“The Muppet Show Theme” was played at the beginning and end of every episode of The Muppet Show. Although it evolved visually over the course of the show’s five seasons, the musical composition remained substantially the same. It is credited to Jim Henson and Samuel Pottle as the composers. Each Muppet Show theme starts with a shot of the title card, which in the first season was less ornate than the one that would replace it the following year. As the camera zoomed in, a spotlight immediately lit up the O, the center of which swings back to reveal Kermit, introducing the very special guest star. The title card then lifts to show the curtains and the Muppet orchestra is revealed, including close-ups of Crazy Harry on the triangle, Zoot on sax, an uncharacteristically calm Animal on the drums, and Rowlf at the piano. Trumpet Girl and conductor Nigel are also seen in the long shot.
However it would appear that the real antecedents of the song go back a lot further into musical history. In 1925 a recording of “Flag that Train” was released. It was written by the songwriting team of Eddie Richmond, Lindsay McPhall and Irving Rothschild”. This song belongs to a couple of standard categories. The authors may never have been to Alabama or other southern states. The “Sunny South” was a fantasy trope used by many Tin Pan Alley-type writers to stand for a far-away paradise. The notion of catching the train back to see your loved one was also popular during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in America. It bears and an uncanny resemblance to the later Muppet Show Theme.
Then in 1939, Peter Kreuder and Hans Fritz Beckmann produced the song Musik, Musik, Musik (Ich brauche keine Millionen) for the German film Hello Janine!. It was sung by Marika Rökk, an Egyptian-born singer, dancer and actress of Hungarian descent. Rökk was born in Cairo as the daughter of an Hungarian architect. She spent her childhood in Budapest, but in 1924 her family moved to Paris. Here she learned to dance and starred as dancer in the Moulin Rouge. After a tour in the USA she came to England where she played in her first film. In 1934 she came to Germany where she became one of the most famous filmstars.
And just to finish, here is a very different version of the song released in 2011 by OK Go and the Muppets from their Green Album.
