The eternal joy of Muppets singing is something that’s hard to fully explain — something about nostalgia and puppets and classic (and not-so-classic) songs that, together, bring us back to the street where everything’s a-ok.
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With the recent viral success of a Muppets-only version of Digital Underground‘s “The Humpty Dance,” we thought it would be a great time to collect some of the best videos featuring Jim Henson’s creations — spanning the official, the unofficial and the work of savvy Final Cut Pro users everywhere — featuring musical Muppets.
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But what sets the truly deserving viral videos apart? As with any musical contest, song choice is a vital component, as is believability — are the Muppets really expressing the feeling behind the song? Also, do their mouths match up with the voices? Then there’s that indescribable X factor to consider — mostly, Muppet dance moves.
Billboard‘s definitive top ten, below:
10. Tom Waits, “God’s Away On Business”
A simple premise, but a good one: Tom Waits as his vocal doppelganger, Cookie Monster.
9. Beastie Boys, “So What’cha Want”
This literal take on the Beast-ie Boys gets point for fidelity to the original song, as well as 0:50.
8. Kanye West ft. Rick Ross, Jay Z, Nicki Minaj, and Bon Iver – “Monster”
Not the most polished of the Muppet mash-ups, but Nicki as Miss Piggy is inspired, and there are some daring video editing choices here.
7. D’Angelo & the Vanguard, “Ain’t That Easy”
If D’Angelo were a Muppet, this is the Muppet he would be. The Muppet mash-up at its most elemental.
6. Digital Underground, “The Humpty Dance”
Gonzo gets hyphy in this extremely on-point adaption — it’s almost concerning to think about how many hours of The Muppet Show a grown person watched to make this.
5. Coldplay, “Yellow”
Muppet Chris Martin, live in concert (but, song choice…).
4. M.O.P., “Ante Up”
There is even a Muppet playing the trumpet in the background (!).
3. The Muppets, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Actual Muppets singing, and recreating the classic Queen video shot-for-shot.
2. Naughty By Nature, “Hip Hop Hooray”
Kermit and Fozzie Bear bop along to the most impossible-to-hate hip-hop song in history.
1. Escort, “All Through The Night”
Who knew that all you needed to recreate the 70’s were Muppets?