Mah Na Mah Na
"Mah Na Mah Na" is a well-known song, written in 1968 by Piero Umiliani as a soundtrack for the softcore documentary Svezia, Inferno e Paradiso (Sweden, Hell or Heaven) about sexual activity in Sweden. The song was a hit in many countries including the USA in 1968-9. The song's "lyric" has no actual words, just a series of vocal sounds imitative of scat singing.
In 1969 it was recorded by Henri Salvador under the title "Mais Non, Mais Non", with lyrics he had written in French to Umiliani's tune.
The song subsequently became familiar to many from its rendition by the Muppets, first for national television audiences on The Ed Sullivan Show, and later on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. It was performed in 1976 by the Muppets as "Mahna Mahna", and credited to "Manah Manah and the Snowths". As a result, the original Piero Umiliani recording finally became a hit in the UK, where the Muppet Show soundtrack album featuring the Muppets' version went to number one. In the alt.tv.muppets FAQ, "Mahna Mahna" is named as the "best ever Muppet sketch." The Muppet version of the song is available on various Muppet collections and recordings.
The song has resurfaced in many guises.
- The Muppets' comeback series Muppets Tonight revisited it as a parody using the word phenomena in place of the title.
- Weird Al Yankovic alludes to the original sketch in "Couch Potato" (a pop-culture-laced parody of an Eminem hit) on his Poodle Hat album.
- It featured in an episode of the sitcom The Office.
- A cover was performed in 1996 by the band 'Skin'.
- It formed the basis for a 1997 UK hit single, "No Way No Way" by Vanilla.
- In 2004, it was featured in a Diet Cherry-Vanilla Dr Pepper commercial.
- It was featured in the pilot of the sitcom Committed, in which Marni attempted to get her date to sing a duet with her in a restaurant, and has continued to appear in the background as her ringtone.
- The song was used to advertise the "Banana boat" label of sunscreen, with 'Mahna Mahna' being replaced with 'Banana boat (do doo...)'
- In the late 1990s it was used in adverts for BN Biscuits, with 'Mahna Mahna' being replaced with 'BN BN' (pronounced 'Bee En Bee En').
- In 2004 it appeared in the soundtrack of the German movie Sommersturm.
External links
- http://www.poppyfields.net/poppy/mahna.html
- MP3 of "Mah Na Mah Na"
- Dr. Pepper Commercial with "Mah Na Mah Na"
- Video capture of "Mah Na Mah Na" Muppet Show skit (with Swedish subtitles)
- http://www.geocities.com/pieroumiliani/
- rec.music.rock-pop-r+b.1960s discussion