Mix Tape of the Day: May 16, 2015 - A Tribute to Jim Henson: The Movies

For those of you who've followed my blogging antics over the past four years, you'll know that I am a huge fan of Jim Henson.  So today, I wanted to honor this great artist by featuring my favorite songs from the movies that he personally worked on.  I'll be saving songs from his shows for a later day.

1. Rainbow Connection - The Muppet Movie (1979) The first movie starts things off beautifully with one of the most magical moments ever recorded.

2. Movin' Right Along - The Muppet Movie (1979) I debated between Kermit's duet with Fozzie and Kermit's duet with Rowlf (which is essentially Henson singing with himself) both are great, but I feel "Movin' Right Along" is more iconic.

3. The Magic Store - The Muppet Movie (1979) The finale song is a bit all over the place musically (it's more like a series of musical vignettes), but it ends with that wonderful moment that brings all of Henson's puppeteers and characters (up to 1979) together.

4. Hey, A Movie! - The Great Muppet Caper (1981) I love this self-aware opening song for the second Muppet movie.  It sets the tone for my favorite Henson movie ever.

5. Happiness Hotel - The Great Muppet Caper (1981) Since Caper focused mostly on Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, and Gonzo, all of the other characters were all crammed into the Happiness Hotel set piece.  They didn't have much to do, but they sure had fun doing it.

6. The First Time It Happens - The Great Muppet Caper (1981) I had to include one Kermit/Piggy love song.  I've already featured my favorite one ("He'll Make Me Happy") before, but this one is probably better technically.

7. Overture - The Dark Crystal (1982) After two Muppet movies, Henson presented a stark departure from is usual form.  This serious, fantasy film has a quite different tone and no real "songs" (but a lot of chanting).  I chose the overture since it plays the surreal themes that pop up throughout this oddity of a film.

8. Together Again - The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) After three years with no Muppets (shows or movies) the third Muppet movie started with a welcome back song.  The film as a whole isn't my favorite, but the songs are on point.

9. Saying Goodbye - The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) For example, not only does it have a great "hello" song, it has a devastating "goodbye" song!

10. I'm Gonna Always Love You - The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) But the best song has to be the introduction to the Muppet Babies in Miss Piggy's flashback/fantasy sequence.  The only Muppet song where "poo poo" is part of the chorus.

11. I'm So Blue - Follow That Bird (1985) Hey, it's the first Sesame Street movie!  A great film for kids that hits them hard with the saddest song ever sung in a piece of entertainment made for toddlers.

12. Magic Dance - Labyrinth (1986) We need a pick me up after that one.  It's really better to discover this song within the context of the film, so only listen to it if you've seen Labyrinth. Otherwise, go see Labyrinth.

13. I'm Going to Go Back There Someday - The Muppet Movie (1979) After years of soul searching, I've determined that Gonzo his my favorite Muppet.  And it's this song that solidified that choice.  When I was a kid, I found it boring.  Now I find it to be majestic, deep, and emotional.