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 Blues
Henry Mancini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby let me show you how I lean
(Like a cholo)
Lay back, bounce in the club
When we do a dance, yeah we do it like what'
Like a, like a cholo
Side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Like a cholo
All up in the club, ten deep
Lookin' for some hyenas, we on the creep
I need a bad one, a real freak
Find them at the dance floor, so don't sleep
Damn, I like you, I like you
But a really want her
She's that type, I can tell
Let me get in too deep
Take her back to the hotel
But right now I'm on the move
Show this little momma how a gangsta groove
I don't do a whole lot, just enough
Lean side to side, keep my elbows up
Like this and like that
All the girls know where the real G's at
You could find us way up in the back
Watching that ass bounce like a low low
I lean like a cholo
Side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
I lean like a cholo
Side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Like a cholo
I'm brown, I get down
The girls love how I lean
Like a G to the beat
Blue and white MJ's on my feet
I'm lookin' real good, I'm so hood
Gotta stay clean if you know what I mean
Pockets full of feria, mucho dinero
Look me in my eyes, tell me, 'Papi, te quiero'
Let me do my dance, you do yours
Shaking what you got 'til you're sweating out your pours
Just like that, yeah I like that
I'm a perro tryin' to chase that cat
Hey DJ won't you play that same track'
Wind it back, I can lean to that
Now she wants me
And I ain't going home solo
'Cause I lean like a cholo
Side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
I lean like a cholo
Side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Like a cholo
All the homies they know what I mean
Baby let me show you how I lean
(Like a cholo)
Lay back, bounce in the club
When we do a dance, yeah we do it like what'
(Like a cholo)
All the homies they know what I mean
Baby let me show you how I lean
(Like a cholo)
Lay back, bounce in the club
When we do a dance, yeah we do it like what'
Like a, like a cholo
Side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
I lean like a cholo
Side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
I lean like a cholo
Side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
I lean like a cholo
Side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
F-f-fingers on the track
The lyrics of "Lean Like a Cholo" by Down AKA Kilo are about how the singer and his friends go to the club and dance like a cholo, which refers to a specific style of dance originating from Chicano gang culture. The singer tells the girl he likes that he wants her to come home with him, but he also wants another girl who is dancing. He brags about his money and how good he looks while dancing. The repeated phrase "like a cholo" emphasizes that he and his friends are dancing in the style of cholos.
The song is an example of Chicano rap, which originated in the 1980s and 1990s and has been called a hybrid of gangsta rap and traditional Mexican music. The dance style is called the cholo dance or the cholo shuffle, and it has roots in Mexican folk dances and other Latin American dances. The dance involves moving the feet side to side while lifting the knees and keeping the upper body still, with the arms either hanging down or bent at the elbows and held up. The song's lyrics and dance were controversial and seen as perpetuating stereotypes about Latino youth.
Line by Line Meaning
All the homies they know what I mean
Everyone in my group understands my intentions
Baby let me show you how I lean
(Like a cholo)
Allow me to demonstrate how I move my body like a gangster
Lay back, bounce in the club
When we do a dance, yeah we do it like what'
Like a, like a cholo
Relax and sway to the music in the club, dancing with the style of a cholo
Side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Like a cholo
Sway hips and lift elbows back and forth in time with the music, executing the iconic cholo dance moves
All up in the club, ten deep
Lookin' for some hyenas, we on the creep
I need a bad one, a real freak
Find them at the dance floor, so don't sleep
Exploring the club in a group of ten, seeking attractive women who are dancing, but not letting our guard down
Damn, I like you, I like you
But a really want her
She's that type, I can tell
Let me get in too deep
Take her back to the hotel
I find you attractive, but I am more interested in pursuing another woman who appeals to me more
But right now I'm on the move
Show this little momma how a gangsta groove
I don't do a whole lot, just enough
Lean side to side, keep my elbows up
I am currently focused on dancing with this woman and demonstrating my gangster style in a modest way
Like this and like that
All the girls know where the real G's at
You could find us way up in the back
Watching that ass bounce like a low low
I lean like a cholo
We move in a certain way that is attractive to women and can be found standing in the back watching women dance, all while maintaining the style of a cholo
I'm brown, I get down
The girls love how I lean
Like a G to the beat
Blue and white MJ's on my feet
As a Hispanic male, I am skilled at dancing and women enjoy the way I move like a gangster, pairing my style with blue and white Michael Jordan shoes
I'm lookin' real good, I'm so hood
Gotta stay clean if you know what I mean
Pockets full of feria, mucho dinero
Look me in my eyes, tell me, 'Papi, te quiero'
I am looking stylish and represent my neighborhood well, keeping myself presentable and confident with plenty of cash in my pockets. I am direct with women and want to be called 'Papi'
Let me do my dance, you do yours
Shaking what you got 'til you're sweating out your pours
Just like that, yeah I like that
I'm a perro tryin' to chase that cat
I will dance my own way while you dance yours, showing off your physical features until you are sweaty. I am interested in women and will pursue until I am successful
Hey DJ won't you play that same track'
Wind it back, I can lean to that
Now she wants me
And I ain't going home solo
'Cause I lean like a cholo
I am requesting the DJ to play a specific song so that I can show off my cholo moves. A woman is now interested in me and I am confident that I will be successful in taking her home
Side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
I lean like a cholo
I continue swaying side to side, lifting elbows up and down with each beat of the music, showcasing my cholo moves
Side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Like a cholo
I maintain my movements, continuing to sway my hips side to side while lifting my elbows up and down, performing the cholo dance
Side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
Elbows up, side to side
I lean like a cholo
I repeat my moves, continuing to sway side to side while lifting my elbows up and down, all while showcasing my cholo dance
Side to side
Elbows up, side to side
F-f-fingers on the track
I continue to dance in my cholo style, swaying side to side, lifting elbows up and down, while DJ scratches the turntable
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HENRY NICOLA MANCINI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ken Rounds
Thank you so much! I love this song and The Beat. I have them recorded on tape from vinyl & again to CD, but didn't know the names of them. I've been looking for years. I can't stand having it named Mancini 13.
Biggus13
Apparently the instruments playing the melody from 0:07 to 0:48 are four bass flutes.
Robert P
There are also six (yes, six!) french horns. I think they are playing the sustaining drone.