Kacey Musgraves: ‘Rainbow Connection’ Holds a Special Place in Her Heart
On Wednesday (Nov. 13), Kacey Musgraves' "Rainbow" music video won Music Video of the Year at the 2019 CMA Awards. The song comes from her 2018 CMA Album of the Year-winning third record, Golden Hour, but it was a different rainbow-related song she performed onstage this year: "Rainbow Connection," a song from 1979's The Muppet Movie, with country icon Willie Nelson.
Backstage at the 2019 CMA Awards, Musgraves told The Boot and other media members that "Rainbow Connection" holds a special place in her heart. "It was one of the first songs that I ever learned how to sing, and it was on my first tape, and it was one of the songs that I can remember singing from the very beginning," she shares.
"I just think it was really meaningful for me for a lot of reasons -- you know, one being that I love Willie Nelson so much, and I respect him as an artist, as a songwriter, as a Texan," continued Musgraves, who is also from Texas, "but also to have my own song, "Rainbow," nominated this year, and to get to bridge that chapter with, you know, such an icon like Willie, and a song that means a lot to a lot of different people, is really special to me."
In addition to its Music Video of the Year victory, "Rainbow" was also nominated for Single of the Year at the 2019 CMA Awards. Musgraves herself was up for Female Vocalist of the Year, an honor she won for the very first time on Wednesday night.
"Rainbow Connection" received Best Original Song at the Academy Awards following its release in the late '70s. Originally sung by Kermit the Frog, the classic track has been covered by a number of artists, including Nelson, on his 2001 Rainbow Connection album.
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