How Muppets Own the Moment

[Ruahnna]

I wanted to start a thread that talked about shows, skits, songs or appearances that the muppets took something that wasn’t original to them and made it completely over in their own image, turning something ordinary into something muppety and sublime! I'll go first!

I Won't Dance
I'd always enjoyed the skit when, in the middle of the At the Ballroom skits, Kermit and Piggy suddenly begin to sing "I Won't Dance." I assumed (which must surely be a sin) that they were doing the song straight. I assumed that the song was written as a duet and they were taking the two parts. Not so!

Here are the original lyrics, as popularized by Frank Sinatra;

I won't dance, don't ask me.
I won't dance, don't ask me.
I won't dance, Madame, with you--
My heart won't let my feet do things that they should do.

You know what? You're lovely!
You know what? You're so lovely!--
And, oh, what you do to me!
I'm like an ocean wave that's bumped on the shore.
I feel so absolutely stumped on the floor.

When you dance, you're charming and you're gentle—
'specially when you do the Continental.
But this feeling isn't purely mental
For—heaven rest us—I’m not asbestos!

And that's why
I won't dance, why should I?
I won't dance, how could I?
I won't dance, merci beaucoup.
I know that music leads the way to romance,
So if I hold you in arms—I won't dance
(Repeat all)

Now—here’s the way it was sung by Kermit and Piggy, and just look at what a difference their subtle change in lyrics makes in how the song is perceived! To REALLY get the feel of it, though, you have to watch all of Kermit and Piggy’s facial expressions. Oh—Kermit sooooo wants to be seen as charming and debonair, but he is doesn’t trust her motives—or himself! His confounded expression when Piggy does the shimmy is just priceless!

Kermit:
I won't dance, don't ask me.
I won't dance, don't ask me.
I won't dance, Madame, with you--
My heart won't let my feet do things that they should do.

Piggy:
You know what?

Kermit: What?

Piggy:
You're lovely!

Kermit:
And so what?

Piggy: (laying her head back onto his shoulder)
I’m lovely!

Kermit:
But, oh what you do to me!

Piggy:
I'm like an ocean wave that's bumped on the shore.

Kermit:
I feel so absolutely stumped on the floor.

Piggy:
When you dance, you're charming and you're gentle—

Kermit:
Oh yeah?

Piggy:
'Specially when you do the Continental.
But this feeling isn't purely mental!

Kermit: (watching her shimmy)
Heaven rest us—I’m not asbestos!
And that's why--
I won't dance, why should I?
I won't dance, how could I?
I won't dance,

Piggy: (sarcastically)
Merci beaucoup.
I know that music leads the way to romance,
So if I hold you in arms—?

Kermit:
I won't dance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr7v05KvggM

 

[newsmanfan]

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Oh, so, SO many good examples of this! Randy Newman's "Simon Smith and His Dancing Bear" is a good one -- my dad was a Newman fan, had all his albums, and still the version which sticks with me is Scooter and Fozzie!
And then Shel Silverstein...how many of his songs did the Muppets take on? Jim's laid-back hillbilly singing "Put Another Log on the Fire" is hysterical.

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