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.
Sing Sing Sing
Henry Mancini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now you're singin' with a swing
Sing sing sing, sing, everybody start to sing like dee dee dee, bah bah bah dah
Now you're singin' with a swing.
When the music goes around,
Everybody's goes go to town.
But here is one thing you should know
Now you're singin with a swing
Swing swing swing swing, listen to the trumpet swing
Blow blow blow blow, listen to the trombones go
When the music goes around,
Everybody's goes go to town.
But here is one thing you should know
Sing sing sing sing everybody start to sing like dee dee dee, bah bah bah dah
Everybody go!
Sing sing sing sing everybody start to sing like dee dee dee, bah bah bah dah
Now you're singin with a swing
Sing sing sing sing everybody start to sing like dee dee dee, bah bah bah dah
Now you're singin with a swing
Swing swing swing, everybody start to swing
Now your swingin while you sing
When the music goes around, everybody goes to town
Just relax and take is slow
SIng sing
Start singing, keep swinging
Now you're singing with a swing
Sing Sing Sing by Henry Mancini & His Orchestra is a lively piece that evokes the feeling of an electrifying musical performance. The lyrics encourage everyone to sing along and get into the groove of the music. The repetition of "Sing sing sing" and "dee dee dee, bah bah bah dah" serves as a call to action, enticing listeners to join in and sing along. The use of the phrase "now you're singing with a swing" highlights how the music can create a certain rhythm or energy, and once the listener joins in, they become a part of that groove.
The song also speaks to how music has the power to unite people. When the music goes around, everyone goes to town, emphasizing how music can bring people together in celebration. The lyrics encourage listeners to relax and take it slow, which is reflective of the seductive and captivating nature of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Sing, sing, sing, sing everybody start to sing like dee dee dee, bah bah bah dah
Begin singing with excitement and energy, producing sounds similar to 'dee dee dee, bah bah bah dah'
Now you're singin' with a swing
Your singing has taken on a bounce and rhythm that is commonplace in jazz music
Swing swing swing swing, listen to the trumpet swing
Hear the trumpet produce an up-tempo, danceable tune
Blow blow blow blow, listen to the trombones go
Listen to the trombone section playing a melodic tune with elongated notes
But here is one thing you should know
There is a crucial piece of information you need to understand
Everybody go!
Everyone should join in and participate in the lively, musical atmosphere
Swing swing swing, everybody start to swing
Commence the rhythmic motion of swinging to the music
Now your swingin while you sing
You simultaneously swing and sing, adding a layer of fun and excitement to the experience
When the music goes around, everybody goes to town
When the beat is contagious and lively, everyone gets involved and engages in the fun
Just relax and take is slow
Don't stress or rush; enjoy the music and move to the beat at your own pace
Start singing, keep swinging
Begin singing and continue to physically sway and groove to the music
Now you're singing with a swing
You have successfully adopted the upbeat, rhythmic swing style while singing
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LOUIS PRIMA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Danilo Cayton
Listening to Henry's music is a big big relief from today's extremely annoying and mind destroying trash music
KaiserDurn
Agreed
Dobie Gillis
Wow! I wish I could share this with someone but all my friends are dead. I grew up with this guy. There is no one to take his place. His best work was the soundtrack for the Peter Gunn TV series.
Hisham El Batawi
I have the same problem. I can only enjoy it when I'm driving my car alone 😢
ThePlasticBowl
I’mma be so disappointed in you both if you have not become friends after expressing that you both enjoy something you feel you can’t enjoy with anyone else. Like come on now.
Sylvie
🎶🎶Sing, Sing, Sing 🎶🎶 ❤️. Thanks, M. Mancini 👏👏👏.
nacardelmar
So cool 😊
Paul Pelusi
Is that a young Kenny Wheeler in the trumpet section?
Eric Brown
No one could love Henry Mancini more than I. But I have to say, give me THE original Benny Goodman/ Louis Prima recording any day.
https://youtu.be/r2S1I_ien6A
OPALE
Opino lo mismo que usted. En todo lo que Mancini hace está garantizada la calidad, pero no creo que su estilo se adapte del todo a piezas como Sing Sing Sing. Por ejemplo, en esta actuación a mí "me sobran" la flauta y el vibráfono.