Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an Academy Award-winning… Read Full Bio ↴Henry Mancini (April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an Academy Award-winning American composer, conductor and arranger. He is remembered particularly for being a composer of film and television scores - his best-known works are the jazz-idiom theme to The Pink Panther film series and Moon River. Mancini won a record number of Grammy awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.

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.

Thanks For The Memory
Henry Mancini Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Thanks for the memory
Of sentimental verse,
Nothing in my purse,
And chuckles
When the preacher said
For better or for worse,
How lovely it was.

Thanks for the memory
Of Schubert's Serenade,
Little things of jade
And traffic jams
And anagrams
And bills we never paid,
How lovely it was.

We who could laugh over big things
Were parted by only a slight thing.
I wonder if we did the right thing,
Oh, well, that's life, I guess,
I love your dress.

Thanks for the memory
Of faults that you forgave,
Of rainbows on a wave,
And stockings in the basin
When a fellow needs a shave,
Thank you so much.

Thanks for the memory
Of tinkling temple bells,
Alma mater yells
And Cuban rum
And towels from
The very best hotels,
Oh how lovely it was.

Thanks for the memory
Of cushions on the floor,
Hash with Dinty Moore,
That pair of gay pajamas
That you bought
And never wore.

We said goodbye with a highball,
Then I got as high as a steeple,
But we were intelligent people,
No tears, no fuss,
Hooray for us.

Strictly entire nous,
Darling, how are you?
And how are all
Those little dreams
That never did come true?

Awfully glad I met you,
Cheerio and toodle-oo

Thank you,
Thank you so much.

Overall Meaning

The song "Thanks for the Memory" by Henry Mancini is a nostalgic reflection on a past relationship, filled with sentimental memories. The lyrics are filled with small details from their time together, including lack of money in their purse, laughing at the preacher's words during their wedding, and forgiving each other's faults. The song acknowledges that although their relationship ended, they part on good terms as intelligent people. The chorus "Thanks for the memory" serves as a grateful farewell for the experiences shared.

Line by Line Meaning

Thanks for the memory
Thank you for giving me something to look back on fondly

Of sentimental verse
Thank you for the memories of poetry and emotion

Nothing in my purse
Thank you for the memories even though we were poor

And chuckles
Thank you for the memories of laughter and joy

When the preacher said
Thank you for the memory of our wedding day

For better or for worse
Thank you for the memory of our wedding vows

How lovely it was.
Thank you for the beautiful memories we shared

Of Schubert's Serenade
Thank you for the memory of listening to Schubert together

Little things of jade
Thank you for the memory of the small things we cherished

And traffic jams
Thank you for the memory of dealing with the downsides of life together

And anagrams
Thank you for the memory of solving puzzles together

And bills we never paid
Thank you for the memory of our financial struggles

How lovely it was.
Thank you for the beautiful memories we shared

We who could laugh over big things
Thank you for being able to laugh with me during difficult times

Were parted by only a slight thing.
Thank you for the memory of our separation

I wonder if we did the right thing,
Thank you for the memory of reflecting on our choices

Oh, well, that's life, I guess,
Thank you for accepting the ups and downs of life

I love your dress.
Thank you for the memory of admiring your fashion sense

Of faults that you forgave,
Thank you for the memory of forgiving each other's mistakes

Of rainbows on a wave,
Thank you for the memory of seeing the beauty in the world together

And stockings in the basin
Thank you for the memory of the little things we shared

When a fellow needs a shave,
Thank you for the memory of taking care of each other

Thank you so much.
Thank you for giving me so many wonderful memories

Of tinkling temple bells,
Thank you for the memory of experiencing cultures together

Alma mater yells
Thank you for the memory of our school spirit

And Cuban rum
Thank you for the memory of enjoying exotic drinks together

And towels from
Thank you for the memory of luxury hotels

The very best hotels,
Thank you for the memory of experiencing the finer things in life

Oh how lovely it was.
Thank you for the beautiful memories we shared

Of cushions on the floor,
Thank you for the memory of being comfortable and relaxed together

Hash with Dinty Moore,
Thank you for the memory of humble, home-cooked meals

That pair of gay pajamas
Thank you for the memory of silly, playful moments

That you bought
Thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity

And never wore.
Thank you for the memory of our imperfections and quirks

We said goodbye with a highball,
Thank you for the memory of ending on a high note

Then I got as high as a steeple,
Thank you for the memory of celebrating together

But we were intelligent people,
Thank you for the memory of parting ways amicably

No tears, no fuss,
Thank you for the memory of not letting our separation be painful

Hooray for us.
Thank you for looking back at our time together with pride

Strictly entire nous,
Thank you for understanding and mutual respect

Darling, how are you?
Thank you for the memory of caring for my well-being

And how are all
Thank you for remembering the little details of my life

Those little dreams
Thank you for the memory of supporting my aspirations

That never did come true?
Thank you for the memory of discussing our hopes and disappointments

Awfully glad I met you,
Thank you for the memory of being grateful for our time together

Cheerio and toodle-oo
Thank you for the memory of saying a lighthearted goodbye

Thank you,
Thank you for the memories

Thank you so much.
Thank you for everything

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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