Kermit the Frog Performers Who does Kermit perform with? Jim Henson originated the character what was his performance about? I don't know. Are there any other interesting aspects about this article? veteran Muppet performer Steve Whitmire was named Kermit's new performer. Why did he need another performer? Following Henson's death, When did Henson die? Henson died twelve days after that appearance. Which appearance had he had before his death? The Arsenio Hall Show to promote The Muppets at Walt Disney World.
What else did he promote about the show?
Together with The Arsenio Hall show, what else did Henson promote about the show?
Jim Henson originated the character in 1955 on his local television series, Sam and Friends. Brian Henson described his father's performance as Kermit as "coming out of his own personality--was a wry intelligence, a little bit of a naughtiness, but Kermit always loved everyone around and also loved a good prank." He continued to perform the character until his death in 1990. Henson's last known performance as Kermit was for an appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show to promote The Muppets at Walt Disney World. Henson died twelve days after that appearance.  Following Henson's death, veteran Muppet performer Steve Whitmire was named Kermit's new performer. In 2017, Whitmire seemed to imply in a blog post that Jim Henson had asked him to assume the role before he died, though Jim's daughter Cheryl Henson claimed Brian had selected him after Jim's death. Whitmire's first public performance as Kermit was at the end of the television special The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson in 1990. He remained Kermit's principal performer until 2016. Disney announced that Matt Vogel would be taking over as the performer and voice for Kermit on July 10, 2017. Whitmire later revealed that he had not chosen to voluntarily leave the role, but rather, had been recast by Muppet Studios in October 2016. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter later in July 2017, Whitmire elaborated he was fired for two reasons: long-term creative disagreements over Kermit's characterization and prolonged labor union negotiations that delayed his involvement in Muppet-related productions.  For a brief demonstration at MuppetFest (a 2001 Muppet fan convention), Muppet performer John Kennedy performed Kermit opposite Whitmire's performance of young Kermit (from Kermit's Swamp Years). Kennedy also performed Kermit for Muppets Ahoy!, a 2006 Disney Cruise Line stage show (though Whitmire performed Kermit for the first few shows). Muppet performer Artie Esposito briefly performed Kermit in 2009 for a few personal appearances (an appearance on America's Got Talent, an appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards, and at the 2009 D23 Expo with Rowlf the Dog as part of a tribute to Jim Henson).  Voice actor Frank Welker provided the voice of Baby Kermit on the animated Saturday morning cartoon, Muppet Babies. He also provided the voice of an adult Kermit for a short-lived spin-off, Little Muppet Monsters. CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, as well as in other television series, feature films, specials, and public service announcements through the years. He served as a mascot of The Jim Henson Company and appeared in various Henson projects.

Kermit performed the hit singles "Bein' Green" in 1970 and "Rainbow Connection" in 1979 for The Muppet Movie, the first feature-length film featuring the Muppets. Kermit's original performance of "Rainbow Connection" reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry in 2021. Henson performed Kermit until his death in 1990, and then Steve Whitmire performed Kermit from that time until his dismissal in 2016. Kermit has been performed by Matt Vogel from 2017. He was also voiced by Frank Welker in Muppet Babies and occasionally in other animation projects, and is voiced by Matt Danner in the 2018 reboot of Muppet Babies.

Kermit's iconic look and voice have been recognizable in popular culture worldwide for many decades, and in 2006, the character was credited as the author of Before You Leap: A Frog's Eye View of Life's Greatest Lessons, an "autobiography" told from the perspective of the character himself.

History and development
Kermit the Frog first appeared on May 9, 1955, in the premiere of WRC-TV's Sam and Friends. This prototype Kermit was created from a discarded turquoise spring coat belonging to Jim Henson's mother and two ping pong ball halves for eyes.

Initially, Kermit was a vague lizard-like creature. He subsequently made a number of television appearances before his status as a frog was established in the television special Hey, Cinderella! in 1969. His triangular-pointed collar was added at the time to make him seem more frog-like and to conceal the seam between his head and body. According to Michael K. Frith, the relatively simple construction of the Kermit puppet allows the performer's arm and hand to produce a wide range of expression and gestures.

Naming
The origin of Kermit's name is a subject of some debate. It is often claimed that Kermit was named after Henson's childhood friend Kermit Scott, from Leland, Mississippi. However, Karen Falk, head archivist and board of directors member for the Jim Henson Legacy organization, denies this claim on the Jim Henson Company's website:

Joy DiMenna, the only daughter of Kermit Kalman Cohen who worked as a sound engineer at WBAL-TV during Jim Henson's time with Sam and Friends, recalls that the puppet was named after her father. According to Kermit Cohen's obituary, as well as DiMenna and Lenny Levin, a colleague of Mr. Cohen's at WBAL:

Another common belief is that Kermit was named for Kermit Love, who worked with Henson in designing and constructing Muppets, particularly on Sesame Street, but Love's association with Henson did not begin until well after Kermit's creation and naming, and he always denied any connection between his name and that of the character.

As Sesame Street is localized for some different markets that speak languages other than English, Kermit is often renamed. In Portugal, he is called Cocas, o Sapo (sapo means "toad"), and in Brazil, his name is similar: Caco, o Sapo. In most of Hispanic America, his name is la rana René (René the Frog), while in Spain, he is named Gustavo. In the Arabic version, he is known as Kamel, which is a common Arabic male name that means "perfect". In Hungary, he is called Breki (onomatopoetic).

Characterization and performers
Jim Henson originated the character in 1955 on his local television series, Sam and Friends. Henson himself described Kermit as "kind of easy-going, very likable...sometimes slightly a wiseguy." Frank Oz remarked that Kermit possesses a natural sense of leadership within the Muppets, explaining that "he has all these zany characters and a world around him and he tries to be the center and hold everything together...sometimes he gets too much and blows his top, but essentially he kind of goes with the flow." Brian Henson described his father's performance as Kermit as "coming out of his own personality—was a wry intelligence, a little bit of a naughtiness, but Kermit always loved everyone around and also loved a good prank."

Kermit has often been referred to as Henson's "soft-spoken alter-ego." Many of Henson's colleagues have confirmed how close and inseparable Jim and Kermit's personalities were. Henson's agent Bernie Brillstein has stated  straightforwardly that "Kermit was Jim". Author Brian Jay Jones described the relationship accordingly: "The more Jim performed Kermit, the more the two of them seemed to become intertwined…it was becoming harder to tell where the frog ended and Jim began." Henson continued to perform the character until his death in 1990. Henson's last known performance as Kermit was for an appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show to promote the television special The Muppets at Walt Disney World. Henson died twelve days after that appearance.

Following Henson's death, veteran Muppet performer Steve Whitmire was named Kermit's new performer. Whitmire claims that Henson had seemingly intended to pass on the role to him before he died, though it was Jane Henson and son Brian who had selected him after her father's death. Whitmire's first public performance as Kermit was at the end of the television special The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson in 1990. Whitmire explained that his main intent when he inherited Kermit, "was to make sure the character stayed the same and consistent, but didn't become stale and just a copy." Kermit's personality during Whitmire's tenure was widely described as more wholesome, lighthearted, and Pollyanna-ish than Henson's. Several critics of Whitmire's portrayal have come from the Henson family. Brian Henson stated that while Whitmire's performance was "sometimes excellent, and always pretty good", he also elaborated that "Kermit has, as a character, flattened out over time and has become too square and not as vital as it should have been." Cheryl Henson stated that Whitmire performed the character as a "bitter, angry, depressed, victim". He remained Kermit's principal performer until October 2016, when he was dismissed by The Muppets Studio. The Walt Disney Company (owner of The Muppets Studio) cited "unacceptable business conduct" as reason for the dismissal, while Whitmire claims the decision was made due to creative disagreements over Kermit's characterization and prolonged labor union negotiations that delayed his involvement in Muppet productions.

Disney announced that Matt Vogel would become Kermit's new performer on July 10, 2017. Vogel's first official appearance as Kermit was in a "Muppet Thought of the Week” YouTube video.

John Kennedy performed Kermit for Muppets Ahoy!, a 2006 Disney Cruise Line stage show (though Whitmire performed Kermit for the first few shows). Muppet performer Artie Esposito briefly performed Kermit in 2009 for a few personal appearances (an appearance on America's Got Talent, the MTV Video Music Awards, and at the 2009 D23 Expo). Voice actor Frank Welker provided the voice of Baby Kermit on the animated Saturday morning cartoon, Muppet Babies. He also provided the voice of an adult Kermit for a short-lived spin-off, Little Muppet Monsters. Matt Danner voices Baby Kermit on the 2018 reboot of Muppet Babies.

Character biography 

A biography has been developed for Kermit the Frog as if he was an actual living performer rather than a puppet character. According to this fictional biography, he was born in Leland, Mississippi, alongside approximately 2,353 siblings, though a 2011 "interview" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show has him state that he was from the swamps of Louisiana.

As portrayed in the 2002 film Kermit's Swamp Years, at the age of 12, he was the first of his siblings to leave the swamp, and one of the first frogs to talk to humans. He is shown in the film encountering a 12-year-old Jim Henson (played by Christian Kriebel) for the first time.

According to The Muppet Movie, Kermit returned to the swamp, where a passing agent (Dom DeLuise) noted he had talent and, thus inspired, he headed to Hollywood, encountering the rest of the Muppets along the way. Together, they were given a standard "rich and famous" contract by Lew Lord (Orson Welles) of Wide World Studios and began their showbiz careers. In Before You Leap, Kermit again references encountering Jim Henson sometime after the events depicted in the course of The Muppet Movie and details their friendship and their partnership in the entertainment industry, crediting Henson as being the individual to whom he owes his fame. At some point after the events of The Muppet Movie, Kermit and the other Muppets begin The Muppet Show, and the characters remain together as a group, before starring in the other Muppet films and Muppets Tonight, with Kermit usually at the core of the stories as the lead protagonist. Kermit is shown in The Muppet Movie as stating that the events of the film are "approximately how it happened" when asked by his nephew Robin about how the Muppets got started.

Fozzie Bear is portrayed as Kermit's best friend—a fact reiterated by Kermit in Before You Leap—and the two were frequently seen together during sketches on The Muppet Show and in other Muppet-related media and merchandise.

On August 4, 2015, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy "announced" that they had ended their romantic relationship. On September 2, 2015, Kermit was stated to have found a new girlfriend, a pig named Denise, but around February 2016, Denise supposedly broke up with Kermit after almost six months together.

Performance
Kermit the Frog is a rather simple hand-rod Muppet, and is usually controlled by one puppeteer. His creator and original performer, Jim Henson, actually built Kermit's head around the size of his own hands (later builds of Kermit have extra padding inside the head to accommodate puppeteers whose hands were smaller than Henson's). The flexibility of the material use to make Kermit means the frog can pull off a wide range of expressions. For example, with a slight adjustment of their fingers, the puppeteer can make Kermit convincingly smile, frown, or act worried.

When it came to creating Kermit's voice, Henson actually took inspiration from an impression by Stan Freberg of Marlon Brando, one that can be heard on some of Freberg's comedy records, including vocals on his versions of "Sh-Boom" and "The Night Before Christmas". Over time, however, Henson's voice for the frog would evolve into an extension of his own natural voice.

Career
Kermit has been featured prominently on both The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. However, he had a prominent career before Sesame Streets debut in 1969, as he starred in Sam and Friends, and numerous Muppets made guest appearances on Today from 1961 and The Ed Sullivan Show from 1966.

Sesame Street
Kermit was one of the original main Muppet characters on Sesame Street. Closely identified with the show, Kermit usually appeared as a lecturer on simple topics, a straight man to another Muppet foil (usually Grover, Herry Monster or Cookie Monster), or a news reporter interviewing storybook characters for Sesame Street News. He sang many songs on the show, including "Bein' Green", and appeared in the 1998 video The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street.

Unlike the rest of the show's Muppets, Kermit was never any property of Sesame Workshop and has rarely been a part of the show's merchandise. When Sesame Workshop bought full ownership of its characters from The Jim Henson Company for $180 million, Kermit was excluded from the deal. The character now belongs to The Muppets Studio, a division of The Walt Disney Company. His first Sesame Street appearance since Disney ownership was in an Elmo's World segment in the show's 40th-season premiere on November 10, 2009. His most recent appearance was in the 2019 television special Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration, where he performed "Bein' Green" with Elvis Costello.

With the Muppets
In The Muppet Show television series, Kermit was the central character, the showrunner, and the long-suffering stage manager of the theater show, trying to keep order amidst the chaos created by the other Muppets. Henson once claimed that Kermit's job on the Muppet Show was much like his own: "trying to get a bunch of crazies to actually get the job done." It was on this show that the running gag of Kermit being pursued by leading lady Miss Piggy developed.

On Muppets Tonight, Kermit was still a main character, although he was the producer rather than frontman. He appeared in many parody sketches such as NYPD Green, City Schtickers, Flippers, and The Muppet Odd Squad, as well as in the Psychiatrist's Office sketch.

Kermit also served as the mascot for The Jim Henson Company, until the sale of the Muppet characters to Disney. A Kermit puppet can be seen at the National Museum of American History.

Kermit appears in Muppet*Vision 3D, an attraction that opened in 1991 and continues to run presently at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The character was also formerly featured in the aforementioned attraction in Disney California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California until its closure in 2014. Kermit also appeared in The Muppets Present...Great Moments in American History at the Magic Kingdom from 2016 to 2020. He also appeared in two parades; Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade which ran at Disney's Hollywood Studios from 2001 to 2008 and Disney's Honorary VoluntEars Cavalcade which was held during 2010 at the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.

Filmography
Kermit the Frog has appeared in almost every Muppet production, as well as making guest appearances in other shows and movies.

Below is a list of his more well-known appearances:

 Sam and Friends (1955–1961) (TV)
 Sesame Street (1969–1990, 1996–2001, 2009) (TV)
 Hey, Cinderella! (1969) (TV)
 The Muppets on Puppets (1970) (TV)
 The Frog Prince (1971) (TV)
 The Muppet Musicians of Bremen (1972) (TV)
 The Muppets Valentine Show (1974) (TV)
 The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence (1975) (TV)
 The Muppet Show (1976–1981) (TV)
 Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977) (TV)
 The Muppet Movie (1979)
 The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
 The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
 Muppet Babies (1984–1991) (TV)
 Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird (1985)
 The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years (1986) (TV)
 The Christmas Toy (1986) (TV)
 A Muppet Family Christmas (1987) (TV)
 The Jim Henson Hour (1989) (TV)
 Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990) (TV)
 The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990) (TV)
 The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990) (TV)
 The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) – Appearance as Bob Cratchit
 Muppet Classic Theater (1994) (Direct-to-Video) – Appearance as King Midas and the King in Rumpelstiltskin.
 Muppet Treasure Island (1996) – Appearance as Captain Abraham Smollett
 Muppets Tonight (1996–1998) (TV)
 Muppets from Space (1999)
 The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon (2001) (TV)
 Kermit's Swamp Years (2002) (Direct-to-Video)
 It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) (TV)
 Saturday Night Live (1975/76, 2004, 2011) (TV)
 The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005) (TV) – Appearance as Himself and The Scarecrow
 Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007) (cameo)
 Studio DC: Almost Live (2008) (TV)
 A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008) (TV)
 The Muppets (2011)
 "30 Rock (2012) - Appearance as Himself in "My Whole Life Is Thunder"
 Good Luck Charlie (2013) (TV) – Appearance as Himself in "Duncan Dream House"
 Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular (2013) (TV)
 Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
 The Muppets (2015–2016) (TV)
 Muppet Babies (2018–present) (TV)
 Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration (2019) (TV)
 Muppets Now (2020) (TV)
 Amphibia (2020) (TV) – Appearance as the voice of Crumpet the Frog in "Swamp and Sensibility"
 The Masked Singer (2021) (TV) – The Snail
 Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021) (TV) – Appearance as Himself and a Ghost

Cultural impact

Accolades and commemorations
 Kermit was awarded an honorary doctorate of Amphibious Letters on May 19, 1996, at Southampton College, New York, where he also gave a commencement speech. He is also the only "amphibian" to have had the honor of addressing the Oxford Union. A statue of Henson and Kermit was erected on the campus of Henson's alma mater, the University of Maryland, College Park in 2003.

Kermit was also given the honor of being the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1996. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has featured a Kermit balloon since 1977.

On November 14, 2002, Kermit the Frog received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. Kermit has two stars on the Walk of Fame, the other as a member of the collective The Muppets.

On Kermit's 50th birthday in 2005, the United States Postal Service released a set of new stamps with photos of Kermit and some of his fellow Muppets on them. The background of the stamp sheet features a photo of a silhouetted Henson sitting in a window well, with Kermit sitting in his lap looking at him.

Kermit was also the grand marshal for Michigan State University's homecoming parade in 2006.

In 2013, the original Kermit puppet from Sam and Friends was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. for display in the pop culture gallery. In 2015, the Leland Chamber of Commerce in Leland, Mississippi opened a small museum containing puppets and memorabilia dedicated to Kermit.

Kermit's legacy is also deeply entrenched in the science community. One of the famous WP-3D Orion research platforms flown by the NOAA Hurricane Hunters is named after Kermit.  The other is named after Miss Piggy. In 2015, the discovery of the Costa Rican glass frog Hyalinobatrachium dianae also attracted viral media attention due to the creature's perceived resemblance to Kermit, with researcher Brian Kubicki quoted as saying "I am glad that this species has ended up getting so much international attention, and in doing so it is highlighting the amazing amphibians that are native to Costa Rica and the need to continue exploring and studying the country's amazing tropical forests".

Guest television appearances

Kermit has made numerous guest appearances on popular television shows, including co-hosting individual episodes of a number of long-running talk shows; among other television media. On April 2, 1979, Kermit guest-hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to promote The Muppet Movie. From 1983 to 1995, the French political satire show Le Bébête Show used copies of various Muppets to parody key political figures, and Kermit renamed "Kermitterrand", embodied President François Mitterrand. On May 21, 2018, Kermit and contestant Maddie Poppe performed "Rainbow Connection" live on American Idol.

A still photo of Kermit sitting in his Director's chair with his megaphone in his hand from The Muppet Show appeared on a technical difficulties telop graphic on Metromedia owned-and-operated station KTTV Channel 11 in Los Angeles during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

As an April Fool's joke, Kermit hosted CNN's Larry King Live in 1994 and interviewed Hulk Hogan. Kermit was also a semi-regular during various incarnations of Hollywood Squares, with other Muppets such as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch also making appearances on the original Hollywood Squares. 

In 2020, Kermit appeared on Monday Night Football with other Muppets characters as it was briefly rebranded "Muppet Night Football."

On March 10, 2021, Kermit was the first celebrity to be unmasked on the fifth season of The Masked Singer, having performed in costume as "Snail".

Merchandising
Jim Henson's characters, including the Muppets, have inspired merchandise internationally, with Chris Bensch, chief curator of Rochester, New York's The Strong National Museum of Play, reporting "There seems to have been a particular craze for Kermit the Frog in Japan," likely due to the "cuteness appeal". Baby Kermit plush toys became popular in the 1980s after the success of Muppet Babies. In 1991, one year after Jim Henson died, merchandise featuring Kermit and other Muppet characters was being sold at Disney theme parks, causing Henson Associates to file a lawsuit against Disney for copyright infringement. Henson alleged that the "counterfeit merchandise" falsely indicated that the characters belonged to Disney, although the latter company had the right to exercise use of the characters due to an earlier licensing agreement. The Henson Associates highlighted a T-shirt displaying Kermit, the Disney brand, and a copyright symbol. Disney representative Erwin Okun said the lawsuit was "outrageous" and "an unfortunate break with the legacy of a fine relationship with Disney that Jim Henson left behind". Disney later acquired the Muppets, and thusly, clothes, toys and souvenirs depicting Kermit and the Muppets continued to be sold at Disney theme parks and stores.

The Leland Chamber of Commerce's small Kermit-themed museum set out to preserve some of the dolls and merchandise. In 2016, The New Zealand Herald reported a hat featuring Kermit sipping Lipton tea, associated with the "But That's None of My Business" Internet meme, became a popular seller after basketball player LeBron James drew attention for wearing one.

Kermit in Internet culture
In March 2007, Sad Kermit, an unofficial parody, was uploaded to the website YouTube, showing a store-bought Kermit puppet performing a version of the Nine Inch Nails song "Hurt" in a style similar to Johnny Cash's famous cover version. In contrast to the real Kermit character's usual family-friendly antics, the video shows the puppet engaging in drug abuse, smoking, alcoholism, performing oral sex on Rowlf the Dog, smashing a picture of Miss Piggy (with a breast exposed) and attempting suicide. The video became an Internet meme. The Victoria Times Colonist called it an "online sensation". The Chicago Sun-Times said it "puts the high in 'Hi-ho!'" The London Free Press said "Sad Kermit is in a world of pain". The Houston Press described it as the "world's most revolting web phenomenon". SF Weekly described the unauthorized video as "ironic slandering". Clips have been featured on the Canadian television series The Hour, where host George Stroumboulopoulos speculated that the Kermit version of "Hurt" was inspired by the Cash version rather than that of Nine Inch Nails.

Kermit has also appeared in a popular meme in which he is shown sipping tea, "one used when you sassily point something out, and then slyly back away, claiming that it's not [your] business". The photo is taken from "Be More Kermit," a Lipton advertisement that aired in 2014, and was adapted into the "But That's None of My Business" meme by African American comedians on the Tumblr blog Kermit the Snitch, making appearances on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Charles Pulliam-Moore of the TV station Fusion praised "But That's None of My Business" as "a symbol for the comedic brilliance born out of black communities on the internet," but Stephanie Hayes of Bustle magazine criticized the memes as racist and obscene.

In 2016, a Good Morning America post on Twitter referred to the "But That's None of My Business" meme as "Tea Lizard", becoming the subject of viral online derision. New York magazine replied that, "Kermit is a frog. A frog is an amphibian. A lizard is a reptile. It's just so insulting. Beyond a frog and a lizard both being clearly ectothermic, they couldn't be any more different. Not all green things are the same, you ignorant bastards". Popular Science also addressed the misnomer, writing "Frogs, which are amphibians, have quite a few significant differences from reptiles in how they breathe, their life cycles, whether they have scales or not... there's a lot to absorb here".

In November 2016, a new meme surfaced of Kermit talking to a hooded version of himself which represents the self and its dark inner thoughts. It involves captioning of a screenshot taken from the Muppets Most Wanted movie of Kermit and Constantine looking at each other. In the meme, Constantine is supposed to represent a Sith Lord from Star Wars.

References

External links

 Kermit the Frog's character profile at Disney.com
 Kermit's commencement address at Southampton College in 1996
 Birthplace of the Frog: An Exhibit of Jim Henson's Delta Boyhood
  (as himself)
 Kermit the Frog on IMDb

 
Fictional characters from Mississippi
Television characters introduced in 1955
Mascots introduced in 1955
Fictional frogs and toads
Fictional producers
Fictional reporters
Fictional singers
Fictional string musicians
Frog mascots
Television mascots
Corporate mascots
Sesame Street Muppet characters
The Muppets characters
Internet memes
Film and television memes
"What Else Is There?" is the third single from the Norwegian duo Röyksopp's second album The Understanding. It features the vocals of Karin Dreijer from the Swedish electronica duo The Knife. The album was released in the UK with the help of Astralwerks.

The single was used in an O2 television advertisement in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia during 2008. It was also used in the 2006 film Cashback and the 2007 film, Meet Bill. Trentemøller's remix of "What Else is There?" was featured in an episode of the HBO show Entourage.

The song was covered by extreme metal band Enslaved as a bonus track for their album E.

The song was listed as the 375th best song of the 2000s by Pitchfork Media.

Official versions
"What Else Is There?" (Album Version) – 5:17
"What Else Is There?" (Radio Edit) – 3:38
"What Else Is There?" (Jacques Lu Cont Radio Mix) – 3:46
"What Else Is There?" (The Emperor Machine Vocal Version) – 8:03
"What Else Is There?" (The Emperor Machine Dub Version) – 7:51
"What Else Is There?" (Thin White Duke Mix) – 8:25
"What Else Is There?" (Thin White Duke Edit) – 4:50
"What Else Is There?" (Thin White Duke Remix) (Radio Edit) – 3:06
"What Else Is There?" (Trentemøller Remix) – 7:42
"What Else Is There?" (Vitalic Remix) – 5:14

Response
The single was officially released on 5 December 2005 in the UK. The single had a limited release on 21 November 2005 to promote the upcoming album. On the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at number 32, while on the UK Dance Chart, it reached number one.

Music video
The music video was directed by Martin de Thurah. It features Norwegian model Marianne Schröder who is shown lip-syncing Dreijer's voice. Schröder is depicted as a floating woman traveling across stormy landscapes and within empty houses. Dreijer makes a cameo appearance as a woman wearing an Elizabethan ruff while dining alone at a festive table.

Movie spots

The song is also featured in the movie Meet Bill as characters played by Jessica Alba and Aaron Eckhart smoke marijuana while listening to it. It is also part of the end credits music of the film Cashback.

Charts

References

2005 singles
Röyksopp songs
Astralwerks singles
Songs written by Svein Berge
Songs written by Torbjørn Brundtland
2004 songs
Songs written by Roger Greenaway
Songs written by Olof Dreijer
Songs written by Karin Dreijer "What About Us" is a single released by British-Irish girl group the Saturdays. Their first international single, it is the lead single from their first American-only release EP, Chasing the Saturdays (2013). It also acts as the second single from their fourth studio album Living for the Weekend (2013). The single was first released in the United States and Canada on 18 December 2012 via digital download, before being released in the United Kingdom on 16 March 2013 via CD single and digital download. The single was written by Camille Purcell, Ollie Jacobs, Philip Jacobs. There are two different versions of the track which have been recorded and released: a solo version, which was released exclusively in the US and Canada, and a version featuring Jamaican rapper Sean Paul, which was released internationally. Music critics gave the song positive feedback, but questioned the heavily auto-tuned chorus and the move away from the group's traditional sound.

A music video was released for the song was published and released via the Saturdays' Vevo account on 11 January 2013. The video was filmed in Los Angeles, where the band were filming their US reality series, Chasing the Saturdays, which is broadcast through E!. An acoustic version of "Somebody Else's Life", which can be heard on the opening titles of the show, was released as a B-side. The Saturdays went on to a promotional tour in order to get the song "out there" in the United States, and appeared on a number of different chat shows including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Jeff Probst Show, Fashion Police, Chelsea Lately and The Today Show in New York City. They later went on to a promotional tour in the UK, visiting radio stations around the country.

"What About Us" gained commercial success, debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart to become the Saturdays' twelfth UK top 10 single and first ever number-one. In Ireland, the song debuted at number six on the Irish Singles Chart, gaining the group their fifth top 10 single there. With first-week sales of 114,000 copies and 40,000 copies more sold than their closest competitor to number one, "What About Us" was the fastest-selling single of 2013 in the UK until it was overtaken by Naughty Boy's "La La La" two months later. In December 2013, it was announced as the eleventh fastest-selling single of the year overall. As of August 2014, the song has sold over 400,000 copies in the UK. On 23 December 2013, Mollie King posted a photo on Instagram of her holding a 500,000 sales plaque from their record label, with the message that "What About Us" had sold over 500,000 copies in UK and USA, with 120,000 copies in the US alone even without charting on the Billboard Hot 100.

Background 

In 2012, it was announced that the Saturdays had received an offer to star in their own reality television programme, Chasing the Saturdays, broadcast through E! Network. While filming their show, the band began visiting the recording studio, where they began work with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins.

The Saturdays felt comfortable with their US labels, and thanked them for not only giving them a chance in North America, but for making them feel at ease and welcome which took a lot of "weight of our shoulders". The band said they have always respected the labels due to the massive success they've had with artists. The band had been working with Demi Lovato in the recording studio.

Composition

"What About Us" was written and produced by Ollie Jacobs and acts as the Saturdays first single to be released in North America where it could appear on the Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100. In America its release coincided with their TV show, Chasing the Saturdays. The track is the band's fourteenth single to be released in the United Kingdom and Ireland and the track is a dance-pop song. Before the release of the song, Mollie King said that the band were excited to share the track as they had the song "for months" She said: "I can't wait for everyone to hear it and to get to perform it. I'm just so excited about this one, I think it's going down really well." The band said they didn't want to change their type of music just for the American public and would stick to their roots and the genre they enjoyed to perform. King spoke: "We've always made a point that we don't want to change to go to America. We wanted to go over as we are and if they like us, they like us and if they don't, they don't!" King said that the track is reggae pop music, a little different from what band usually record, but the track is still really "dancey" and "upbeat", as well a good song to dance to on either stage or at a club. When Una Healy was asked what the song was about she said that she "did not know" what the song was exactly about. "To be honest I was trying to figure out the other day what exactly it's about. I could bullshit away telling you, but I really don't know. But I think it's all about someone driving you crazy." She said she "thinks" that 'What About Us' part means "me and you getting together". She did point out that she did know that the song was about "making you happy" and that the track was good for the summer and will get you on the dancefloor. The band teased saying that "What About Us" is a pop track, and that is a good indication of what the expect from the album, and that they've paired up with Diane Warren to record a few ballads and not just pop tracks. "What About Us" is the only collaboration on the album.

Release
"What About Us" was confirmed as the Saturdays' first single to be released in North America, and would be released on 18 December 2012 to coincide with their American reality show, Chasing the Saturdays. It was also revealed that the track would be released as the lead single from the band's North America released only Extended play, Chasing the Saturdays, which was named after the show. Some critics said that releasing "What About Us" from an EP for the US market was a "wise decision". One critic said: For, throwing out a traditional release on the back of a show that isn't (yet) a hit would ultimately be setting them up for failure. What's more, the EP allows their "storyline" for the next season of the show (should there be one) to revolve around recording an album. In the United Kingdom, it was revealed that "What About Us" would be the follow-up single from "30 Days" in the UK and Ireland, and therefore would not be the lead single from the band's fourth studio album. The band announced that before the release of the album, there would be another single release from the album. The follow-up single was revealed to be titled "Gentleman".

Just like all the band's previous singles, the record was accepted by all A-Lists at radio stations. The UK and Ireland version of the track features a guest rap from Sean Paul. Whereas the North American version does not feature vocals from Sean Paul and only vocals from the band. The original version of the track last 3 minutes and 24 seconds, whereas the version which features Sean Paul lasts 3 minutes and 40 seconds. The single was released with B-side, an Acoustic version of a brand new track, "Somebody Else's Life", which is the opening theme to Chasing the Saturdays. "What About Us" was released as a digital download EP, and this featured the single version which features Sean Paul, the solo version and the B-side track. Upon the release in North America, there was a digital remixes EP which featured remixes of "What About Us" by a number of DJs including: Seamus Haji, Guy Scheiman, the Buzz Junkies and 2nd Adventure and this was also made available to purchase on 18 December 2012. While in the UK, the CD single was made available to be from stores from 18 March 2013. On the CD single featured "What About Us", the B-side "Somebody Else's Life".

The band decided to release "What About Us" differently between the United Kingdom and the United States, "What About Us" was released onto the charts without any airplay and without a music video accompanying the release, something the band experienced in the UK, with "Notorious". Whereas in the UK, "What About Us" was released with airplay and the music video being released before the release of the single. During this time, Frankie Sandford became ambassadors for mental health after Sandford battled depression. The band said they choose "What About Us" to be the lead single in the US and follow-up single from "30 Days" because they all loved it once they demoed it and it gave them a "really good feeling" They also said it is a fresh start for a new album, with a "reggae vibe", but still a pop record. The Saturdays said that Sean Paul was "perfect" for the UK version of the song. They said that he was "just so nice" and that he would be present during some of the promotional performances when the single was released.

Critical reception
Robert Copsey of Digital Spy said that Rochelle Humes asks in a "curious Jamaican-flecked timbre" during the intro of "What About Us". During the lyrics "Oh why are we are waiting so long I'm suffocating", and he went on to say that it is in reference to "man-related drama" and also pointing out that there is plenty of that on their reality series, Chasing the Saturdays. Copsey later went on to tip the band for their first number-one single as he said: "but we suspect it could also be a sly wink at their enduring quest for a number one single". He said that track was "radio-friendly" due to the "trace beats" and "demanding their contrary lover to give up the hard-to-get schtick sharpish". Although he didn't think that the song was "original" enough for the band, but is "strangely addictive" and he would be happy to see the song at the top of the charts.

4Music described the song as a "electro-pop affair with a bucket-load of synths thrown in for good measure. It's quite good, but we wonder if they should reconsider this single choice if they truly want to launch an invasion on America's charts." Idolator wrote a mixed review criticizing the track for lacking the group's signature style; "While the beat is pounding enough to nab the girls a chart hit, it doesn’t feel true to the spirit of The Sats. Then again, maybe it isn’t supposed to." Jessica Sager from PopCrush also touched on the departure from their original sound; "It’s a pretty big departure from their usual sugary oeuvre, but not necessarily in a bad way." She went on to praise Sean Paul's feature; "His presence on the track gives it an air of authenticity and fun, but pretty much only during his own verses and interjections." However, she criticised the mediocre attempt at dialect the groups sing in throughout the track; "When the Saturdays try to emulate island tones, it sounds a little awkward and they start out like that right off the bat, but go in and out of the undistinguished dialect throughout the song." She also felt that the heavily Auto-Tuned chorus was not need; "The Auto-Tune seems extraneous, because the Saturdays can actually sing well without it." She end the review by labeling their latest effort as "generic" and "not the best the Saturdays have to offer", also rating it two and a half stars out of five.

Commercial reception
"What About Us" debuted at number 44 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart for the week dated 8 December 2012. This marks their first ever chart entry in the United States and it has since peaked at number twenty-seven. The song debuted at number 79 on the Canadian Hot 100, becoming the highest Canadian debut for a new artist in 2013.

The Saturdays admitted that they did not want to get their hopes up on debuting at number one on the UK Singles Charts due to being beaten to number-one three times before with "Forever Is Over", "Just Can't Get Enough" and "Missing You", after being number one on the Official Chart Update. During the latter two occasions, it was rapper Flo Rida who had pushed them back to numbers two and three respectively. It was revealed that the Saturdays had knocked Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors" off the number-one spot on the UK Singles Chart. This became the band's first ever number-one single in the United Kingdom, it also became Sean Paul's second number one in the United Kingdom after being featured on "Breathe" in 2003. For every one copy that Timberlake's "Mirrors" sold, the Saturdays sold two more copies of "What About Us". "What About Us" sold 114,000 copies in the first week of release, making it, at the time, the fastest selling single of 2013. The track sold 40,000 copies more than Timberlake, who was pushed back to number-two on the UK Singles Charts. The band said they were thrilled to be the UK's number-one with "What About Us". They went on to thanking their fans for supporting the single and supporting them for the past five years.

"What About Us" debuted at number six on the Irish Singles Chart, marking the band's fifth top ten single in that country. "What About Us" made its debut at number thirty-six on the New Zealand Singles Chart.

Music video
The music video for "What About Us" was filmed during the summer of 2012 in Los Angeles, while the Saturdays were filming their reality television series. The North American version of the video was released via the Saturdays' official Vevo account on YouTube on 11 January 2013. A variant of the video, featuring vocals and additional scenes of the women with Sean Paul, was later released on 5 February 2013.

Live performances and promotion
The Saturdays appeared in a number of nightclubs throughout 2012 in the United States performing "What About Us" along other hits. On 14 January 2013, the group made their first televised performance of the single on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It was their first performance done on American television. On 16 January, the girls performed "What About Us" on The Today Show in New York City. Along with the performances, they appeared on chat shows such as Chelsea Lately, Daybreak, Fashion Police, Lorraine, The Jeff Probst Show, Loose Women, Alan Carr: Chatty Man, Sunday Brunch and What's Cooking? to promote the single.

Track listings
US digital download
"What About Us" - 3:24

CD Single - UK Version Only
"What About Us" (featuring Sean Paul) - 3:40
"What About Us" - 3:24
"Somebody Else's Life" (Acoustic) - 3:18

US Digital remixes EP
"What About Us" (Seamus Haji Radio Edit) - 3:06
"What About Us" (Seamus Haji Club Mix) - 6:35
"What About Us" (Seamus Haji Dub) - 6:49
"What About Us" (Guy Scheiman Radio Edit) - 3:59
"What About Us" (Guy Scheiman Club Mix) - 7:35
"What About Us" (Guy Scheiman Dub) - 7:20
"What About Us" (The Buzz Junkies Radio Edit) - 3:23
"What About Us" (The Buzz Junkies Club Mix) - 4:32
"What About Us" (featuring Sean Paul) - 4:32
"What About Us" (2nd Adventure Radio Edit) - 4:24
"What About Us" (2nd Adventure Club Mix) - 6:36

Europe and Oceania EP - digital download
"What About Us" (featuring Sean Paul) - 3:40
"What About Us" (featuring Sean Paul) [The Buzz Junkies Radio Edit] - 3:23
"What About Us" (featuring Sean Paul) [Seamus Haji Radio Edit] - 3:37
"What About Us" (Guy Scheiman Radio Edit) - 3:58
"What About Us" (Extended Mix) - 3:49 (only available through pre-order)

UK Digital Remixes EP
"What About Us" (Guy Scheiman Club Mix) - 7:35
"What About Us" (2nd Adventure Club Mix) - 6:36
"What About Us" (Seamus Haji Club Mix) - 6:35
"What About Us" (The Buzz Junkies Club Mix) - 4:32
"What About Us" (2nd Adventure Radio Edit) - 4:24

Revamped Version
"What About Us" - 3:24
"Somebody Else's Life" (Acoustic) - 3:18
"What About Us" (Extended Mix) - 3:49
"What About Us" (2nd Adventure Radio Edit) - 4:24
"What About Us" (Guy Scheiman Radio Edit) - 3:58
"What About Us" (featuring Sean Paul) - 4:32
"What About Us" (featuring Sean Paul) [The Buzz Junkies Radio Edit] - 3:23
"What About Us" (featuring Sean Paul) [Seamus Haji Radio Edit] - 3:37
"What About Us" (2nd Adventure Club Mix) - 6:36
"What About Us" (Guy Scheiman Club Mix) - 7:35
"What About Us" (The Buzz Junkies Club Mix) - 4:32
"What About Us" (Seamus Haji Club Mix) - 6:35

Credits and personnel
"What About Us" was recorded at Rollover Studios in London.

Ollie Jacobs a.k.a. Art Bastian  ~ Songwriter, Producer, Vocal Producer, Mix Engineer

Phillip Jacobs ~ co-writer
Camille Purcell ~  co-writer
The Saturdays  ~  vocals
Sean Paul ~  guest vocalist

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release and radio history

See also

List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 2010s

References

External links

 feat. Sean Paul

The Saturdays songs
Sean Paul songs
2012 singles
Dance-pop songs
Number-one singles in Scotland
UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Songs written by Camille Purcell
2012 songs
Fascination Records singles
Songs written by Ollie Jacobs