by Arianne Gallagher
Greetings Muppet fans! It’s that time of year again, the holiday
season where amongst the shopping, decorating, and cavorting, we get to break
out all of the amazing Muppet holiday specials that we all hold so dear and
make us smile from ear to ear. Muppet
Family Christmas, Muppet Christmas
Carol, John Denver and the Muppets: A
Christmas Together, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, the Christmas Toy, Emmet
Otter’s Jugband Christmas, and many more!
So many of these specials offer a wonderful glimpse of the best and
brightest joy and laughter the Muppets have to offer and are some of the most
well-renowned Christmas specials ever, let alone some of the best work from the
entire Muppet portfolio. I think more than anything though, what I love most
about these Muppet holiday specials is the beautiful songs, both new and
traditional, and the spirit behind them[1].
One of my favorite songs ever from these
specials is, “It’s in Every One of Us.” It’s a short, simple tune with a
tremendous amount of heart and emotion and the Muppets have showcased it
beautifully on several occasions. John Denver sings it after telling the story
of Alfie the Christmas tree in John
Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together and with the whole Muppet gang
during Rocky Mountain Holiday. Robin the frog starts the tune during the
annual carol sing in a Muppet Family
Christmas (arguably tied for the best Christmas special ever with a Muppet Christmas Carol, which is also a
motion picture, but let’s not get picky). Also, a small cast of Muppet
performers sang the tune as part of a medley during Jim Henson’s memorial,
because it was one of Jim’s favorite songs.
But ever since the first time I heard it, I have always had one question
in the back of my mind, “What’s in every one of us?” What is that thing we’ll find if we find our
hearts and open up our eyes? What allows us to know everything without ever
knowing why? Well, after all of these years of asking myself, I decided to find
the answer…
First, I decided to find out where the song
came from; whether it was an original song created for a Muppet special or if
it came somewhere else. After a relatively
quick Google search, I discovered that the song was most likely written by
David Pomeranz, an American singer, composer, lyricist and writer for musical
theater, and it was the closing song in the 1980’s musical Time, by Dave Clark (some of my research indicated that it might
have been a joint effort between Pomeranz and Dave Clark, David Soames and Jeff
Daniels, who wrote the music, lyrics and book for Time).[2] Now Time was what you
would call eccentric. It was derived
from a 1970s musical, The Time Lord,
and centers around a contemporary rock star who has been transported, along
with his backup singers, to the “High Court of the Universe in the Andromeda
Galaxy” where he must defend Earth’s people and their value in the quest for
universal peace to the, “Time Lord Melchisedic”. It was known as a huge
multi-media event relying heavily on special effects, including a huge
projected floating head names Akash who narrated the show.[3]
Not the first thing you think of when you see Robin next to his uncle Kermit
singing Christmas carols.
Based on
my reading about Jim Henson, most recently through Brian Jay Jones’ amazing
biography Jim Henson, the Biography,
this show was right up Jim’s creative experimental alley, which may be one of
the reasons that he liked the song so much and included it in several different
specials. Notably, the song was also
featured in the movie Big and during
the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea.[4]
But after all this researching and even listening to the original, complete
song from Time, I still didn’t know
what is supposed to be in every one of us.
Is it love? Peace? Faith? Wisdom? Joy? Indigestion?! WHAT is it?!
Then I stopped, listened to the Muppet Family Christmas version of the
song one more time, and thought of Jim Henson.
There are many quotes of his that I love and deeply resonate with me,
but two of them seem to come to my mind now when I hear the song. First, “Simple is good” and secondly, “If our
‘message’ is anything, it’s a positive approach to life. That life is basically
good. People are basically good.”[5] I got a strong sense that I was over thinking
it, that the answer was right in front of me and I was thinking about everyone
else around me too much to see it. I think with Jim being the person that he
was, that he meant for every person to find their own meaning to the song; that
the answer was essentially everything and nothing, and that there is no right
answer. It’s whatever the audience/listener thought it was and what resonates
most with them. For me, I think that “thing” that’s in every one of us is that
sense that there is good or value in everyone, that “People are basically
good”, as Jim Henson so simply put it. A lot of times when you see the news and read
about popular or global culture today, it can be one of the hardest things to
believe, but it’s still true. 
The one time of year that I viscerally feel and
see this sense more than any other time is during the holiday season. Watching people be kinder to one another,
performing acts of charity or service, or just simply enjoying one another’s
company and taking the time to be thankful and grateful for the gifts life
brings us, all on a massive scale, is the thing about the holidays that brings
me an overwhelming sense of joy and happiness every holiday season. I believe one of the reasons that I feel that
way every year is because it gives us a rare chance in life where we actually
get to see a deep-seeded sense or belief we have proven in real life,
essentially like seeing a dream come true , or even a miracle come to life.
“It’s in Every One of US” and in particular every time the Muppets have
performed that song bring out that sense, that message of a positive approach
to life that Jim Henson brings out with all the Muppet characters. I think that’s why that song means so much to
me, especially during Christmas.
Will I ever know what the real/factual answer
behind the meaning of the song is?
Maybe, maybe not. So whatever the song means to you, whatever sense you
get when you try to hold back tears when Robin and Kermit sing the final lines
of the tune together in a Muppet Family
Christmas[6], I hope you find
that meaning and that it resonates with you and brings you joy every holiday
season while keeping your love and appreciation for the Muppets and all that
they stand for as strong as ever.
Happy Holidays everyone, and Watch Out for the Icy Patch!
~Arianne Gallagher~
[1]
One of the main people behind this Paul Williams. His songs for Muppet Christmas Carol and other Muppet specials are simply
wonderful, both in their lovely tunes and insightful lyrics that get down deep
to the heart of everyone and make you smile from the inside out. I think we should all take the time on Twitter
to thank him for that. (You can find him on Twitter at @IMPaulWilliams)
[2] See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Pomeranz
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_(musical).
Note that these are Wikipedia articles and since I used to be a law
student/academic, I feel obligated to say that there are probably better, more
factual resources out there but what the heck, it’s Christmas and the last
thing we want to do is look for proper citations!
[4] Do
you really have to ask? Same as above.
[5] It’s Not Easy Being Green, and Other Things to Consider, Edited by Cheryl Henson, 2005, Hyperion Books, New York.
[6]
Don’t deny it, embrace it!! I’ll keep the tissues handy!
Bonus feature: here are the lyrics to the entire song (credit goes
to YouTube)
It's in
every one of us
to be wise
Find your heart
open up both your eyes,
We can all know everything
without ever knowing why,
It's in every one of us
by and by ..
It's in every one of us
to be wise,
Find your heart
open up both your eyes,
We can all know everything
without ever knowing why,
It's in every one of us
by and by ..
It's in every one of us
I just remembered
it's like I been sleeping for years,
I'm not awake as I can be
but my seeing is better,
I can see ..
through the tears,
I've been realizing that,
I bought this ticket
and watching only half of the show,
There is scenery and lights
and a cast of thousands,
Who all know
what I know,
And it's good
that it's so ..
It's in every one of us
to be wise
Find your heart
open up both your eyes,
We can all know everything
without ever knowing why,
It's in every one of us
by and by,
It's in every one of us
by and by..
to be wise
Find your heart
open up both your eyes,
We can all know everything
without ever knowing why,
It's in every one of us
by and by ..
It's in every one of us
to be wise,
Find your heart
open up both your eyes,
We can all know everything
without ever knowing why,
It's in every one of us
by and by ..
It's in every one of us
I just remembered
it's like I been sleeping for years,
I'm not awake as I can be
but my seeing is better,
I can see ..
through the tears,
I've been realizing that,
I bought this ticket
and watching only half of the show,
There is scenery and lights
and a cast of thousands,
Who all know
what I know,
And it's good
that it's so ..
It's in every one of us
to be wise
Find your heart
open up both your eyes,
We can all know everything
without ever knowing why,
It's in every one of us
by and by,
It's in every one of us
by and by..
