Bear]], is also used in the film. The [[iTunes]] release of [[The Muppets (soundtrack)|''The Muppets'' soundtrack]] included a new version of the song as an exclusive bonus track, recorded by [[Steve Whitmire]] as Kermit. The song was also reprised in the TV series ''[[The Muppets (TV series)|The Muppets]]'', in the 2015 episode "Pig's in a Blackout".

In 1996 in [[Whanganui]], New Zealand, a 21-year-old man burst into the radio station [[More FM#Whanganui|Star FM]] and took the manager hostage, demanding that Kermit the Frog's rendition of the song be played.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/fringe/9603/03-27/index.html |title=CNN, 1996 |publisher=CNN.com  |date=March 27, 1996 |access-date=March 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221010741/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/fringe/9603/03-27/index.html |archive-date=February 21, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On September 24, 2011, the town of [[Leland, Mississippi]], changed the name of a local bridge to "The Rainbow Connection" in honor of Henson on what would have been his 75th birthday. Henson had lived in Leland and played near the bridge as a child.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/muppets-creator-jim-henson-honored-239873|title=Muppets Creator Jim Henson Honored on 75th Birthday|date=September 24, 2011|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=September 17, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012031846/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/muppets-creator-jim-henson-honored-239873|archive-date=October 12, 2016}}</ref>

On April 25, 2020, Disney released a new performance of the song (performed by [[Matt Vogel (puppeteer)|Matt Vogel]] as Kermit the Frog) on social media to lift spirits during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/kermit-singing-the-rainbow-connection-might-be-the-be-1843071567 |title=Kermit singing "The Rainbow Connection" might be the best celebrity singalong yet |last=Hughes |first=William |date=April 25, 2020 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |access-date=April 25, 2020}}</ref>

On January 14, 2022, during [[Epcot]]'s Festival of the Arts, "Rainbow Connection" was featured in a lighting display on [[Spaceship Earth (Epcot)|Spaceship Earth]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Francis |first=Katie |date=January 14, 2022 |title=Photos, Video: The Muppets "Rainbow Connection" Points of Light Show Debuts on Spaceship Earth – Epcot Festival of the Arts 2022 |url=https://wdwnt.com/2022/01/photos-video-the-muppets-rainbow-connection-points-of-light-show-debuts-on-spaceship-earth-epcot-festival-of-the-arts-2022/ |access-date=2022-01-15 |website=WDW News Today |language=en-US}}</ref>

Boys II Men will be recording a new rendition for the brand new show World Of Color Happiness debuting at Disney California Adventure as a part of the Disneyland Resort 70th Anniversary Celebration.

==Charts==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Weekly chart performance for "Rainbow Connection"
! Chart (1979–1980)
! Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=165}}</ref>
| 14
|-
! scope="row"| US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]
|25
|-
! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary]]<ref>{{cite book |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001|last=Whitburn |first=Joel <!--|authorlink=Joel Whitburn--> |year=2002 |publisher=Record Research |page=114}}</ref>
| 18
|}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Year-end chart performance for "Rainbow Connection"
! Chart (1980)
! Position
|-
! scope="row"| Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name="aus80">{{cite web|url=https://imgur.com/a/kTGdGUZ|title= National Top 100 Singles for 1980|publisher= [[Kent Music Report]] |issue= 341 |via= [[Imgur]] |date= January 5, 1981 |access-date= January 17, 2022 }}</ref>
| 98
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|award=Gold|type=single|certyear=2025|title=Rainbow Connection|relyear=2012|artist=Jim Henson|access-date= March 21, 2025}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true | nosales=true | noshipments=true}}

==Carpenters version==
{{Infobox song
| name          = The Rainbow Connection
| type          = single
| artist        = [[The Carpenters|Carpenters]]
| album         = [[As Time Goes By (Carpenters album)|As Time Goes By]]
| language      = English
| B-side        = "Leave Yesterday Behind"
| released      = {{Start date|2001|7|25}}
| recorded      = 1981
| genre         = Pop
| length        = 4:34
| label         = [[A&M Records|A&M]]
| writer        = [[Ken Ascher]]<br>[[Paul Williams (songwriter)|Paul Williams]]
| producer      = [[Richard Carpenter (musician)|Richard Carpenter]]
| chronology    = [[The Carpenters|Carpenters]]
| prev_title    = [[Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again]]
| prev_year     = 1994
| title         = The Rainbow Connection
| year          = 2001
| next_title    = [[Catch My Breath (Sabrina Carpenter song)|Catch My Breath]]
| next_year     = 2010
}}
===Tracklist===
* CD single UICY-5006
# "The Rainbow Connection"
# "Leave Yesterday Behind"
# "Medley ([[Superstar (Delaney and Bonnie song)|Superstar]]/[[Rainy Days and Mondays]])"
* JP CD promo (2001) SIC-1039
# "The Rainbow Connection"
# "Leave Yesterday Behind"

==Other versions==
The following artists have also recorded the song:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col" | Artist
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| {{sortname|Judy|Collins}} || 1980 || album ''[[Running for My Life]]''
|-
| {{sortname|Mary|O'Hara}} || 1980 || album ''The Scent of the Roses''
|-
| {{sortname|The|Brothers Cazimero|The Brothers Cazimero}} || 1980 || album ''Waikiki, My Castle by the Sea'' (sung primarily in Hawaiian)
|-
| {{sortname|The|Carpenters}} || 1981 || 2001 album ''[[As Time Goes By (The Carpenters album)|As Time Goes By]]''; an [[outtake]] from the 1981 album ''[[Made in America (The Carpenters album)|Made in America]]''
|-
| {{sortname|Michael|Kwan}} || 1980 || Cantonese version 明日再明日 from album ''人在江湖''
|-
| {{sortname|Lea|Salonga}} || 1981 || album ''[[Small Voice]]''
|-
| {{sortname|Susie|Burke}} || 1993 || album ''Sweet Potatoes''<ref>Madrina Music MM#102 CD</ref>
|-
| {{sortname|Kenny|Loggins}} || 1994 || album ''[[Return to Pooh Corner]]''
|-
| [[Less Than Jake]] || 1997 || EP ''Muppets''
|-
| {{sortname|Vonda|Shepard}} || 1999 || TV ''Ally McBeal'' (season 2, episode 13 – "Angels and Blimps")
|-
| [[Me First and the Gimme Gimmes]] || 1999 || album ''[[Are a Drag|Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Are a Drag]]''
|-
| [[Ryan Shupe & the RubberBand]] || 2001 || album ''Live''
|-
| {{sortname|Willie|Nelson}} || 2001 || album ''[[Rainbow Connection (album)|Rainbow Connection]]''
|-
| {{sortname|Sarah|McLachlan}} || 2002 || album ''[[For the Kids (2002 album)|For the Kids]]''
|-
| {{sortname|Peter|Cincotti}} || 2003 || album ''[[Peter Cincotti (album)|Peter Cincotti]]''
|-
| {{sortname|Jason|Mraz}} || 2004 || album ''[[For the Kids (2002 album)|For the Kids Too!]]''
|-
| {{sortname|The|Dixie Chicks}} || 2004 || album ''Mary Had a Little Amp''
|-
| {{sortname|Johnny|Mathis}} || 2005 || album ''[[Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album]]''
|-
| {{sortname|Jane|Monheit}} || 2009 || album ''[[The Lovers, the Dreamers and Me]]''
|-
| {{sortname|Trespassers|William}} || 2010 || album ''Sing Me to Sleep: Indie Lullabies''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://open.spotify.com/track/4QF9pqkiRHrXbajvbr6Vdv?si=92bf1be329d2413d&nd=1|title=Rainbow Connection|access-date=August 27, 2021|publisher=[[Spotify]]}}</ref>
|-
| [[Weezer]] and [[Hayley Williams]] || 2011 || album ''[[Muppets: The Green Album]]''
|-
| {{sortname|Jim|Brickman}} || 2012 || album ''Piano Lullabies''
|-
| {{sortname|Andrew|Horowitz}} || 2012 || album s''ketches''
|-
| [[Yale Whiffenpoofs]] || 2013 || released as "Rainbow Connection (Glee Cast Version) – Single" and credited as the ''[[Glee (TV series)|Glee]]'' Cast<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Msvs8U1MYU4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/Msvs8U1MYU4 |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Rainbow Connection (Glee Cast Version)|date=February 8, 2017 |access-date=April 23, 2021|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
|-
| {{sortname|Zee|Avi}} || 2014 || album ''Nightlight''
|-
| {{sortname|Gwen|Stefani}} || 2015 || album ''[[We Love Disney (2015 album)|We Love Disney]]''
|-
| {{sortname|Todd|Smith|Todd Smith (musician)}} || 2016 || album ''[[Bellissimo! (album)|Bellissimo!]]'', as "El-Creepo!"
|-
| [[Sleeping at Last]] || 2016 || album ''Covers, Vol. 2''
|-
| {{sortname|Julian|Velard}} || 2017 || album ''Fancy Words for Failure''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://julianvelard.bandcamp.com/album/fancy-words-for-failure|title=Fancy Words For Failure, by Julian Velard|website=Julian Velard |access-date=2017-07-13}}</ref>
|-
| {{sortname|Lisa|Loeb}} || 2017 || album ''[[Lullaby Girl]]''
|-
| {{sortname|Dan|Stevens}} || 2017 || official soundtrack of the ''[[Legion (TV series)|Legion]]'' TV series<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Mike |title=Dan Stevens On His Creepy 'Legion' Rendition Of 'The Rainbow Connection' |url=https://uproxx.com/tv/dan-stevens-legion-chapter-5-rainbow-connection/ |website=Uproxx |access-date=August 28, 2020 |date=March 8, 2017}}</ref>
|-
| {{sortname|Maddie|Poppe}} || 2018 || ''[[American Idol season 16|American Idol]]'' audition (solo) and finale performance (duet with [[Kermit the Frog]])
|-
| {{sortname|Jim|James}} || 2019 || Performance at ''[[Newport Folk Festival]]'' (duet with Kermit the Frog)
|-
| {{sortname|Kacey|Musgraves}} and {{sortname|Willie|Nelson}} || 2019 || Performance on 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards
|-
| {{sortname|Barbra|Streisand}} || 2021 || album ''[[Release Me 2]]'' (duet with Kermit the Frog)
|-
| [[Kermit the Frog]], [[Nicole Scherzinger]], [[Robin Thicke]], [[Ken Jeong]], [[Nick Cannon]], and [[Jenny McCarthy|Jenny McCarthy-Walhberg]]<ref>{{Citation |title=The Judges Perform "Rainbow Connection" {{!}} Season Ep. 5 {{!}} THE MASKED SINGER (MUPPETS NIGHT) | date=October 24, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdRGfZTEgf0 |access-date=2024-02-25 |language=en}}</ref>|| 2022 || Performance from season 8 of ''[[The Masked Singer (American season 8)|The Masked Singer]]'' for Muppet Night
|-
| {{sortname|Boyz|II Men}}|| 2025 || album Music from Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration
|}

==Appearances in other media==
* The song was featured in the 1994 episode "Cold Spell" of the TV show ''[[Picket Fences]]''.
* The Carpenters cover of "Rainbow Connection" was used as the opening theme for the 2001 [[TBS Television (Japan)|TBS]] Japanese TV drama ''Koi ga shitai Koi ga shitai Koi ga shitai''.
* In the 2006 episode "[[The Convict]]" of the television show ''[[The Office (American TV series)|The Office]]'', [[Ed Helms]] sings "Rainbow Connection".
* Paul Williams performed the song on the preschool show ''[[Yo Gabba Gabba!]]'' in the 2008 episode "Weather".
* The television show ''[[Legion (TV series)|Legion]]'' featured the song in the 2017 episode "[[Chapter 5 (Legion)|Chapter 5]]".
* In the 2021 episode "Juice Box" (season two episode 8) of ''[[Mythic Quest]]'', the [[Willie Nelson]] version of the song was played at the end, alongside [[Charlotte Nicdao]] singing.
* The 2022 episode "Walk of Faith" (season two episode 4) of the Netflix show ''[[Sweet Magnolias]]'' features a duet of "Rainbow Connection" with both Katie and Ty on guitar.
* On October 26, 2022, on season 8 of ''[[The Masked Singer (American season 8)|The Masked Singer]]'', Kermit was joined by [[Nicole Scherzinger]], [[Robin Thicke]], [[Ken Jeong]], [[Nick Cannon]], and [[Jenny McCarthy|Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg]] for Muppet Night.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{muppets|The Rainbow Connection}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130727130509/http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/games/songs/movies/rainbowmp3.htm "Rainbow Connection" lyrics]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvAZJ1qVTlE Kermit the Frog Joins National Recording Registry]
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q130342704|id=tt0653245}} Muppet Show – season 5, episode 9 
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka2DTKjrknc Story behind the song: Rainbow connection]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdRGfZTEgf0 The Judges Perform "Rainbow Connection"] The Masked Singer – season 8, episode 5
{{The Muppets}}{{The Carpenters}}{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1979 singles]]
[[Category:1979 songs]]
[[Category:1970s ballads]]
[[Category:The Muppets songs]]
[[Category:Me First and the Gimme Gimmes songs]]
[[Category:Pop ballads]]
[[Category:Songs with music by Kenneth Ascher]]
[[Category:Songs written by Paul Williams (songwriter)]]
[[Category:Film theme songs]]
[[Category:Kermit the Frog]]
[[Category:Atlantic Records singles]]
[[Category:CBS Records singles]]
[[Category:A&M Records singles]]
[[Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings]]
[[Category:Rainbows in culture]]