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.
THE WORLD
Henry Mancini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Full of crazy contradictions, like a child.
First you drive me wild, and then you win my heart
With your wicked art.
One minute tender, gentle, then temperamental as a summer storm.
Just when I believe your heart's getting warmer, you're cold, and you're cruel.
And I like a fool, try to cope, try to hang on, to hope.
Every day the same old roller coaster ride.
But I've got my pride, I won't give in.
Even though I know I'll never win.
Oh, how I love this crazy world.
The lyrics to "Crazy World" by Henry Mancini & The Mancini Pops Orchestra describe the ups and downs of a turbulent relationship. The singer starts by acknowledging the contradictions in their partner's behavior, likening it to that of a child. One minute they are driving them wild, and the next they are winning their heart with their "wicked art". They are both tender and gentle at times, but also temperamental and cruel like a summer storm. The singer admits to being a fool for trying to cope with and hold on to the hope that their partner's heart is getting warmer.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the constant ups and downs of the relationship, comparing it to a roller coaster ride. The singer's pride won't allow them to give in, even though they know they will never win. Despite all of this, they end the song by declaring their love for this crazy world, presumably referring to the unpredictable nature of their relationship.
Overall, "Crazy World" is a poignant commentary on the complexities of relationships and the emotional roller coasters we can experience when we fall in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Crazy world
The world is a strange, unpredictable place.
Full of crazy contradictions, like a child.
The world is full of inconsistencies like those often found in children.
First you drive me wild, and then you win my heart
With your wicked art.
You cause chaos and trouble, but then you impress and enchant me with your clever ways.
One minute tender, gentle, then temperamental as a summer storm.
You can be loving and kind one moment, but easily become angry or upset like a sudden summer storm.
Just when I believe your heart's getting warmer, you're cold, and you're cruel.
Just as I think you're warming up to me, you become distant and unkind.
And I like a fool, try to cope, try to hang on, to hope.
Despite knowing the difficulties, I continue to hold onto hope and try to deal with the situation like a foolish person.
Crazy world
Every day the same old roller coaster ride.
The world is a non-stop series of ups and downs, like a never ending roller coaster.
But I've got my pride, I won't give in.
Even though I face many challenges, I hold onto my dignity and resist giving up.
Even though I know I'll never win.
Despite my best efforts, it seems unlikely that I will succeed.
Oh, how I love this crazy world.
Despite everything, I still have a fondness for this unpredictable, inconsistent world.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LESLIE BRICUSSE, HENRY MANCINI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
CompanionCube
Bellisima pieza , sorprendida por el video tan espectacular, de una naturaleza que nos suplica a los seres humanos que la preservemos
missyA1958
This Was Absolutely Beautiful. The same two loves were continually taught in my life growning up and still today,remain my greatest passions.*****
jdstorms
Love the music of course. Images are excellent. Well put together! Great video! 5/5
safeharbor7
What a stunningly beautiful video BigLove. The music was perfect for this video. I do wildlife and scenic photography and I felt this video tugg at my spirit a little. I love it! 5***** + favorite
BigBen
Nice one, Joni. Hard to resist Mancini in the Big Love Zone!
monicabtarres
Can be proud of your parents,taught you great values For me it is also one of my favorite Mancini´s songs. Nice very nice video, thank you.
JCMegabyte
Great footage and soundtrack - nice work! :-)
Bass734
Awesome! Very well done. Spectacular footage.
Tim Chiavaroli
Exquisite. Obviously we have much in common. You'd be so lovely to just take a really nice long walk with. I was having a bit of a down day...I am not anymore. Thanks, Bobbie. As usual you simply make my heart go boom, boom, boom...just knowing there is somebody like you walking around this big blue orb makes me smile. 5*****'s. ~ Tim <3
Daniel Droz
perfect combination of tunes and images. very cool. 5*