Mancini was born Enrico Nicola Mancini in the Little Italy neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the steel town of West Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. His parents emigrated from the Abruzzo region of Italy. Mancini's father, Quinto, was a steelworker, who made his only child begin flute lessons at the age of eight. When Mancini was 12 years old, he began piano lessons. Quinto and Henry played flute together in the Aliquippa Italian immigrant band, "Sons of Italy". After high school, Mancini attended the renowned Juilliard School of Music in New York. In 1943, after roughly one year at Juilliard, his studies were interrupted when he was drafted into the army. In 1945, he participated in the liberation of a South German concentration camp.
Mancini recorded over 90 albums, in styles ranging from big band to classical to pop. Eight of these albums were certified gold by The Recording Industry Association of America. He had a 20 year contract with RCA Records, resulting in 60 commercial record albums that made him a household name composer of easy listening music.
Mancini's range also extended to orchestral and ethnic scores (Lifeforce, The Great Mouse Detective, Sunflower, "Tom and Jerry: The Movie", Molly Maguires, The Hawaiians), and darker themes ("Experiment In Terror," "The White Dawn," "Wait Until Dark," "The Night Visitor").
Mancini was also a concert performer, conducting over fifty engagements per year, resulting in over 600 symphony performances during his lifetime. Among the symphony orchestras he conducted are the London Symphony Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, the Boston Pops, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He appeared in 1966, 1980 and 1984 in command performances for the British Royal Family. He also toured several times with Johnny Mathis and with Andy Williams, who had sung many of Mancini's songs.[citation needed]
Mancini had experience with acting and voice roles. In 1994 he made a one-off cameo appearance in the first season of the sitcom series Frasier, as a call-in patient to Dr. Frasier Crane's radio show. Mancini voiced the character Al, who speaks with a melancholy drawl and hates the sound of his own voice, in the episode "Guess Who's Coming to Breakfast?" Mancini also had an uncredited performance as a pianist in the 1967 movie Gunn, the movie version of the series Peter Gunn, the score of which was originally composed by Mancini himself.
Mancini was nominated for an unprecedented 72 Grammys, winning 20 Additionally he was nominated for 18 Academy Awards, winning four. He also won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for two Emmys.
Mancini won a total of four Oscars for his music in the course of his career.
Mancini died at the age of 70 in Beverly Hills/Los Angeles, California of pancreatic cancer. He was working at the time on the Broadway stage version of Victor/Victoria. At the time of his death, Mancini was married to singer Virginia "Ginny" O´Connor, with whom he had three children. Ginny Mancini went on to found the Society of Singers a non profit organization which benefits the health and welfare of professional singers worldwide. Additionally the Society awards scholarships to students pursuing an education in the vocal arts and holds the annual Ella Awards.
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers(ASCAP) Foundation "Henry Mancini Music Scholarship" has been awarded annually since 2001.
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Henry Mancini Lyrics
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Like an April breeze on the wings of spring,
And you appear in all your splendor,
My one and only love.
The shadows fall and spread their mystic charms
In the hush of night while you're in my arms.
I feel your lips, so warm and tender,
The touch of your hand is like heaven,
A heaven that I've never known.
The blush on your cheek whenever I speak
Tells me that you are my own.
You fill my eager heart with such desire.
Ev'ry kiss you give sets my soul on fire.
I give myself in sweet surrender,
My one and only love.
The lyrics of Henry Mancini's My One and Only Love are a testament to the intense passion and depth of emotion that can be felt in true love. The singer expresses how just the thought of the object of their affection can make their heart sing, an emotion so strong that it can be compared to the gentle, refreshing breeze of the spring season.
The lyrics also allude to the intimacy and tenderness shared between the two lovers, particularly at night when the shadows fall and the world is hushed. The touch of the loved one's hand is likened to heaven, while their warm and tender lips reflect the intense desire that the singer feels. The blush on the lover's cheek whenever they speak is proof that they belong to each other, solidifying the depth and exclusivity of their relationship.
The lyrics culminate in an expression of love and devotion, with the singer surrendering themselves fully to their "one and only love." This is a song that celebrates the unique bond between two people who have found true love in each other, and who are willing to give themselves up completely to this all-consuming, life-affirming emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
The very thought of you makes my heart sing
Thinking of you fills me with so much joy and happiness that my heart feels like it's singing
Like an April breeze on the wings of spring,
Your presence is as refreshing and invigorating as a spring breeze
And you appear in all your splendor,
When I see you, you shine with all of your beauty and magnificence
My one and only love.
You are the only person I truly love and care about
The shadows fall and spread their mystic charms
The darkness of night creates a magical atmosphere around us
In the hush of night while you're in my arms.
The peace and tranquility of the night is enhanced when I hold you close to me
I feel your lips, so warm and tender,
Your soft and warm lips feel incredibly delicate and loving against mine
My one and only love.
You are the only person I truly love and care about
The touch of your hand is like heaven,
Just touching your hand feels like an experience of heaven, a paradise of pleasure
A heaven that I've never known.
I have never felt such happiness or experienced such beauty before
The blush on your cheek whenever I speak
When I talk to you, your face lights up with a beautiful, pink blush
Tells me that you are my own.
It assures me that you belong to me and that you are my true love
You fill my eager heart with such desire.
You bring so much passion and desire to my eager heart
Ev'ry kiss you give sets my soul on fire.
Whenever you give me a kiss, it ignites a fire deep within my soul and makes me feel alive
I give myself in sweet surrender,
I am completely yours, and I freely surrender myself to you in love
My one and only love.
You are the only person I truly love and care about
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Guy B. Wood, Robert Mellin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shantonov21
00:00 The Pink Panther Theme
02:36 Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet
05:04 The Magnificent Seven Theme
10:33 Peter Gunn Theme
12:37 Nadia’s Theme
15:59 Exodus
19:58 Days of Wine and Roses
23:27 Royal Blue
26:36 Moonlight Serenade
30:20 Moon River
33:00 Night Side
36:21 Mr. Lucky
38:32 Dreamsville
42:27 Breakfast at Tiffany’s
45:16 The Sweetheart Tree
47:15 Something for Cat
50:26 The Stripper
52:24 Experiment in Terror
54:43 Love Theme from Sunflower
57:11 The Streets of San Francisco
@dianalee3059
I was blessed with a 60 year career as a studio singer and had the honor and privilege of working with Hank, as we all called him, on countless occasions, both live concerts and recording. Mr. Cool, he was just the greatest guy! And brilliantly prolific. In one of my first steady gigs I was one of the Alan Copeland Singers featured weekly on the Red Skelton Show. Hank’s lovely wife Ginny whom I adored, was many times one of the singer. Bless you both, you are missed
@pbohearn
I went to school with their granddaughter, Lana.
@catrinahartz944
Amazing. God bless you.. may you sing in heaven one day😇
@christopherthorkon3997
So amazing.
@reginaldwright247
WOW!
You've had a Life WELL LIVED!
I remember as a Kid watching A LOT of the movies/show that he scored/wrote.
As for the Red Skelton show, I loved his type of comedy, Along with the Tom Hansen Dancers!
@divinespirit8761
WOW what a life! :) It's sounds wonderful on the other side of a failed audition. Thank you for sharing...:)
@bedtimebiblechat7152
My husband and I had the album and we loved it. We didn't have TV when we first got married in 1967 so we would lay on the floor in front of the stereo and listen to this album and just relax. We had a lot of old albums that weren't old back then. We listened to them and just felt so good. Thanks for this upload....brings back memories. My husband's been gone for 22 yrs. but I feel him laying beside me as we listen to this album again.
@lindak990
You didn't miss anything anyway. TV is terrible more than ever.
@willymakeit5172
I am sorry for your loss and I have prayed for both of you.
@Liz.R
Thank you for sharing. What a lovely memory