While browsing for new records over the weekend, I came upon an interesting tidbit about the origins of the sketch: turns out that the track was not, in fact, a Muppet original. The composer is Piero Umiliani, and it initially appeared on the soundtrack of an Italian film, Svezia, Inferno e Paradiso. The film is a pseudo-documentary focusing on "corrupt" sexual mores in Sweden during the late 60s. Apparently, such subjects were shocking to heavily-Catholic Italy.
Ah, to have been alive in 1968 Stockholm...The version of the song from the film is fairly different from our beloved Muppet version. It features a lounge-bossa arrangement, vaguely reminiscent of Walter Wanderley (whose work I rather like), complete with a Hammond B3 driving the song. It's a rather jaunty little number - the perfect accompaniment for footage of gorgeous Swedish women prancing about. And essentially, that's exactly how it's used in the film:
I have also uploaded the complete track for those who wish to hear the whole thing.
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