online community focused on sharing and reminiscing about video, audio, and images that stir our memories of the past – old television, theme songs, commercials, print advertisements, the sights and sounds you remember
Mahna Mahna is one of those nonsense songs that somehow parked itself in everyone’s brain forever.
Most of us remember it from The Muppets, with the shaggy little “Mahna Mahna” character singing the goofy lead while the two pink creatures, the Snowths, answer back. But the song actually started in a very different place. It was written by Italian composer Piero Umiliani for the 1968 Italian film Svezia, inferno e paradiso, released in English as Sweden: Heaven and Hell.
Then Jim Henson and company turned it into something completely different. The Muppets performed it on Sesame Street in 1969, then on The Ed Sullivan Show, and later it became one of the memorable sketches from the first episode of The Muppet Show in 1976.
The funny part is, the lyrics don’t mean anything. That’s the whole charm. It’s just a silly call-and-response tune, but once you hear it, good luck getting it out of your head. Like a lot of the best Muppet moments, it worked because it was simple, weird, and somehow hilarious without needing a real punchline.
Few advertising campaigns captured the spirit of freedom and fun quite like Kawasaki’s “Let the Good Times Roll.” Debuting in the late 1960s and taking off through the 1970s, the campaign helped redefine motorcycles—not just as machines, but as a lifestyle. Riders cruising open roads, wind in their face, and a sense that adventure was always just one throttle twist away.
But what truly made the campaign unforgettable wasn’t just the imagery—it was the music.
The now-iconic jingle was performed by The Ron Hicklin Singers, led by Ron Hicklin, with Gene Morford delivering the smooth, confident lead vocal. His delivery made the slogan feel effortless and cool—never pushy, always inviting.
And then something happens: the song sticks.
Long after the commercial ends, you find yourself replaying it in your head. That’s no accident. The jingle checks every box of what makes music memorable—simple phrasing, a strong melodic hook, bright upbeat tones, and just enough repetition to lock it into your brain. It’s what we now call an “earworm,” and Hicklin’s group practically perfected the formula.
In fact, if the Kawasaki jingle feels familiar, it’s because you’ve likely heard these voices many times before.
The Ron Hicklin Singers were behind or involved in a wide range of iconic TV themes and commercials, including shows like The Love Boat, Happy Days, and Laverne & Shirley, along with contributions to pop-driven series like The Partridge Family. They also dominated the advertising world, lending their sound to major brands like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and countless automotive campaigns.
Their signature style—tight harmonies, clean vocals, and instantly catchy melodies—helped define an era when TV themes and commercials were crafted with the same care as hit songs.
That’s why “Let the Good Times Roll” still resonates today. It isn’t just nostalgia—it’s a masterclass in how music, voice, and message can come together to create something timeless. You may forget the details of the commercial, but the moment you hear that line again, it clicks.
