He and Jerry Lewis formed the immensely popular comedy duo Martin and Lewis, with Martin serving as the straight man to Lewis' slapstick hijinks. Martin went on to become a star of concert stages, nightclubs, audio recordings, motion pictures, and television, and was also a member of the "Rat Pack". Martin was the host of the television variety programs The Dean Martin Show and The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. His relaxed, warbling, crooning voice earned him dozens of hit singles, including his signature songs "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare", and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"
Martin was born on June 7, 1917, in Steubenville, Ohio, to an Italian father, Gaetano Alfonso Crocetti (1894–1967), and an Italian-American mother, Angela Crocetti (née Barra; 1899–1966). They were married in 1914. His father, who was a barber, was originally from Montesilvano, in Abruzzo, and his maternal grandparents' origins are believed to be also from Abruzzo, although they are not clearly known. Martin had an older brother named William Alfonso Crocetti (1916–1968). Martin's first language was Abruzzese, a dialect of Neapolitan, and he did not speak English until he started school at the age of five. He attended Grant Elementary School in Steubenville, where he was bullied for his broken English. He later took up the drums as a hobby as a teenager. Martin then dropped out of Steubenville High School in the 10th grade because he thought he was smarter than his teachers. He bootlegged liquor, served as a speakeasy croupier, was a blackjack dealer, worked in a steel mill, and boxed as a welterweight.
As Martin's solo career grew, he and Frank Sinatra became friends. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Martin and Sinatra, along with friends Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Sammy Davis, Jr. formed the Rat Pack, so-called after an earlier group of social friends, the Holmby Hills Rat Pack centered on Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, of which Sinatra had been a member (The Martin-Sinatra-Davis-Lawford-Bishop group referred to themselves as "The Summit" or "The Clan" and never as "The Rat Pack", although this has remained their identity in popular imagination). The men made films together, formed part of the Hollywood social scene, and were politically influential (through Lawford's marriage to Patricia Kennedy, sister of President John F. Kennedy).
The Rat Pack was legendary for its Las Vegas Strip performances. For example, the marquee at the Sands Hotel might read DEAN MARTIN—MAYBE FRANK—MAYBE SAMMY. Their appearances were valuable because the city would flood with wealthy gamblers. Their act (always in tuxedo) consisted of each singing individual numbers, duets and trios, along with seemingly improvised slapstick and chatter. In the socially charged 1960s, their jokes revolved around adult themes, such as Sinatra's womanizing and Martin's drinking, as well as Davis's race and religion. Sinatra and Martin supported the civil rights movement and refused to perform in clubs that would not allow African-American or Jewish performers. Posthumously, the Rat Pack has experienced a popular revival, inspiring the George Clooney/Brad Pitt "Ocean's Trilogy."
Martin returned to films briefly with appearances in the star-laden, critically panned but commercially successful The Cannonball Run and its sequel Cannonball Run II. He also had a minor hit single with "Since I Met You Baby" and made his first music video, which appeared on MTV. The video was created by Martin's youngest son, Ricci. On March 21, 1987, Martin's son, actor Dean Paul Martin (formerly Dino of the 1960s "teeny-bopper" rock group Dino, Desi & Billy), died when his F-4 Phantom II jet fighter crashed while flying with the California Air National Guard. Martin's grief over his son's death left him depressed and demoralized. Later, a tour with Davis and Sinatra in 1988, undertaken in part to help Martin recover, sputtered.
Martin, who responded best to a club audience, felt lost in the huge stadiums they were performing in at Sinatra's insistence, and he was not interested in drinking until dawn after performances. His final Vegas shows were at Bally's Hotel in 1990. There he had his final reunion with Lewis on his 72nd birthday. Martin's last two TV appearances involved tributes to his former Rat Pack members. On December 8, 1989, he joined stars in Sammy Davis Jr's 60th anniversary celebration, which aired a few weeks before Davis died from throat cancer. In December 1990, he congratulated Sinatra on his 75th birthday special.
Martin, a heavy smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in September 1993, and was told that he would require surgery to prolong his life, but he rejected it. He retired from public life in early 1995 and died of acute respiratory failure resulting from emphysema at his Beverly Hills home on Christmas Day, 1995 at the age of 78. The lights of the Las Vegas Strip were dimmed in his honor. Martin's body was interred at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. The crypt features the epitaph "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime", the title of his signature song.
In 1996, Ohio Route 7 through Steubenville was rededicated as Dean Martin Boulevard. Road signs bearing an Al Hirschfeld caricature of Martin's likeness designate the stretch with a historical marker bearing a small picture and brief biography in the Gazebo Park at Route 7 and North Fourth Street. An annual Dean Martin Festival celebration is held in Steubenville. Impersonators, friends and family, and entertainers, many of Italian ancestry, appear. In 2005, Clark County, Nevada, renamed a portion of Industrial Road as Dean Martin Drive. A similarly named street was dedicated in 2008 in Rancho Mirage, California. Martin's family was presented a gold record in 2004 for Dino: The Essential Dean Martin, his fastest-selling album, which also hit the iTunes Top 10, and in 2006 it was certified "Platinum".
For the week ending December 23, 2006, the Dean Martin and Martina McBride duet of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" reached No. 7 on the R&R AC chart. It also went to No. 36 on the R&R Country chart – the last time Martin had a song this high in the charts was in 1965, with the song "I Will," which reached No. 10 on the Pop chart. An album of duets, Forever Cool, was released by Capitol/EMI in 2007. It features Martin's voice with Kevin Spacey, Shelby Lynne, Joss Stone, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Robbie Williams, McBride and others. His footprints were immortalized at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in 1964. Martin has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one at 6519 Hollywood Boulevard for movies; the second at 1617 Vine for recordings; and a third at 6651 Hollywood Boulevard for television. In February 2009, Martin was honored with a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Four of his surviving children, Gail, Deana, Ricci and Gina accepted it on his behalf. In 2010, Martin received a posthumous star on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Martin was married three times. His first wife was Elizabeth Anne "Betty" McDonald, (July 14, 1922 – July 11, 1989) of Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. Martin and McDonald married in 1941 and had four children: Craig Martin (born 1942), Claudia Martin (March 16, 1944 – February 16, 2001), Gail Martin (born 1945); and Deana Martin (born 1948). Martin and McDonald divorced in 1949 and Dean gained custody of their children. Betty lived out her life in relative obscurity in San Francisco, California.
Martin's second wife was Dorothy Jean "Jeanne" Biegger (March 27, 1927 – August 24, 2016), a former Orange Bowl queen from Coral Gables, Florida. Their marriage lasted 24 years (1949–1973) and produced three children: Dean Paul Martin (November 17, 1951 – March 21, 1987), Ricci Martin (September 20, 1953 – August 3, 2016)[15] and Gina Martin (born 1956).
Martin's third marriage, to Catherine Hawn, lasted three years before Martin initiated divorce proceedings. They had no biological children of their own but Martin adopted Hawn's daughter, Sasha.
Martin's uncle was Leonard Barr, who appeared in several of his shows. In the 1960s and early 1970s, he lived at 363 Copa De Oro Road in Bel Air, Los Angeles, before selling it to Tom Jones for $500,000 in June 1976.
Martin's son-in-law was the Beach Boys' Carl Wilson, who married Martin's daughter Gina. Figure skater Dorothy Hamill and actress Olivia Hussey were his daughters-in-law during their marriages to Martin's son, Dean Paul Martin.
Mambo Italiano
Dean Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because he missed the scenery
The native dances and the charming songs
But wait a minute, something's wrong
'Cause now it's
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
All you calabresi do the mambo like a crazy with a-
Hey mambo, don't wanna tarantella
Hey mambo, no more mozzarella
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
Try an enchilada with the fishy baccalà and then a-
Hey cumpa', I love a how you dance a rumba
But take a some advice, paesano
Learn-a how to mambo
If you gonna be a square
You ain't-a gonna go nowhere
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
Go, go, Joe, shake like a Giovanno
Hello, che si dice, you getta happy in the feets-a
When you mambo italiano
Hey jadrool, you don't-a have to go to school
Just make-a with the beat bambino
It's a like a vino
Kid, you good-a lookin' but you don't a-know what's cookin' till you
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
Oh, oh, oh, you mixed up Siciliano
Hello, che si dice, you getta happy in the pizza
When you mambo italiano
The lyrics to Dean Martin’s classic hit “Mambo Italiano” are a playful invitation for listeners to join in on the festive dance craze popularized in Italy during the 1950s. The song begins by telling the story of a boy who goes back to Napoli and misses the native dances and songs. However, before he can fully enjoy the experience, he realizes something doesn’t feel right. The tone then switches to a lively chant encouraging listeners to join in on the fun and dance to the mambo like a “crazy” Siciliano or Calabrese.
The playful tone continues as Martin sings about other Italian favorites such as mozzarella and baccalà, before offering some friendly advice to a fellow Italian to learn how to mambo and avoid being a “square”. The song finishes with the refrain of the title “Hey mambo, mambo italiano”, as Martin exhorts his listeners to “shake like Giovanno” and enjoy the festivities of the traditional Italian dance.
Overall, the lyrics of "Mambo Italiano" capture the spirit of the lively and joyous mambo dance, while invoking a sense of playful nostalgia for the native dances and songs of Italy.
Line by Line Meaning
A boy went back to Napoli
A young man returned to Naples
Because he missed the scenery
He missed the beauty of the landscape
The native dances and the charming songs
He longed for the traditional music and dance of the region
But wait a minute, something's wrong
However, he noticed that something was amiss
'Cause now it's
Because now it is
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
A popular Italian dance, the Mambo, is being referenced
Go, go, go you mixed up siciliano
The dance is suited for people from Sicily and Calabria
All you calabresi do the mambo like a crazy with a-
Those from Calabria are especially enthusiastic about this dance
Hey mambo, don't wanna tarantella
The Tarantella is another popular Italian dance, but not the Mambo
Hey mambo, no more mozzarella
The song is not about cheese, but dancing
Try an enchilada with the fishy baccalà and then a-
The singer suggests eating a Mexican dish alongside Italian salt cod
Hey cumpa', I love a how you dance a rumba
The singer admires how his friend dances the Rumba
But take a some advice, paesano
He offers some advice to his friend
Learn-a how to mambo
Instead of the Rumba, learn the Mambo
If you gonna be a square
If you want to be cool
You ain't-a gonna go nowhere
By not learning the Mambo, one will not be able to move forward in life
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
A reminder of the song's topic and title
Go, go, Joe, shake like a Giovanno
The singer calls out to Joe to dance like John (Giovanni)
Hello, che si dice, you getta happy in the feets-a
Making a joke in Italian: asking how they are doing and that their feet will be happy from dancing
When you mambo italiano
The happiness comes from dancing the Mambo
Hey jadrool, you don't-a have to go to school
The singer addresses a clueless person who doesn't know what's going on
Just make-a with the beat bambino
He encourages this person to dance in time with the music
It's a like a vino
Dancing the Mambo is like drinking wine (enjoyable)
Kid, you good-a lookin' but you don't a-know what's cookin' till you
The person may look good, but they don’t know what they're missing until they Mambo
Oh, oh, oh, you mixed up Siciliano
Referencing the dance's popularity with people from Sicily and Calabria
Hello, che si dice, you getta happy in the pizza
Another Italian pun: How are you? You will be pleased with pizza (because of its connection to Italy)
When you mambo italiano
Reiterating that dancing the Mambo will bring happiness
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bob Merrill
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Giulio Arco
A boy went back to Napoli
Because he missed the scenery
The native dances and the charming songs
But wait a minute, something's wrong
'Cause now it's
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
Go, go, go you mixed up siciliano
All you calabresi do the mambo like a crazy with a-
Hey mambo, don't wanna tarantella
Hey mambo, no more mozzarella
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
Try an enchilada with the fishy baccalà and then a-
Hey cumpa', I love a how you dance a rumba
But take a some advice, paesano
Learn-a how to mambo
If you gonna be a square
You ain't-a gonna go nowhere
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
Go, go, Joe, shake like a Giovanno
Hello, che si dice, you getta happy in the feets-a
When you mambo italiano
Hey jadrool, you don't-a have to go to school
Just make-a with the beat bambino
It's a like a vino
Kid, you good-a lookin' but you don't a-know what's cookin' till you
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
Hey, mambo, mambo italiano
Oh, oh, oh, you mixed up Siciliano
Hello, che si dice, you getta happy in the pizza
When you mambo italiano
Alex Painter
I’m not Italian in any way, shape, or form but I just love this kind of music! The music of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Frank Sinatra Jr and Sammy Davis will always be top tier.
lemmy studios
He wasn't Italian...?
The American Viking
Facts man, I'm a metal head but I always come back to these great classic artists.
David Bel
Amen to that brother
Kachigga Walrus
Dont need to be italian to like good music
harlyx
you can feel him smiling while singing this
The Dark Side Jester and friends
@iain dunbar 👾
Doug Lewis
I definitely can
Luz María Torres
♥️♥️
iain dunbar
and slowly sliding off the chair with one to many martini's.... what a guy