How Do You Do? by Mouth & MacNeal

Album: How Do You Do? (1972)

Charted: 8

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Songfacts®:

This is Mouth & MacNeal's biggest claim to fame and their only hit in the US. To clear up some confusion, this song has nothing to do with Natasha Bedingfield's 2007 "How Do You Do?" - give them both a listen, they're completely different songs.

Mouth & MacNeal were Willem "Mouth" Duyn and Maggie MacNeal (real name Sjoukje Van't Spijker), a pop duo formed in the Netherlands in 1971 by Hans van Hemert, a record producer who saw the value in adding two moderately successful solo artists to make one great team.
"How Do You Do?" got some heavy airplay on the stateside thanks to American DJ Jim Connors at stations along the eastern seaboard. Thanks to this exposure, the song spent 19 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. The single sold over a million copies in the US and was certified gold by the RIAA in August of 1972.
Mouth & MacNeal had a moderately successful career in Scandinavia and Europe, but never again charted in the US. Amongst their other notable hits were "I See a Star," which hit #1 in Ireland, "Hey You Love," which charted #5 in the Dutch Top 40, and "Hello-A." They also made an appearance on the Eurovision Song Contest, once coming in third behind ABBA.

Mouth & MacNeal broke up soon after "How Do You Do?" to go back to their respective solo careers. Willem "Mouth" Duyn passed away from a heart attack in 2004 at age 67; Maggie MacNeal went on with her solo career. Here's a fan page on Mouth & MacNeal.

Comments: 8

Seventh Mist from 7th HeavenI like the “na-na-na-nas,” but “Kiss Him Goodbye” has those and throws in “hey-hey-heys” and “goodbyes” as well.
Sue from Boston, NyLove this song...love their voices. Too bad they were not promoted more in the US. They are fantastic. Sorry to hear Mouth passed away!
Tommy Loco from New YorkThis song is about a Narcissistic relationship... The Na-na, Na-na is you get nothing. The cheerful tune is what Narcissistic people feel when they get narcissistic supply from punishing and isolating from their victims... First they love bomb you, then they gaslight and stonewall you and make your walk on eggshells... they when they discard you and watch you crumble they have you just where they want you... then they hoover you back because they are insecure about losing their narcissistic supply if you abandon them... Then they start the entire process over again and again until you gray rock them and leave them permanently. Catchy tune though.
Marcel Vossen from The NetherlandsAs a duo they only made ONE appearance on the Eurovision Song Contest: in 1974, where they indeed came in third behind ABBA, with 'I see a star'. Sjoukje van 't Spijker aka Maggie took part as a solo artist in 1980 with 'Amsterdam'. She finished fifth. Her artist name back in 1980 was Maggie MacNeal, by the way.
Steve from OttawaI had this on a record, some sort of compilation from the early seventies. A very catchy tune. The video is an obvious lip and violin-synch in a cafeteria, I think....silly but cute. The beautiful strings and the woman's soprano voice complement one another nicely.
Tony from San DiegoCamille u were correct as a child. It's a great song still. For me it's those strings that mimic her voice.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn April 23rd 1972, "How Do You Do?" by Mouth and MacNeal entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #97; and on July 16th it peaked at #8 (for 3 weeks) and spent 19 weeks on the Top 100...
The duo had one other Top 100 record, "Hey, You Love", it reached #87 and stayed on the chart for 3 weeks.
Camille from Toronto, OhWell, I thought this was the most fabulous song when it came out. I just heard it today for the first time in years (it's 2012) and the song is okay. Not sure why I was so crazy about it years ago but I was a young teen in 1972. I often did like songs where a man and woman sing different verses, so that might have been some of its appeal. They use "na na na na" in place of whatever sexual references you might want to insert. I guess it was censoring its own content back in the day. Nowadays, it reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where they used "yadda, yadda, yadda" rather than say they had sex.

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