Trivia / Sweden: Heaven and Hell

• Breakaway Pop Hit: "Máh-Ná-Mah-Ná", a Scatting-based cue from Piero Umiliani's score, was released as a single in 1969, becoming a bit of a Sleeper Hit on American radio, reaching #55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Top 20 on its Easy Listening chart, and also became a Top 40 hit in Canada. Reportedly, Muppet performer Caroll Spinney heard it on the radio and recommended it to Jim Henson, and a Muppet sketch built around the song debuted first on Sesame Street, then a redone version a few weeks later on The Ed Sullivan Show established it as a classic Muppet moment. Benny Hill also began using the song. Then in 1976, it was resurrected for the pilot episode of The Muppet Show and got a new surge in popularity. One result of this was the original Umiliani recording, which flopped in Britain in 1969, was re-released and reached #8 on the UK chart. The song itself is so iconic, the film is basically only known today for being the origin of it, and even then, everyone still associates it with The Muppets.
• Working Title: Umiliani originally wrote "Máh-Ná-Mah-Ná" under the title "Viva la Sauna Svedese" ("Hooray for the Swedish Sauna"), reflecting the scene in which the piece was first used.

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