Chapter 10- Walkin' on Sunshine
Hey Everyone...
Here is Chapter 10, Walkin' on Sunshine, another favorite of mine on the MPB album. The rest is soon to follow so enjoy!
Chapter 10- Walkin’ on Sunshine
Rizzo gave his board to one of the other surf rats and went to go see what Gonzo was doing while the other rats dashed under the boardwalk to hopefully catch some breakfast falling through the cracks. Rizzo spotted Gonzo on one part of the beach playing around with and old steel drum, a cowbell, and some random pots and pans. Hoping that Gonzo was going to cook something, he headed over. As Rizzo got closer though, there was no food in sight.
Gonzo had that look in his eyes that always meant he was up to something, which was never good for Rizzo. Gonzo handed Rizzo a couple of sticks to use as mallets while blatantly lifting his eyelids up and down, trying to convince Rizzo to join in on his impromptu jam session. Assessing the situation in usual Muppet fashion, Rizzo thought, what could go wrong? and he took the sticks from Gonzo and grabbed the cowbell. Gonzo was finishing tying up empty glass soda bottles of different sizes on a string tied to two logs to create a makeshift set of chimes when Clifford was walking in their direction, obviously looking for someone.
The waves on the beach were beginning to die down and seagulls were flying above while Clifford was walking along the beach, looking for the pretty girl he rendezvoused with the other night (hey, spell-check says that rendezvoused is spelled ok, but one can never be sure J . They were supposed to meet one last time before Clifford headed back with the rest of the Muppets this afternoon to travel back to the Boarding House. He was right on time and he was in the exact spot where they were supposed to meet, so Clifford was anxiously searching the rest of the beach for his new honey. Instead, he spotted Gonzo and Rizzo and heard them banging on a bunch of old junk.
“Uh Gonzo, Rizzo...” said Clifford, not very happy that he had company other than the company of the beautiful girl he was looking for.
“Hmm?” said Gonzo and Rizzo together, like nothing was out of the ordinary.
“What are you doing?” asked Clifford.
“Oh we’re tuning up” said Rizzo, followed by a quick “Yeah” from Gonzo. They continued to tinker around on the pots and pans and what looked like a really old steel drum, but it didn’t sound like tuning up at all to Clifford.
“Huh?” Clifford said in confusion.
“Relax, we’re trained percussionists!” said Gonzo, followed by a confirming “Yeah” from Rizzo. This cued the Electric Mayhem and they started to play a light, upbeat rhythm, joined in by Gonzo and Rizzo on their makeshift percussion instruments.
“I don’t know about this” said Clifford, definitely not happy that he wasn’t alone, and not alone with his girl.
“Trust us!” said Gonzo and Rizzo simultaneously and they continued to play an upbeat island rhythm on their cowbells, bottles, pots and pans. Lips and Zoot joined in on the trumpet and sax and blew a nice loud note, followed by the accompaniment to a tune quickly recognized. As they started playing the familiar phrase again, Clifford let out a long laugh before starting to sing the melody...
“I used to think maybe you loved me, now baby I’m sure...” sang Clifford while the Mayhem provided quiet back-up and Gonzo and Rizzo provided a not-so-quiet percussion back-up. Clifford thought it had a nice rhythm though.
“Not bad” Clifford said to the rat and the....whatever.
“Thanks” said Gonzo and Rizzo nonchalantly, like they already knew that their junk percussion skills were legendary...
“And I just can’t wait till the day when, you knock at my door-or...” sang Clifford while still looking around for his mysterious beach babe. “You hear me honey?” asked Clifford in a very Barry White sort-of-way. Dr. Teeth laid down some tunes on his keyboard while Gonzo and Rizzo kept banging away a pretty decent counter-rhythm.
“Now every time I go to the mailbox, gotta hold myself down-own...” sang Clifford as Gonzo and Rizzo’s backup was becoming less and less of a back-up, if you get my drift.
“You’re gettin’ a little carried away..” pointed out Clifford.
“Oh sorry” said Rizzo, quickly followed by a short “sorry!” from Gonzo, who was still intently staring at his instruments while banging out a beat. He banged out a loud cymbal beat, then quickly remembered that they were getting carried away and went back to the steel drum.
“Cause I just can’t wait til you write me, you’re coming around!” sang Clifford as he finished the verse.
“Much better” said Clifford to the clang-bang boys doing percussion, who thankfully took it down a notch. Both Gonzo and Rizzo shouted out a quick “thanks” before Clifford headed into the chorus.
“Now I’m Walkin’ on Sunshine” sang Clifford while Gonzo and Rizzo provided vocal backup along with the Mayhem, singing the appropriate “Ooo’s” to back up Clifford’s melody. “yeah-a- a-a-ah”
“I’m Walkin’ on Sunshine...whoa-oh-oh-oh..... I’m Walkin’ on Sunshine....yeah-a-a-ah...and it’s time to feel good!” sang Clifford followed some loud horn blasts by Lips and Zoot and some shouts of excitement by Gonzo and Rizzo.
“Alright now, it’s time to feel good!” sang Clifford with a little bit of sass as Lips and Zoot played their snazzy back-up and Gonzo and Rizzo still clanging away on their junkyard percussion instruments, cueing Clifford into the next verse.
“I used to think maybe you loved me, now I know it’s true-oo...” sang Clifford, remembering the way he and his mystery girl cuddled under a palm tree last night. Rizzo started banging on his cowbell loudly, effectively taking Clifford out of his daydream. “Hey I’m trying to sing over here!” he shouted at them.
“Sorry!” said Gonzo as he quickly whacked Rizzo on the head with one of his makeshift mallets before going back to the steel drum.
“and I don’t wanna spend my whole life...just waitin’ for you baby!” sang/said Clifford getting impatient with his mystery girl.. “you hear me?” he asked hoping that she would appear and answer..but no such luck.
“Now I don’t want you back for the weekend, not back for a day-ay” sang Clifford as Gonzo played a cool, syncopated rhythm on his hanging soda bottles.
“Tasty riff Gonzo!” said Rizzo as he nodded in satisfaction.
“Thanks!” said Gonzo as he finished the riff and went back to banging on some pots and pans.
“Now baby..I..just..want you back, and I want you stay- a- ay!” sang Clifford, thinking of how nice it would be is he could bring this girl back to the boarding house...or at least get her number for future beach outings. “Sing guys!” said Clifford to Gonzo and Rizzo as he started in on the chorus.
“Now I’m Walkin’ on Sunshine...whoa-oh-oh-oh....” sang Clifford, backed up by the “ooo’s” by Gonzo and Rizzo and random members of the Mayhem.
“I’m Walkin’ on Sunshine...yeah-a-a-ah... I’m Walkin’ on Sunshine...whoa-oh-oh-oh...and it’s time to feel good!” sang Clifford as he pointed to Gonzo and Rizzo to sing back.
“Feel good!” sang Gonzo and Rizzo in unison.
“Alright now, and don’t ya feel good!” sang Clifford
“Feel good!” sang Gonzo and Rizzo again.
“You feel good!” sang Clifford back.
“You feel good!” sang Rizzo and Gonzo in response while still banging away on pots and pans.
“Everybody feel good?” sang Clifford as he spied a different beach beauty running on the shoreline.
“Everybody feel good!” sang Gonzo and Rizzo while rolling their eyes at Clifford.
“Come on!” sang Clifford as he quickly forgot about last night’s girl and started heading towards the direction of this new girl.
“Come on!” sang Rizzo and Gonzo and Clifford together, though Clifford was moving farther and farther away from them and closer to the girl.
“I feel good!” sang Clifford while smiling and waving at the new girl, who looked like she started to jog a little bit faster...
“I feel good!” replied Gonzo and Rizzo watching the girl run faster and faster on the beach.
“You feel good!” sang Clifford as he started jogging after the new mystery girl.
“You feel good!” replied Rizzo and Gonzo as they ignored Clifford and his new obsession and kept jamming.
“I feel good!” Clifford sang with a big smile on his face as he kept jogging after the new girl.
“He feels good!” replied Gonzo and Rizzo, thinking that Clifford would never catch up to her if she kept sprinting like that.
“Yeah!” sang Clifford with a little bit of vibrato at the end as he jogged up and down the small hills of the beach after his new obsession. Rizzo and Gonzo quickly replied with a “Yeah!” as they shrugged and kept on playing their new island rhythm on all the junk that they found. Hmm, I guess Music is Everywhere! (hooray for muppet babies reference!)