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.
Whistling Away The Dark
Henry Mancini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just like a child, who, late from school walks bravely
home through the park.
To keep their spirits soaring and keep the night at bay.
Neither quite knowing which way they are going, they sing
the shadows away,
Often I think my poor old heart has given up for good.
and then I see a brand new face, I glimpse some new
So walk me back home, my darling, tell me dreams really come true.
Whistling whistling here in the dark with you.
Often I think my poor old heart has given up for good.
and then I see a brand new face, I glimpse some new
neighborhood.
So walk me back home, my darling, tell me dreams really come true.
Whistling whistling here in the dark with you.
The lyrics to Henry Mancini's song "Whistling Away The Dark" depict the feeling of being lost, unsure and a little bit scared, as if walking at night in a dark park. However, the lyrics also suggest that sometimes our own courage can help defeat our fears. The world may be a sad place, but we can whistle away the dark by keeping our spirits up and singing away the shadows. Sometimes, we may feel like our hearts cannot bear any more sadness, but being hopeful and seeing new faces and neighborhoods can renew a sense of optimism.
The phrase "whistling in the dark" generally means pretending to be optimistic and hopeful when we are actually scared and uncertain. The song paints a picture of that sense of hopelessness and vulnerability, but it's also about finding comfort in the company of another person. The singer asks to be walked back home, and expresses a desire to believe in dreams coming true. The song conveys a message of hope and resilience; even though life can be tough, we can still find moments of joy and beauty.
Line by Line Meaning
Often I think this sad old world is whistling in the dark.
The world may seem dismal and gloomy, but it is trying to remain optimistic and hopeful.
Just like a child, who, late from school walks bravely home through the park.
Similar to a child walking home alone in the dark, the world is trying to stay strong and confident in uncertain times.
To keep their spirits soaring and keep the night at bay.
Both the child and the world are doing their best to maintain their positivity and prevent their fears from taking over.
Neither quite knowing which way they are going, they sing the shadows away.
Despite feeling lost and unsure of the future, both the child and the world try to dispel their fears by focusing on the present and singing away their worries.
Often I think my poor old heart has given up for good.
I sometimes believe that my heart has lost all hope and will never recover.
And then I see a brand new face, I glimpse some new neighborhood.
But sometimes, when I encounter something new, it restores my faith and gives me a fresh perspective on life.
So walk me back home, my darling, tell me dreams really come true.
Please offer me reassurance and remind me that dreams can come true.
Whistling whistling here in the dark with you.
Together, let's try to stay positive and support each other through difficult times.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MANCINI, MERCER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind