Mahna Mahna

Most people are quite aware of my possibly unhealthy obsession with the Muppets. One of the greatest skits of all time is the Mahna Mahna song. For those of you who are unaware of this masterful piece, it consists of one character repeatedly saying "Mahna Mahna" and two other pink characters then saying "do dooo do do do." Every so often the first character, we'll call him Mahna, goes of into a scat type solo, which the other two characters, we'll call them the Doo Doos, look upon disapprovingly and eventually shame the first character into reluctantly returning to merely saying "Mahna Mahna." This happens several times until the conclusion of the song. My words don't even begin to convey the brilliance of the piece. I highly recommend watching it yourself.

After listening to it this afternoon, I have concluded that there is deeper meaning. Mahna represents the inner drive that most people have to break away from the mold, to do your own thing, and to be free of the constraints of modern society, no matter how foolish that may be. The Doo Doos represent the sensible rational part of ourselves, that keep us conforming and following the paths that others expect us to follow. When we break away and start doing something because of our Mahna self, the Doo Doos reign us in and keep us from becoming a larger fool. The song itself represents this balance. The Mahna's scat digressions are interesting and entertaining, but without the Doo Doos, they would likely go on too long and become bothersome. Meanwhile, if the Doo Doos had their way the entire song would consist of the repetitive Mahna Mahna followed by doo dooooo doo do do, which, while that is quite entertaining, if left unbroken up by the scats, it would become quite monotonous and bothersome. It is this perfect balance of breaking free and being yourself and conforming and doing the things that need to be done that make for a successful and enjoyable life.

Mahna Mahna
Do doo be-do-do
Mahna Mahna
Do do-do do
Mahna Mahna
Do doo be-do-do be-do-do be-do-do be-do-do-doodle do do do-doo do!