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.
Thank Heaven For Little Girls
Henry Mancini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
for little girls get bigger every day
Thank heaven for little girls
they grow up in the most delightful way
Those little eyes so helpless and appealing
one day will flash and send you crashin' thru the ceilin'
Thank heaven for little girls
thank heaven for them all,
no matter where no matter who
for without them, what would little boys do?
Thank heaven, thank heaven
Thank heaven for little girls
The song "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" by Henry Mancini is a tribute to the beauty, purity, and innocence of young girls. The lyrics express gratitude for the joys and pleasures that little girls bring, but also recognize that they grow up quickly and inevitably become more complex and alluring. The first two lines repeat the phrase "thank heaven for little girls", emphasizing the central theme of the song. The subsequent lines describe the various ways in which little girls captivate us, from their innocent eyes to their eventual transformation into beautiful and confident women. The final lines express the sentiment that, without little girls, the world would be a dull and incomplete place.
The song's nostalgic tone and earnest appreciation for the beauty of youth made it a popular hit when it was first released in 1958, and it has endured as a classic ever since. Interestingly, the song was actually written for a film, the 1958 musical comedy "Gigi". The song was originally intended as a duet between two male characters, but was ultimately given to the character played by Maurice Chevalier, who performed it solo.
Line by Line Meaning
Thank heaven for little girls
Expressing gratitude to the higher power for creating the little female children
for little girls get bigger every day
The little girls grow up as they are exposed to various experiences in life and their personality develops with time
they grow up in the most delightful way
The innocent little girls blossom into charming ladies with their unique personality traits and characteristics
Those little eyes so helpless and appealing
The innocent look in the eyes of the little girls is so captivating and charming that it makes one feel the need to protect and nurture them
one day will flash and send you crashin' thru the ceilin'
The same innocent eyes will someday develop confidence and boldness which will take the world by surprise and leave everyone amazed
thank heaven for them all,
Expressing appreciation for every little girl as they all have a special place in the world and play a significant role in shaping the society
no matter where no matter who
Little girls are a blessing to the world regardless of their background, ethnicity, or nationality
for without them, what would little boys do?
Little girls and boys complement each other and their presence brings a balance and diversity to the world, making it a better place to live
Thank heaven, thank heaven
Expressing gratitude to the higher power twice to emphasize its significance
Thank heaven for little girls
Repeating the sentiment as a reminder of the value and importance of little girls in our lives
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN JAY LERNER, FREDERICK LOEWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind