Green is the colour between blue and yellow on the visible spectrum. In subtractive colour systems, used in painting and colour printing, it is created by a combination of yellow and cyan; in the RGB colour mode, used on television and computer screens, it is one of the additive primary colours, along with red and blue, which are mixed in different combinations to create all other colours. By far the largest contributor to green in nature is chlorophyll, the chemical by which plants photosyhthesize and convert sunlight into chemical energy. In surveys made in the USA, European, and Islamic countries, green is the colour most commonly associated with nature, life, health, hope, and envy. Because of its association with nature, it is the colour of the environmental movement. Political groups advocating environmental protection and social justice describe themselves as part of the Green movement, some naming themselves Green parties.
“Greensleeves” is a traditional English folk song. A broadside ballad by the name “A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves” was registered by Richard Jones at the London Stationer’s Company in September 1580, and the tune is found in several late-16th-century and early-17th-century sources, such as Ballet’s MS Lute Book and Her Luitboek van Thysius, as well as various manuscripts preserved in the University of Cambridge. There is a persistent belief that Greensleeves was composed by Henry VIII for his lover and future queen Anne Boleyn. Boleyn allegedly rejected King Henry’s attempts to seduce her and this rejection may be referred to in the song when the writer’s love “cast me off discourteously”. However, the piece is based on an Italian style of composition that did not reach England until after Henry’s death, making it more likely to be Elizabethan in origin.
“Green Onions” is an instrumental recorded in 1962 by Booker T. & the M.G.’s. Described as “one of the most popular instrumental rock and soul songs ever” and as one of “the most popular R&B instrumentals of its era”, the tune is a 12 bar blues with a rippling Hammond M3 organ line by Booker T. Jones that he wrote when he was 17, although the actual recording was largely improvised in the studio. The track was originally issued in May 1962 on the Volt label as the B-side of “Behave Yourself”; it was quickly re-issued in August 1962 as an A-side, and it also appeared on the album Green Onions that same year. The organ sound of the song became a feature of the “Memphis soul sound”.
“The Village Green Preservation Society” is a single by the Kinks and released in 1968. Written by Ray Davies, the song is a nostalgic reflection on cultural English “village green”, country, and hamlet lifestyle, and references many different characteristics and features of it, such as Tudor houses and draught beer. At the same time, it speaks negatively of modern, industrial traits, such as office blocks and skyscrapers. As the opening track of The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society, it sets the theme for the majority of the rest of the album. It is also, according to AllMusic, the best-known track from the album. The song has been part of the Kinks’ live setlist. The song inspired the band’s slogan, “God Save the Kinks”
Fiddler’s Green is an afterlife where there is perpetual mirth, a fiddle that never stops playing, and dancers who never tire. In 19th-century English maritime folklore, it was a kind of after-life for sailors who had served at least fifty years at sea. A song called “Fiddler’s Green” or more often “Fo’c’sle Song”, was written by John Conolly, a Lincolnshire songwriter. It has been recorded by Tim Hart and Maddy Prior for their album Folk Songs of Olde England Vol. 2 (1968).
“Green Tambourine” is a song written and composed by Paul Leka and Shelley Pinz. It was the biggest hit by the 1960s Ohio-based group the Lemon Pipers, as well as the title track of their debut album, Green Tambourine. The song was one of the first psychedelic pop chart-toppers and became a gold record. Released toward the end of 1967, it spent 13 weeks on the U.S. Billboard, peaking at No. 1 on February 3, 1968, and sold over a million copies. The record remained on the chart for three months. It was also the first U.S. No. 1 hit for the Buddah label. The Lemon Pipers never repeated this success, though their “Rice Is Nice” and “Jelly Jungle”, both also written by Leka and Pinz, made the charts in 1968.
“Green River” is a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was written by John Fogerty and released as a single in July 1969, one month before the album of the same name was released. “Green River” peaked at number two for one week, behind the novelty bubblegum pop song “Sugar Sugar” by “The Archies”. The song was based on a childhood vacation spot of John Fogerty’s: “Certainly a song like “Green River” – which you may think would fit seamlessly into the Bayou vibe, but it’s actually about the Green River, as I named it – it was actually called Putah Creek in California. It wasn’t called Green River, but in my mind I always sort of called it Green River. “
“The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)” is a song written by Peter Green and recorded by Fleetwood Mac. It was released as a single in the UK in May 1970 and reached No. 10 on the British charts, a position it occupied for four consecutive weeks, and was the band’s last UK top 10 hit until “Tusk” reached No. 6 in 1979. “The Green Manalishi” was the last song Green made with Fleetwood Mac before leaving the band. The song was written during Green’s final months with the band, at a time when he was struggling with LSD and had withdrawn from other members of the band. While there are several theories about the meaning of the title “Green Manalishi”, Green always maintained that the song is about money, as represented by the devil.
Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the straight man/protangonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, as well as in other television series, feature films, specials, and public service announcements through the years. Kermit performed the hit single “Being Green” in 1970.
“The Green Door” (or “Green Door“) is a 1956 pop song with music composed by Bob Hutch Davie and lyrics written by Marvin J. Moore. The song was first recorded by Jim Lowe, whose version reached number one on the US pop chart. The lyrics describe the allure of a mysterious private club with a green door, behind which “a happy crowd” play piano, smoke and “laugh a lot”, and inside which the singer is not allowed. Welsh singer Shakin’ Stevens covered the song in 1981 for his album Shaky. It became his second UK number 1, topping the charts for four weeks in August 1981.
