The Rainbow Connection
Waukesha, Dolly Parton and the Dumbest Banning Ever
Dolly Parton is an American treasure. She’s been a popular singer and songwriter for well over fifty years. She wrote “The Greatest Love of All” and “Jolene,” two classic songs, ON THE SAME DAY. She donates money for children’s books to schools in her native Tennessee to help promote childhood literacy. She has a theme park “Dollyland” that is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Tennessee. For crying out loud, she’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame even though, by her own admission, she’s never written a rock song in her life. Everyone loves Dolly. How could you not?
Well, apparently, the Waukesha School District has some issues with her.
Yes, Waukesha School District banned a song by Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton called “Rainbowland” because it relates to rainbows and those are *shudder ironically* symbols for homosexuality!
Ugh. What. The. Hell. You can always count on dumb local legislators to mess up a good thing.
So what are the lyrics of the song? They’re the typical happy-go-lucky feeling kind of thing you’d expect from a song titled “Rainbowland.” I mean, I half expect unicorns and happy leprechauns to bounce around in it.
How benign is that? I mean, I didn’t see anything controversial at all in there. But to somebody on the Waukesha School Board, the mere mention of a Rainbow was some kind of trigger. They may be the first person to never like a rainbow. But you know who loves rainbows? Kids. Its why they put them in pictures they draw. It’s why Lucky Charms and Skittles use them in Marketing.
But focusing only on the “rainbow songs” that seem to have been banned by the Waukesha School Board. I want to talk about how geuninely silly that is. When I was in Second Grade, everyone in the school sang a song together. It was one of the greatest songs of my life and it still holds a place in my heart. I have never heard anyone say this particular song was bad, or related to LGBTQ, or had any negative connotation on it whatsoever. It appeared in the top 40 for a total of 7 weeks and was added to the National Song Registry in 2020, deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress. That song was originally sung by a muppet.
It’s “The Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog.
Waukesha’s disgrace of a ban would bar THIS song from being played. REALLY. Can you think of anything less kid friendly than banning a song sung by KERMIT THE FROG? One that has given joy and amused kids since 1979?
SO I AM OFFERING A CALL TO ARMS.
I want everyone in Waukesha to show up at the next School Board meeting, and in a show of unity join hands and sing “The Rainbow Connection.” I’m usually not for protests that interrupt or speak over the planned business of the day, but I figure 3 minutes and 29 seconds of one of the greatest songs of all time should be fine. If you need to abbreviate it, maybe leave out the second verse and cut it to 2.
Folks, adults sometimes overthink things and in a vain attempt to shield the outside world from their kids and they overdo it. This is one of those times. Hopefully, the Waukesha School Board will come to its senses sooner rather than later.
As for my second favorite song associated with Rainbows, here is the 70’s classic “Since You Been Gone” by Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. Rock on.
PurpleAmerica’s Obscure Fact of the Day
Rainbows are not always meant to be effeminate or associated with homosexuality. The University of Hawaii’s mascot is the “Rainbow Warriors.” Meet Villi, the team’s mascot.
I’ve seen some flimsy excuses for mascots over the years (The Syracuse Orange?) but I can assure you this is not one of them. He looks terrifying.
On another note, rainbows are caused by when the sunlight is refracted by moisture in the air, resulting in the ability to see the spectrum, much like a prism. This is why you see rainbows opposite from where the sun is.
PurpleAmerica Cultural Criticism Corner
Thirteen years ago, the world was awed by a single person’s fascination with seeing a “double rainbow” at Yosemite National Park. The sheer joy he expressed in witnessing it couldn’t help but make anyone watching smile.
Footnotes and Parting Thoughts
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