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.
Man
Henry Mancini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
Like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon
Like a carousel that's turning running rings around the moon
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
Down a hollow to a cavern where the sun has never shone
Like a door that keeps revolving in a half forgotten dream
Or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
Keys that jingle in your pocket, words that jangle in your head
Why did summer go so quickly, was it something that you said?
Lovers walking along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand
Is the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand?
Pictures hanging in a hallway and the fragment of a song
Half remembered names and faces, but to whom do they belong?
When you knew that it was over you were suddenly aware
That the autumn leaves were turning to the color of her hair!
Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
As the images unwind, like the circles that you find
In the windmills of your mind!
The Windmills of Your Mind is a song written by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, and Michel Legrand, and performed by Henry Mancini and his orchestra and chorus. The song is a classic, known for its complex and intricate lyrics, which use metaphorical imagery to evoke feelings of confusion and introspection. The lyrics describe a series of circular and cyclical patterns that represent the futility of time and the way memories and thoughts can loop endlessly in our minds.
The song's key metaphor is that of windmills - these symbolize the repetitive, circular nature of our thoughts and emotions. The lyrics suggest that our minds wind around like a carousel, a clock, or a snowball rolling down a hill. The song's imagery also touches on themes of loss, nostalgia, and regret - the lyrics describe an autumnal landscape where leaves turn the color of a lost love's hair.
Overall, The Windmills of Your Mind is a haunting and poetic meditation on the workings of the human mind. Its lyrics invite us to consider the way our thoughts and feelings spiral around and around, creating a dizzying array of memories, dreams, and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel
Life is a series of cyclical patterns, one leading to another, creating intricate patterns that we must follow.
Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel
Life is a continuous cycle, with no true beginning or end, spinning like a reel that is never at rest.
Like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon
Life can be like a snowball, rolling down a mountain and gaining momentum or like a carnival balloon, flying up in the air until it pops.
Like a carousel that's turning running rings around the moon
Life can be like a carousel, going round and round, with no clear destination, and it can make us feel like we are chasing an impossible goal like capturing the moon.
Like a clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face
Time ticks on and never stops. Our lives are governed by a clock that keeps moving, marking time as it passes.
And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space
Just as the world is a spinning apple in space, our lives can seem like we're just spinning in place, without direction, wondering what our purpose is.
Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind!
Our thoughts and memories can be like the circles in a windmill, turning endlessly in our minds, making us dizzy or losing ourselves in introspection.
Like a tunnel that you follow to a tunnel of its own
Sometimes our paths in life seem to lead us to other paths, one after the other, taking us deeper and deeper down a rabbit hole of our own making.
Down a hollow to a cavern where the sun has never shone
We may find ourselves in a dark and lonely place, where the light of the sun never reaches us, leaving us lost in the dark abyss of our minds.
Like a door that keeps revolving in a half forgotten dream
Doors can symbolize the choices we make in life. Sometimes we forget what those choices are, leaving us feeling lost and unsure in a haze of unanswered questions.
Or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream
Our lives are full of small moments, seemingly insignificant, but that can create a ripple effect, like a pebble tossed in a stream, that can have unexpected consequences.
Keys that jingle in your pocket, words that jangle in your head
Our thoughts can be like the jingling of keys in our pocket, or the jangling of words in our head, distracting us and keeping us from focusing on what's important.
Why did summer go so quickly, was it something that you said?
As we reflect on our lives, we can wonder where the time went, and if our choices or words played a role, and regret can make us feel like we've missed opportunities that we can't get back.
Lovers walking along a shore and leave their footprints in the sand
Love can leave a lasting mark on our lives, like the footprints left in the sand, reminding us of the moments we have shared with those closest to us.
Is the sound of distant drumming just the fingers of your hand?
The drumming could be symbolic of something greater, but it also could be all in our heads, just the subtle movements of our fingers that create an illusion of something more significant.
Pictures hanging in a hallway and the fragment of a song
Memories that can be captured in pictures and songs can evoke feelings of nostalgia and longing, making us wonder where life has taken us and what might have been.
Half remembered names and faces, but to whom do they belong?
Memories can be fleeting, with only remnants of what once was, leaving us wondering who the people before us truly were and what their significance was to us.
When you knew that it was over you were suddenly aware
At the end of something, we can experience an epiphany, realizing the full extent of what was lost and what it meant to us.
That the autumn leaves were turning to the color of her hair!
The beauty and sadness of autumn can serve as a symbol of what was once beautiful and is now fading away, as we recognize the value of what was once dear to us.
As the images unwind, like the circles that you find
As we reflect on our lives and the memories that we've made, it can feel like we're going around in circles, searching for meaning and purpose, trying to understand the patterns that govern our lives.
In the windmills of your mind!
The mind can be a labyrinth, full of twists and turns, with no clear end in sight, leaving us trying to navigate these patterns and find some sense of direction.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman
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.