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.
In The Cool
Henry Mancini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sam wants to boil a ham,
Grace votes for Bouillabaisse stew.
Jake wants a weeny bake,
Steak and a layer cake,
He'll get a tummy ache too.
We'll rent a tent or tepee.
Let the town crier cry.
This is what I'll reply
In the cool, cool, cool of the evening
Tell 'em I'll be there
In the cool, cool, cool of the evening
Better save a chair
When the party's gettin' a glow on
And singin' fills the air
In the shank of the night
When the doin's are right
You can tell 'em I'll be there
"Whee" said the bumblebee,"
"Let's have a jubilee"
"When?" said the prairie hen, "Soon?"
"Shore" said the dinosaur.
"Where?" said the grizzly bear,
"Under the light of the moon?"
"How `bout ya, brother jackass?"
Ev'ryone gaily cried,
"You comin' to the fracas?"
Over his specs he sighed
In the cool, cool, cool of the evening
Tell 'em I'll be there
In the cool, cool, cool of the evening
Slickum on my hair.
When the party's gettin' a glow on
And singin' fills the air
If I ain't in the clink,
And there's sumpin' to drink,
You can tell 'em I'll be there
The song "In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening" composed by Henry Mancini for the movie Here Comes the Groom (1951) is about partying, gathering, and food. The lyrics reflect the excitement and anticipation of a group of friends who are planning for an outdoor party. Each friend has their own preference for the food they want to eat: Sue wants a barbecue, Sam a boiled ham, Grace will vote for Bouillabaisse stew, and Jake wants hot dogs and cake which will eventually give him a tummy ache. They plan on renting a tent or tepee to entertain their guests, and even the town crier will announce the party. The friends want to make sure that they will be at the party too. And in the cool of the evening, they will all come together to enjoy each other’s company, share some stories, drink and eat together.
This song feels very timeless and still popular today. It not only reflects the excitement and anticipation to attend a party but also symbolizes friendship and social life. The lyrics use a rich selection of metaphors (the town cryer, renting tents or teepee etc.) that enrich the song's meaning and ambiance.
Line by Line Meaning
Sue wants a barbecue,
Sue desires a BBQ gathering
Sam wants to boil a ham,
Sam's choice is a boiled ham
Grace votes for Bouillabaisse stew.
Grace strongly recommends Bouillabaisse stew
Jake wants a weeny bake,
Jake prefers a hot dog roast
Steak and a layer cake,
Jake requests a steak and a layer cake for the event
He'll get a tummy ache too.
Overeating may give Jake a tummy ache
We'll rent a tent or tepee.
A tent or tepee will be reserved for the event
Let the town crier cry.
The town crier is invited to announce the event
And if it's RSVP
If RSVP is requested
This is what I'll reply
This is my planned reply
In the cool, cool, cool of the evening
During the pleasant evening hours
Tell 'em I'll be there
Inform them that I will attend
Better save a chair
Keep a chair available for me
When the party's gettin' a glow on
Once the party is in full swing
And singin' fills the air
When there's a lot of singing happening
In the shank of the night
In the middle of the night
When the doin's are right
When everything is going well
You can tell 'em I'll be there
Inform them that I will still be there
"Whee" said the bumblebee,
The bumblebee exclaimed "whee!"
"Let's have a jubilee"
The bumblebee proposes a jubilee
"When?" said the prairie hen, "Soon?"
The prairie hen inquired about the timing of the event
"Shore" said the dinosaur.
The dinosaur said "of course!"
"Where?" said the grizzly bear,
The grizzly bear asked about the location of the event
"Under the light of the moon?"
The dinosaur suggests having the event under the moonlight
"How `bout ya, brother jackass?"
Others invite the donkey to the event
Ev'ryone gaily cried,
Everyone happily exclaimed
"You comin' to the fracas?"
They asked the donkey if he will join the event
Over his specs he sighed
The donkey sighed through his glasses
Slickum on my hair.
Putting hair product on to attend the party
If I ain't in the clink,
If I am not in jail
And there's sumpin' to drink,
If there is something to drink
You can tell 'em I'll be there
Inform them that I will still be there
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BING CROSBY, ROY TURK, FRED E. AHLERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marianchacon5289
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!! MR. MANCINI IS ONE OF MY
FAVOURITE COMPOSERS.
MAGICAL!!! THIS IS MY
REVERIE!! MANCINI HAD
AM AMAZING TALENT!!!
GENTLE, MELLOW, QUITE
RELAXING. EXCELLENT
ORCHESTRATION.
I AM IN HEAVEN!!!
EXQUISITELY DONE!!!
THANK YOU!!!
@marianchacon5289
ESCUCHAR ESTA MUSICA ES BELLO. EXQUISITO, EVOCADORA!!!
ESTA MUSICA MAGICAMENTE LLENA EL
ESPIRITU!!! ESTA
MUSICA JAMAS PASARA
DE MODA!!! ME TRANSPORTA AL CIELO!!!!
ME LLENA DE MUCHOS
RECUERDOS LINDOS. ES
SENSUAL Y APACIONADA
Y RELAJANTE. UNO SE
OLVIDA DE LOS TIEMPOS INCIERTOS DE HOY, COVID-19. PRIMERO
DIOS QUE TODO ESTO
DIFICULTADES PASEN.
MIL GRACIAS!!!
@kathleendowns2894
I am 79 you and still listen to Mancini and others. those were the days and I am grateful for the memories. today the world is changing...thank you God, for giving me the wonderful life I have had.
@bibigems
Amen to that.
@MALLETPROBONO
Amen.
@fabioandrade8983
Eu tenho 80 anos e continuo fã do Henry Mancini .Seu estilo musical é pra toda vida .Maravilhoso.
@user-xv3xv2nk6u
EXELENTE TIENE DIEZ POR EL TEMA LA PANTERA ROSA Y OTROS TEMAS SOY DEL 1858 UN AMANTE DE LA MÚSICA ES MI MEJOR TERAPIA
@besthillsongworshipsongs48
If you are reading this right now, I pray you will get what you always pray for, I pray you will get the happiness you want in life, I pray things will work out for you. Never give up, Good days are coming.🙌❤🙏💯
@private56952
I love that. Almost made me cry
@amarilisbrea3702
gracias querido... Lo mismo para ti... bendiciones.@@private56952
@sphmoran28
thank you @besthillsongworshipsongs48 for the prayer. You made me cry.
@nancylee3575
At 81, we lived in the best of times in the music world. We had the last of the 40's Big Band era and slipped into the 50's Rock and Roll. The 60's and then the 70's great music. I really don't know much about the 80-90's. This Mancini collection brings back so many wonderful memories of the Way We Were.
My husband of 54 years is gone now, but he would have loved listening to this music as he sat reading one of his books, so relaxing. Thank you for sharing this collection with us.