It Just Got a Lot Easier Bein' Green

BURBANK, Calif., Aug. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Walt Disney Records' Muppets: The Green Album has debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart in its first week of release, scanning over 30,000 units according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album was ranked #1 Rock Album, #1 Rock Song ("Rainbow Connection"), #1 Rock Music Video ("Muppet Show Theme Song") and #4 on the Top Album chart at the iTunes Music Store. The album also debuted at No. 5 on Billboard's Top Digital Album chart.  

Muppets: The Green Album boasts plenty of highlights, including the "Muppet Show Theme Song" performed by OK Go.  In one of the most memorable video collaborations in recent memory, the clip features explosions, dream sequences, Muppet mayhem and a look at past award-winning OK Go music videos (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiMZa8flyYY).  The band performs the song on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno this evening, along with some special guests.

The musical tribute also includes five songs penned by Oscar-winning composer Paul Williams, including the Oscar-nominated song "Rainbow Connection"/Weezer, featuring Hayley Williams, "Moving Right Along"/Alkaline Trio, "Our World"/My Morning Jacket, "I Hope That Something Better Comes Along"/Matt Nathanson and "I'm Going Back There Someday"/Rachel Yamagata. It celebrates a burgeoning Muppet extravaganza this year, which culminates in the November release of the Muppets' seventh full-length feature film, Disney's "The Muppets."

Paul Williams says, "Writing for the Muppets has always been a labor of love.  The songs have always been special to me and now the energy, humor and heart each artist brings to these recordings makes me think it's a shared experience. I love the mix of edge and intimacy. Every cut 'feels' fabulous. One sweet surprise after another. It's 'heart payment' for a songwriter. I'm gonna go celebrate with Kermit, Gonzo, Fozzie, Rowlf and Emmet!  Don't worry, I'm the designated driver!"

"I'm flippergasted!" said Kermit the Frog. "Hearing these songs covered by these amazing artists makes them sound so fresh. They're like old friends you've just met."  As for The Green Album making the Billboard Top 10, Kermit adds, "It just proves what we always say in the swamp: 'songs sung green, everybody knows one'."

Muppets: The Green Album is available wherever music is sold.  For more information on Walt Disney Records' releases, please visit Disney.com/music, become a fan at Facebook.com/disneymusic or follow us at Twitter.com/disneymusic.

ABOUT THE MUPPETS STUDIO

For more than 55 years, the Muppets have entertained film and television audiences with their blend of heart and humor. The creation of the late visionary, Jim Henson, the Muppets are among the world's most recognized and beloved characters, led by the world's most famous amphibian, Kermit the Frog.  Since The Muppets Studio joined The Walt Disney Company in 2004, the Muppets have starred in a series of award-winning viral music videos, multiple television specials, attractions and appearances at Disney Parks, and have an array of Muppets merchandise.  

ABOUT THE UPCOMING MOVIE—DISNEY'S "THE MUPPETS"

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary's girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate. With secret, signature, celebrity cameos, Disney's "The Muppets" hits the big screen Nov. 23, 2011.  

SOURCE Walt Disney Records