"The Muppet Show Theme" is a song originally written for The Muppet Show by Sam Pottle and Jim Henson. Although it evolved visually over the course of the show's five seasons, the musical composition remained substantially the same.
Despite The Muppet Show being released even before Disney's acquisition of the Muppets in 2004, it is one of the few memorable elements of The Muppets franchise to be actively marketed in Disney media inspired by the franchise due to the success of The Muppet Show over the decades.
In “The Muppets”, the theme (both the original version and a new recording for the movie) is heard during the flashbacks of Walter’s childhood at the beginning. The song is briefly rehearsed later in the film after the Muppets get back together.
The season 3 version of the song is performed at the beginning of The Muppet Show’s one-night revival, The Muppet Telethon. With only Hobo Joe in the audience, he is the only one to sing the “why don’t you get things started?” line (in a high pitched female soprano voice). Ironically, the theme is performed in the last thirty minutes of the film.
In "Muppets Most Wanted", when the Muppets perform in Germany, they attempt to play the theme in German but Constantine (posing as Kermit) faints in front of the audience and falls out of the sign onto the stage, forcing the theme song to be abruptly stopped so Sweetums can drag the unconscious Constantine offstage.
Later in Madrid, the theme is performed in Spanish, with Spanish instruments, the females wearing flowers in their hair and the men wearing sombreros.
Lyrics
Kermit:
It's the Muppet Show!
Chorus:
It's time to play the music
It's time to light the lights
It's time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight
It's time to put on makeup
It's time to dress up right
It's time to raise the curtains on the Muppet Show tonight
Statler & Waldorf:
Why do we always come here
I guess we'll never know
It's like a kind of torture
To have to watch the show
Kermit:
To introduce our guest star
That's what I am here to do
So it really makes me happy to introduce to you
"Ladies and gentlemen OK go"
Chorus:
So now let's get it started
Why don't we get it started
It's time to get things started
On the most sensational inspirational celebrational Muppetational
This is what we call the Muppet Show
It's the most sensational inspirational celebrational Muppetational
This is what we call the Muppet Show
Female Chorus:
It's time to play the music
It's time to light the lights
It's time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight
Male Chorus:
It's time to put on makeup
It's time to dress up right
It's time to get things started
Hobo Joe, in falsetto:
Why don't you get things started?
Statler, spoken:
Well, I always dreamed we'd be back here
Waldorf, spoken:
Dreams? Those were nightmares
Statler & Waldorf:
Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho!
Kermit:
It's time to get things started
The Muppets:
On the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational
This is what we call the Muppet Show!
