Joe Raposo day 1

He was my favorite then and remains so today. His sense of whimsy, his kind spirit, his earnest nature, and his interest in people helped make him someone I wanted to be with. I was with him, at least some of the time, when I watched my show, Sesame Street. His name is Kermit the Frog and he became my friend when Sesame Street began broadcasting in 1969.

Kermit wasn't much like the other Muppets. Ernie would tease and joke, Oscar would complain constantly, and Grover was adept at making mistakes. Kermit, however, was an island of calm and possibly the only Muppet on that show that knew calm existed.

Many of the Muppets had signature songs, songs with titles such as I Love Trash and Rubber Ducky. Kermit's signature song, unlike the others, was reflective and philosophical. Bein' Green may have appeared on a children's show, but it was not a "kiddie song." I didn't understand it, but I loved Bein' Green, and so did many others. Probably the best known after Kermit the Frog was Ray Charles, who gave the song a special depth and performed it multiple times.

Bein' Green was written by Joe Raposo, who also wrote many other songs for Sesame Street and even gave voice to the occasional Muppet. But Bein' Green was a song about life, and who we are inside, a song that still reaches people in every age category. If this is the only thing Joe Raposo is remembered for, than he still had a far-reaching legacy.


It's Not Easy Being Green Video:
Lyrics to It's Not Easy Being Green It's not that easy being green

Having to spend each day the color of the leaves

When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold

Or something much more colorful like that



It's not easy being green

It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things

And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're

Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water

Or stars in the sky



But green's the color of Spring

And green can be cool and friendly-like

And green can be big like an ocean, or important

Like a mountain, or tall like a tree



When green is all there is to be

It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why

Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful

And I think it's what I want to be





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZJxL3PrrLM