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Somebody thought of that and someone believed it

Scott over at Popdose wrote an incredibly heartfelt screed about one of his all-time favorite songs, "Rainbow Connection." I identify with many of his thoughts, especially about the movie it's found in:

Anyone who doesn’t like The Muppet Movie does not have a soul — it’s just a wonderful movie on so many levels. Despite its hip cast and the slew of one-liners and cameos, it’s a movie about hope, pure and simple.

Why this song and movie still resonate with me is for a number of explainable and unexplainable reasons. One explainable reason is that I still have a soft spot for certain melancholy music. Some people call this pure schmaltz, but I've never thought of it that way. I've just thought of it as an effective way of conveying vulnerable feelings.

But probably the biggest explainable reason is the central message I get out of The Muppet Movie: don't give up on your passions. Moreover, hope survives despite detractors in the form of self-centered flakes and money-grubbing jerks. That's not to literally mean any determined frog can make it in Hollywood. Rather, the secret to life lies in the relationships you have with people and the relationship with your inner voice.

This was definitely not something I thought about when I was younger. But when I saw the movie again ten years ago, I realized how much of the movie was like a guide to life. And it's still stuck with me. And I think it's why I also relate to stories like the ones behind the Flaming Lips, David Lynch and Kevin Smith.

As for all the unexplainable reasons, I leave them to a Louis Armstong quote: "There are some folks that, if they don't know, you can't tell 'em."

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