Mahna Mahna
NOTES: This timeless classic was written by Piero Umiliani as "Mah Na Mah Na" and it first appeared on the 1968 soundtrack album for "Svezia, Inferno e Paradiso" ("Sweden: Heaven or Hell", an X-rated ... ahem ... "documentary"). Check out the wonderful Who is Piero Umiliani? for more background and current info on the tune.
According to the awesome Muppet Wiki, the original version aired on episode 0014 of "Sesame Street" on November 27, 1969, performed by an early version of Bip Bippadotta (Jim Henson) and two female Anything Muppets.
Three days later, the song was performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show" by a character who would come to be known as Mahna Mahna and his backup singers, the Snowths (Frank Oz), two pink furry Muppets with horns and big yellow lips.
Here are transcripts for both versions. The Mahna Mahna and the Snowths version is very similar to the one shown on "The Muppet Show."
Mahna Mahna
written by Piero Umiliani
as sung by Bip Bippadotta (Jim Henson)
and two female Anything Muppets
(a green one with a ponytail,
could be Loretta Long's voice (aka Susan)
and a purple one with braids)
(spoken)
Green Anything Muppet: We could sing a good song if we had one more person to sing.
Purple Anything Muppet: True.
(Bip Bippadotta, a skinny brown Muppet with a head of scraggly-looking hair, beard and eyebrows to match, and wearing a green and white striped shirt, bops onto the screen. He sidles up beside the ladies.)
Bip Bippadotta: Mahna mahna.
Green Anything Muppet: Hi there! Would you like to sing a song with us?
Bip Bippadotta (as if sharing a secret): Mahna mahna.
Purple Anything Muppet (to Green): Isn't that the name of a song?
Green Anything Muppet: I think so.
Bip Bippadotta (to the camera, nodding his head vigorously): Mahna mahna.
Purple Anything Muppet (to Bip): Mahna mahna?
Green Anything Muppet (to Purple): Mahna mahna?
(Bip clears his throat and slides into center stage as the girls take up positions on either side of him. The girls lines are now in brackets. And I did not tackle all of the scatting, so corrections are more than welcome!)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee dee-dee-dee-dee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee dee-dee-dee-dee)
Mah mahna mahna mahna
Mah mah mah
Mah mah mah
Mahna mah ... mah ... ma ..
(Bip slows down as the girls stare at him. For the next verse he strolls back and forth, on and off-screen, as the girls watch him.)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee dee-dee-dee-dee)
(Bip's head fills the screen as he pops up from below to rejoin the girls.)
(scatting) Mahna mahna mahna mahna
Mahma ma ma ma ma
Mamana ma ma maneep mah mah
Eee buttee womp womp ... (etc.)
(He slows down again as the girls stare.)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee dee-dee-dee-dee)
(scatting) Mah nat mah nat ma oo
Mah nat mah nat ma oo ... (etc.)
(He zips on and off-screen, staying long enough to sing each of his lines in the next verse.)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee dee-dee-dee-dee)
(He comes back on-screen behind the girls, then walks away and stops to sing each of his lines over his shoulder at them.)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee dee-dee-dee-dee)
(scatting, echoing in distance) Mah neet mah mah mah moh
Mahna mahna mah mah moh ... (etc.)
(He slows down, then runs towards the girls who put their heads together as they sing the next verse. They pull apart to show Bip as he sings his lines between them.)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee dee-dee-dee-dee)
(scatting) Mah nat mah nat ma oo
Mah nat mah nat ma oo ... (etc.)
(This scatting session goes on much longer. As the girls stare, he slows down, clears his throat, gathers his composure and they all sing together again.)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee dee-dee-dee-dee)
(scatting) Mah neet mah mah mah moh
Mahna mahna mah mah moh ... (etc.)
(Repeat of the last long scatting session, ending the same way. In this last verse, Bip shakes his head, resigned to singing the song without the freestyle scatting he's trying to sell to the girls.)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee)
Mahna mahna
(Ba tee pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee
(Pa tee pee dee-dee-dee-dee)
(As the song ends, the girls leave Bip standing alone as he sings to the camera with a shrug ...)
Mahna mahna?
(He walks away towards the horizon.)
Mahna Mahna
written by Piero Umiliani
as sung by Mahna Mahna (Jim Henson)
and the Snowths (Frank Oz)
(The two Snowths start walking towards the screen singing)
Ba doop ba doop doopa doopa doop
Ba doop doopa doopa doop
Do do do do do
(There's a pause as Mahna Mahna, a purple Muppet with shaggy orange hair and beard, big black holes with yellow trim for eyes, and wearing a furry green vest comes on-screen. He looks at each creature curiously, positions himself between them and they start singing. The Snowths' background lines are now in brackets.)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do do)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do do
(Do do do
Do do do
Do do do
Do do do do do do do do)
(Mahna starts to scat)
Mahna mahna mahna mahna
Mah mah mah
Mahna mah mah ... (etc.)
(He slows down, then stops as the Snowths both shake their heads at him. For the next verse he strolls on and off-screen singing his lines as he appears.)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do do)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do do
(Do do do
Do do do
Do do do
Do do do do do do do do)
(Mahna starts to scat)
Mahna mahna mahna mahna
Mah mah mah
Mahna mah mah ... (etc.)
(He starts to slow down as he looks from one creature to the other. When he stops singing this time, he pokes his nose into each of the Snowths' open mouths, blinks his eyeholes a couple of times, then continues singing.)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do do)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do do
(Do do do
Do do do
Do do do
Do do do do do do do do)
(Mahna starts to scat)
Mahna mahna mahna mahna
Mah mah mah
Mahna mah mah ... (etc.)
(This time, as he slows down and eventually stops, he starts to scrunch down off-screen until he disappears. The Snowths look down, then at the camera, until he reappears. As they sing this verse, Mahna races on and off-screen as he sings his lines.)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do do)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do do
(Do do do
Do do do
Do do do
Do do do do do do do do)
(He starts to scat)
Bee ba da bee da deep deep ba bum ... (etc.)
(Slows down, looking at the Snowths as they shake their heads, and then stops as he shakes his own head. During this verse, Mahna walks off into the distance singing as he goes. The sound starts to echo as he gets further away.)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do do)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do do
(Do do do
Do do do
Do do do
Do do do do do do do do)
(Mahna starts to scat in the distance, the sound echoing)
Mahna mahna mahna mahna
Mah mah mah
Mahna mah mah ... (etc.)
(As he scats, the Snowths pull their mouths tight in grimaces and turn to watch him. Finally he stops and runs back to center stage. During this verse, he pops on and off-screen as he sings/yells.)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do do)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do do
(Do do do
Do do do
Do do do
Do do do do do do do do)
(Mahna starts to scat)
Mahna mahna mahna mahna
Mah mah mah
Mahna mah mah ... (etc.)
(As he tries to belt it out, the Snowths surround him so their backs are to us and he disappears behind them. After a silent second, he pops his head up and the last verse begins. He sings/yells his lines as he runs away into the distance.)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do do)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do)
Mahna mahna
(Do do do do do
(Do do do
Do do do
Do do do
Do do do do do do do do)
(For the last line, they all race towards the screen completely blocking it out.)
Mahna mahna!
Originally transcribed by Kevin Arthur, updated by your loyal webmistress Tiny Dancer
Released on the album
Jim Henson: A Sesame Street Celebration (1992)
Golden (out of print)
Available on the album
Platinum Too (CD) and Cassette
and on the CD
The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem and More - 25th Anniversary
also available on the 3-CD Box Set
Songs From The Street: 35 Years Of Music
and on the 4-DVD Set
(opening number on the first ep, the Juliet Prowse one)
The Muppet Show - Season One