If you made a list of your 20 favorite songs from all the different Muppet productions, I think you'd find that Jerry Nelson (archived fansite bio interview) sang at least 12 of them. As Count von Count, Floyd Pepper, Kermit's little nephew Robin, and Gobo Fraggle, Jerry has spent the vast majority of his life singing and funning his way into the hearts of kids and adults around the world.And a few months ago he finally released his first solo album, composed of songs he's been writing all his life. (I've been waiting decades for him to do something like this. Now, if only Kevin Murphy from MST3K will release an album my life will be complete.) The album is sprawling and eclectic, featuring musical assistance from Nelson's family and friends, and backing vocals from a lot of his Sesame Street friends. This song in particular is the hardest rocking one off the album, looking at Nelson's perspective on death and naming all his fallen friends (including his daughter, Christine, and his comrades-in-armsleeves Jim Henson and Richard Hunt). But choosing this particular track was a tossup -- there are three or four other songs I wanted to post as well. "Alligators" is a swampy, vaguely Fogerty-esque number, while "Tides" may have made the list of songs to be played at my memorial service whenever I die. As you'll note in this song, Jerry isn't afraid to cuss a little, and the only track that's definitely kid-designed is "Be Positive," though I'd imagine kids of all ages would enjoy the album a lot.
I've been living with this album for a few months now, and it's been in pretty heavy rotation -- I can't tell whether it's as good as I think it is, or just my obsessive Muppet love making me enjoy it so much. What do you folks think?
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