He was born in Venice, Italy and his father was the concertmaster of the La Scala orchestra under Arturo Toscanini. His family moved to England in 1912, where he studied at Trinity College of Music in London. After graduation, he formed his own orchestra, which played in and around Birmingham. By the time World War II broke out, his orchestra was one of the most popular in England, both on the BBC and in live performances.
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 Ronnie Binge, who developed the cascading string sound that became his hallmark in such hits as Charmaine. His records were regulars in stores selling hi-fi stereo equipment, as they were produced and arranged for stereo reproduction.
He recorded for Decca until the mid-1950s, at which time he switched to 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 to 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.
Mantovani made his last recordings in 1975.
Since his death at his 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 salability of the Mantovani name is underscored by new recordings being made as the Mantovani Orchestra. Unfortunately, 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.
Besame Mucho
The Mantovani Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Como si fuera esta noche la última vez,
Besame, besame mucho,
Que tengo miedo a perderte, perderte despues
Quiero sentirte muy cerca mirarme en tus ojos verte junto a mí
Piensa que tal vez mañana yo ya estare lejos, muy lejos de ti
Quiero...
Besame...
Kiss me, kiss me a lot,
As if tonight were the last time
Kiss me, kiss me a lot,
For I'm scared to lose you, to lose you afterwards
I want to feel you very close, see myself in your eyes, see you near me
Think that maybe tomorrow I'll already be far, very far away from you
The Mantovani Orchestra’s popular song Besame Mucho is a romantic and sensual classic that expresses the fear of losing someone you love. The song encourages the singer’s lover to kiss them passionately and deeply, as if it is the last time they will ever see each other. The lyrics convey the message that the singer is desperately in love and wants to be close to their partner, to look into their eyes, and spend as much time with them as possible.
The words “Besame Mucho” mean “kiss me a lot” in Spanish. The title of the song is actually its chorus and is repeated throughout the entire song. The lyrics translated into English capture the essence of the song’s message perfectly. The phrase “tengo miedo a perderte” means “I’m scared to lose you,” and sums up the singer’s feelings quite poetically.
The song is beautifully sung and arranged, with piano, strings, and a seductive Latin beat. It is a timeless classic that has been covered by many artists over the years and is still beloved by audiences all over the world. The song’s tender melody, seductive tone, and romantic lyrics combine to create a hauntingly beautiful work of art.
Line by Line Meaning
Besame, besame mucho,
Kiss me, kiss me a lot,
Como si fuera esta noche la última vez,
As if tonight were the last time
Besame, besame mucho,
Kiss me, kiss me a lot,
Que tengo miedo a perderte, perderte despues
For I'm scared to lose you, to lose you afterwards
Quiero sentirte muy cerca mirarme en tus ojos verte junto a mí
I want to feel you very close, see myself in your eyes, see you near me
Piensa que tal vez mañana yo ya estare lejos, muy lejos de ti
Think that maybe tomorrow I'll already be far, very far away from you
Besame...
Kiss me...
Quiero...
I want to...
Besame...
Kiss me...
Writer(s): Consuelo Velazquez, Francis Blanche, Consuelo Velazquez Adaptation De Francis Blanche
Contributed by Callie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Machriska64
Por siempre en el recuerdo musica que perdura en nuestro corazon a traves del tiempo!!!!
@psicologasimonetti
Adoro ❤
@walterjohnson2910
@ This is good Music, love it.
@bpage4132
This is my all-time favourite piece and a good performance from Mantovani and his Orchestra, and originally released as an EP from 1955 called Mantovani Plays Tangos on Side 2 Track 2.
@AliIsmaeltyphoon
I feel like gliding on my magic carpet in the night sky !
@saygunsoylu7466
Hüssam Şevki sağ ol!
@nasse8126
Kaunista musiikkia.
@maricarmenzerega8851
excelente!!!!
@fuadridha6088
It's a voyage among the planets.
By sound of past, present, and future.
@cannonballblues
Thank you.......reminds me of my favorite easy-orchestra OK-Dreamband. CD "Clarinet-Dreams" is available for download (amazon, iTunes).