Several months ago I had begun collecting photos and information to do a blog revolving around the color red and how that color related to Taylor Hicks.
To my surprise ... before I had finished putting everything together, someone (sorry I've forgotten who) touched on the very same topic and it appeared in The Soul Connection Enzine.
What were the chances that somebody else was thinking along the very same lines at the very same time?
Needless to say it was redundant for me to continue, but I was still intrigued by how colors played out in our lives and I started thinking about the color green!
Kermit the Frog has always been the spokesperson for the color green.
"Bein' Green," originally titled "Green", is one of Kermit the Frog's best-known songs.
It was written by Joe Raposo for the first season of Sesame Street.
It has since become a American standard.
In the song, Kermit expresses his ambivalence about the color of his skin, noting that green "blends in with so many other ordinary things" and wishing that he were some other color instead.
By the end of the song, however, Kermit makes more positive associations with the color and decides "it's beautiful, and I think it's what I want to be."
Thoughts of the discussion that might occur between Taylor and Kermit popped into my mind.
It would be an inspirational meetings of minds, told from both sides of the coin, about embracing who you are and learning to love yourself.
Whether you have feeling of blending in and being ordinary or
Naturally their conversation would take them to thoughts about Taylor Hicks' Idol, Ray Charles, and of course Soul Music!
photo caption:
Kermit and Ray Charles sing "Bein' Green" on 'Cher' in 1975.
"Everything about the pain and experience in Ray Charles' voice touches a raw nerve in me.
I can feel not only the man's pain, but also his strength and determination to endure and triumph against long odds.
Whenever I find the going a little tough, I think about how hard life on the road must have been for Ray - this brilliant blind black man trying to find his way in an extremely racist world.
The music that's in my heart - soul music - taught me loudly and clearly that racism is nothing but pure ignorance.
Soul music spoke to me - not because of the color of anybody's skin but because of the beauty and the power of its sound and the universal purity of its message."
Taylor Hicks ~ 'Heart Full of Soul'
"Jim Henson took a simple song and a piece of felt and turned it into a moment of great power.
The song says it's not easy being green, but the song is about knowing who you are, and in it you can hear Jim's message loud and clear.
We should learn to love who we are and be proud of it.
And that's the way we learn to love each other."
~Ray Charles~
The song, which in its initial airings, was aimed at underprivileged children, has been interpreted as an anthem about embracing one's race.
It was described in a Children's Television Workshop press release as "a frog's poignant realization of his own dignity and worth."
On to the other side of the coin ... from my blog topic
'Dare To Be Different'
Take advantage of your difference and make it work for you.
Make your own way!
"From the beginning my main focus was turning my biggest disadvantage into an advantage.
The undeniable truth is that by nearly every standard, I didn't fit in.
I was older, fatter, and I had gray hair.
So I decided the smart thing to do was embrace my oddness for all it was worth ... like they say, vive la difference."
From 'Heart Full Of Soul' by Taylor Hicks
(An inspirational memoir about finding your voice and finding your way)
Shades of Green
Green means GO.
Green means Money (in the US).
Green means eco-friendly.
Good green ...
Green light - go, permission to proceed (with a task)
The green room - in theater or televisions it is the room where performers and guests go to relax
Green thumb - good with plants
Greenback - US dollar bill, money
Greener pastures - something newer or better (or perceived to be better), such as a new job
Bad green ....
Green-eyed monster - jealosy
Green with envy - jealous or envious
Green - inexperienced, untested, untrained
Greenhorn - novice, trainee, beginner
Green around the gills - pale, sickly
Today's cup is from:'Before You Leap': a Frogs-eye View of Life’s Greatest Lessons
by Kermit The Frog
And it's another Daily Double ...
“Success is believing in yourself, then convincing everyone else that you’re right.”
“Every Journey Begins With A Single Hop”
Today's blog topic ends with Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, singing about "Bein' Green".
"Bein' Green" was also recorded by such notables as Van Morrison, Buddy Rich, Don Henley, Tony Bennet and Diana Ross.
I hope you've enjoyed my colorful musings!
Colors answer feeling in man; shapes answer thought; and motion answers will.
