He was also musical director for a large number of musicals and other plays, including ones by Noel Coward. After the war, he concentrated on recording, and eventually gave up live performance altogether. He worked with arranger and composer Ronnie Binge, who developed the "cascading strings" sound (also known as the "Mantovani sound").[citation needed] His records were regulars in stores selling hi-fi stereo equipment, as they were produced and arranged for stereo reproduction. In 1952 Binge ceased to arrange for Mantovani, but his distinctive sound remained.
He recorded for Decca until the mid-1950s, and then London Records. He recorded over 50 albums on that label, many of which were top-40 hits. These included Song from Moulin Rouge and Cara Mia, which reached No. 1 in Britain in 1953 and 1954, respectively. The latter was also Mantovani's first U.S. Top Ten hit.
In the United States, between 1955 and 1972, he released over 40 albums with 27 reaching the Top 40 and 11 the Top Ten. His biggest success was with the album Film Encores, which made it to No. 1 in 1957. Similarly, Mantovani Plays Music From 'Exodus' and Other Great Themes made it to No. 2 in 1961 and sold over one million albums.
In 1959, Mantovani starred in his own syndicated television series, Mantovani, which was produced in England and which aired in the United States. 39 episodes were filmed.[1]
Mantovani made his last recordings in 1975.[citation needed]
[edit] Music style and influences
The cascading strings technique developed by Binge became Mantovani's hallmark in such hits arranged by Binge as "Charmaine". Binge developed this technique to replicate the echo experienced in venues such as cathedrals by arrangement alone, in an echo-free surrounding.
Author Joseph Lanza describes Mantovani's string arrangements as the most "rich and mellifluous" of the emerging light music style during the early 1950s. He stated that Mantovani was a leader in the use of new studio technologies to "create sound tapestries with innumerable strings", and that "the sustained hum of Mantovani's reverberated violins produced a sonic vaporizer foreshadowing the synthesizer harmonics of space music."[2]
In 1958 Mantovani and his family bought a holiday home in Bournemouth in Durley Chine Road, then in 1961 acquired a new property in Burton Road (now part of Poole). He moved, finally, to a new home in Martello Road in Poole.
Since his death at a care home in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1980, his music has enjoyed a minor revival,[citation needed] with much of his catalogue reappearing on CD and an orchestra bearing his name performing concert tours. The saleability of the Mantovani name is underscored by new recordings being made as the Mantovani Orchestra. Unfortunately[neutrality is disputed], a large number of CDs are also available of unauthorized recordings, billed as Mantovani or Mantovani Orchestra.[citation needed] There have also been CDs released under the Mantovani name of recordings made by others while Mantovani was still alive.[citation needed] Thus, consumers of this music are advised to familiarize themselves with the conductor's discography. Material with the London Records logo on it is apt to be genuine Mantovani, while other recordings are less likely to be actual Mantovani recordings.[citation needed]
The continued popularity of Mantovani's music is evident by the number of original albums which are being released, on labels such as Dutton-Vocalion, and by the many compilations available throughout the world. In 2008, as a result of successful, ongoing CD sales, amongst other contributing factors, the Mantovani Orchestra (performing from the original scores) was recreated for a tremendously successful historical tribute concert, sponsored by Bentley Motors, held at the Lighthouse, in Poole, England, on 27 January, conducted by Sam Newgarth, MBE. Much critical acclaim has led to the planning of a second concert, to take place in January 2009, at the same venue. There are four Mantovani websites in honour of the maestro, a written biography by Colin MacKenzie entitled Mantovani - A Lifetime In Music (ISBN 1-905226-19-5). For further information, please visit http://www.hallowquest.com/mantiindex.htm; http://members3.jcom.home.ne.jp/torumonty; http://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk (re. ticket sales for 31 January 2009). A ten CD set 'The Wonderful World of Mantovani' was released in November 2008 in Japan (a link to the website in Japan may be found by visiting www.hallowquest.com/mantiindex.htm), featuring many rare tracks which have never been released on CD before, in a superbly remastered format, and, following the success of the Mantovani Orchestra's 2008 concert, 'More MANTOVANI Magic' took place at Lighthouse in Poole, England, on 31 January 2009, again conducted by maestro Sam Newgarth MBE. The concert was sponsored by Poole Audi, and also with the generous support of Richard Cox.
You Light Up My Life
Mantovani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
like sunrise in the morning
You make me believe anything is possible
I didn't have a dream to my name
Darkness was mine, it was such a shame
But you came to light up my life
You brought me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
With your tender smile
you brought me top the promise
Of life outside a world of nine to five
and Sunday
I didn't know how rich I could be
Until you gave your love to me
Don't you see, you light up my life
You give me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
You brought your sweet understanding
Like sun rays in my hazy sky
If you hadn't opened up my eyes
Love would have passed me right on by
I never knew how good I could feel
Loving you's left me with nothing to conceal
Yeah.you really light up my life
You give me faith, and hope,
and love, and light
The song "You Light Up My Life" by Mantovani is a beautiful love song that speaks about how the love shared between two individuals can brighten up one's life. The song starts by comparing the love to a sunrise in the morning, which is a perfect imagery to depict that just as the sun brightens up the day, love can bring a new perspective and a new hope into one's life. The singer highlights that before the love came into his/her life, there was darkness, and he/she did not have any dream, but now everything seems possible.
The second paragraph of the song speaks about how the love has changed the singer's perspective on life. The singer talks about how his/her partner's tender smile and sweet understanding have given him/her the hope of having a life outside the typical nine-to-five routine. The love has also made him/her realize how rich one's life could be. The lyrics further state that the love has brought faith, hope, and light to the singer's life, making it complete.
The final paragraph is a testimony of how the love has had a significant impact on the singer's life. The singer talks about how the love has brought an understanding that was missing from his/her life, making the world seem less hazy. The love has left him/her with nothing to conceal, and it has made him/her feel good about himself/herself. The chorus reiterates that the partner has indeed lightened up the singer's life, bringing in faith, hope, and love.
Line by Line Meaning
You light up my life
You bring light and joy into my life
like sunrise in the morning
You bring light into my life just like the sun brings light in the morning
You make me believe anything is possible
You give me hope and inspire me to believe in myself and my dreams
I didn't have a dream to my name
Before I met you, I had no aspirations or goals in life
Darkness was mine, it was such a shame
I was living in a state of darkness and sadness before I met you
But you came to light up my life
You came and brought light and happiness to my life
You brought me faith, and hope,
You brought me faith and hope in a brighter future
and love, and light
You brought me love and joy
With your tender smile
Your gentle and affectionate expression
you brought me top the promise
You showed me the potential of something better
Of life outside a world of nine to five
A life not bound by mundane routine and work hours
and Sunday
A life not bound by the restrictions of weekends
I didn't know how rich I could be
I did not realize the richness of life and happiness that I could experience
Until you gave your love to me
Until you showed me the love and affection I had been lacking
Don't you see, you light up my life
Can't you see how much you mean to me, and how you have brought light and joy to my existence
You brought me faith, and hope,
You brought me faith and hope for a brighter future
and love, and light
You brought me love and joy
You brought your sweet understanding
You brought your kind and empathetic nature
Like sun rays in my hazy sky
Like rays of sunshine in a cloudy sky, you brought clarity and brightness to my life
If you hadn't opened up my eyes
If you hadn't shown me the light and brought me out of darkness
Love would have passed me right on by
I would have missed out on experiencing the love and joy that you bring into my life
I never knew how good I could feel
I had never experienced such happiness and contentment before
Loving you's left me with nothing to conceal
Loving you has allowed me to be my true self, without any need for pretense or hiding my feelings
Yeah.you really light up my life
You truly bring brightness and happiness to my existence
You give me faith, and hope,
You give me faith and hope for a better future
and love, and light
You give me love and joy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAROLE KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rosy Santiago Paloalto CR Acapulco Centro AC
Música que jamás pasará de moda.
Mark Herron
Happy birthday to Debby Boone her birth verse is Luke 9:22 , Thank you for introducing the song to us, Blessings and hugs!
Frank Curtis
Beautiful music and video. Thanks for sharing
jojo0622jojo0622
romantic and captivating, your videos always keep me on my toes. thank you my sweet...
IrenaSt
Beautiful-music,video romantic!!!
Andres Chicatti
Mantovani romántic the best