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.
It Might As Well Be Spring
Henry Mancini Lyrics
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I'm as jumpy as a puppet on a string
I'd say that I had spring fever
But I know it isn't spring
I am starry-eyed and vaguely discontented
Like a nightingale without a song to sing
Oh, why should I have Spring fever
I keep wishing I were somewhere else
Walking down a strange new street
Hearing words that I have never heard
From a girl I've yet to meet
I'm as busy as a spider spinning daydreams
I'm as giddy as a baby on a swing
I haven't seen a crocus or a rosebud or a robin on the wing
But I feel so gay in a melancholy way
That it might as well be spring
It might as well be spring
The song "It Might As Well Be Spring" by Henry Mancini expresses the restlessness of the singer who is dreaming of something more in life. The lyrics compare the singer's emotional state to that of a willow tree in a windstorm and a puppet on a string. Although the singer feels like he has "spring fever," he knows it isn't actually spring. He is starry-eyed and discontented, feeling like a nightingale without a song to sing. The singer keeps wishing to be somewhere else and to meet someone new, someone who would bring him happiness. The lyrics describe the singer's busy mind, comparing it to a spider spinning daydreams and a baby on a swing. Despite not seeing any signs of spring, the singer feels gay in a melancholy way, as if it might as well be spring.
The lyrics of "It Might As Well Be Spring" don't actually describe spring, but rather an emotional state of yearning for something more. The song has a wistful tone, capturing the wistful feeling that comes with longing for something that is not there. Interestingly, the song has been covered by many artists, including the likes of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan. It has also been used in many movies, including "The King and I" and "State Fair." The song was originally written for the 1945 musical "State Fair," and won an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1946, as well as a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm
I'm feeling agitated and uneasy, much like how a willow tree looks when it's swayed by a strong gust of wind.
I'm as jumpy as a puppet on a string
I feel like I'm being controlled by an outside force and can't settle down, much like a puppet that's being controlled by its strings.
I'd say that I had spring fever
But I know it isn't spring
I feel restless and excited, but it's not necessarily because it's springtime – it's just a feeling that's come over me.
I am starry-eyed and vaguely discontented
Like a nightingale without a song to sing
I'm feeling optimistic yet can't shake this sense of dissatisfaction, similar to how a nightingale might feel a bit lost without a tune to sing.
Oh, why should I have Spring fever
When it isn't even spring?
I'm feeling a sense of restlessness and excitement, but I don't know why because it's not necessarily springtime.
I keep wishing I were somewhere else
Walking down a strange new street
Hearing words that I have never heard
From a girl I've yet to meet
I'm longing for adventure and new experiences, imagining myself in new places and scenarios with new people to meet and get to know.
I'm as busy as a spider spinning daydreams
I'm as giddy as a baby on a swing
I'm full of energy and ideas, with my mind spinning and creating scenarios and ideas, much like a spider spinning a web of thoughts. I'm also feeling carefree and happy, much like a baby experiencing the joy of being on a swing.
I haven't seen a crocus or a rosebud or a robin on the wing
But I feel so gay in a melancholy way
That it might as well be spring
I haven't seen any signs of spring, but I'm still feeling happy and carefree in a bittersweet kind of way – it's almost as if it is spring even if the season hasn't actually arrived.
It might as well be spring
I feel so happy and carefree that it doesn't matter if it's actually spring or not.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: MILES DAVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind