There was something that seemed off about last week, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Something was missing from my usual routine and it was a few days before it clicked and I realized that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was on break and I wasn’t getting my daily fix. This lack of Colbert-itude in my life was quite the bummer until Friday when Stephen, Jon Batiste, and some musical friends made everything all right–in one of the best ways possible–with a video on the show’s YouTube channel.
Perhaps knowing that his audience (and maybe the whole world) was in need of positive pick-me-up, Stephen and Batiste shared their love of the PBS show Arthur and did so in spectacular fashion. Subtly mocking the trope of dream sequences in TV shows, the pair talked about their mutual love of the show before Stephen nodded off to find himself in an animated world with some special musical guests: Chance the Rapper and the legendary Ziggy Marley. Colbert plays the part of Arthur, while Batiste and his melodica join in with Marley on “Believe In Yourself (Arthur Theme Song)” which he wrote and performed for the PBS show.
Chance the Rapper (who I’ve obsessed over before) literally pops up later in the video to chime in with the uplifting lyrics he added to the song when he covered it. “I’m gonna get by when the going get rough/I’m gonna love life ’til I’m done growing up/And when I go down/I’ma go down swinging/My eyes still smiling/And my heart still singing.” Actually, you know what, we need Chance’s version in our lives too.
Watching such a positive song performed by the original artist and an artist who breathed new life into it would be reason enough to love this video. However, what makes it even better is seeing the sincerity on Colbert and Batiste’s faces and realizing how much they enjoy the song too.
What do you think of the song? Like me, are you wondering how awesome it must be to work at the Late Show? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
