| "Baby Elephant Walk" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Henry Mancini and his Orchestra | |
| Released | 1962 |
| Songwriter(s) | Henry Mancini (music), Hal David (lyrics) |
"Baby Elephant Walk" is a song composed in 1961 by Henry Mancini for the 1962 film Hatari! [1] Lyrics by Hal David were not used in the film version. The instrumental earned Mancini a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement in 1963. [2]
The tune was written for an impromptu scene in Hatari! in which 'Dallas' (Elsa Martinelli) led three baby elephants to a waterhole to bathe. The catchy simplicity has made it one of Mancini's most popular works, appearing on many compilation albums. Hal David composed lyrics for it, which were not used for the film but appear in the printed sheet music. Pat Boone used the lyrics in his recording released by Dot Records in 1965. Mancini's version was not released as a single.
Brass instruments (including repeated blasts from the tuba) and woodwind elements are combined to convey a large and plodding elephant toddler that is filled with the exuberance of youth. Mancini uses a calliope introduction to suggest the sound of a circus. A cheeky melody is then played over this on a clarinet, and the song concludes with the calliope playing the old four-note phrase known as "Good Evening, Friends". [3]
The overall style is as that of boogie-woogie, as Mancini explained:
I looked at the scene several times [and] I thought, 'Yeah, they're walking eight to the bar', and that brought something to mind, an old Will Bradley boogie-woogie number called 'Down the Road a Piece' ... Those little elephants were definitely walking boogie-woogie, eight to the bar. I wrote 'Baby Elephant Walk' as a result. [4] [5]
The cheerful tone, like that of Mancini's "The Pink Panther Theme", presents a stark contrast to more melancholy Mancini standards such as "Moon River". Due to its "goofy" sound, it is often used in a humorous context. As the allmusic.com album review states, "if Hatari! is memorable for anything, it's for the incredibly goofy 'Baby Elephant Walk,' which has gone on to be musical shorthand for kookiness of any stripe. Get this tune in your head and it sticks." [6]
"Baby Elephant Walk" performed by Lawrence Welk and His Orchestra peaked at #48 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1962 as well as #10 on the Easy Listening chart. [7]
The song was recorded by a number of performers in the 1960s, including:
I've found I like to think past the obvious when I get a scene to do, if the scene will take it. Now the typical example is the Baby Elephant walk.
Best Instrumental Arrangement: Winner, Henry Mancini, Baby Elephant Walk. Henry Mancini, arranger (Henry Mancini)
96. BABY ELEPHANT WALK . . . Lawrence Welk, Dot 16364,... 98. BABY ELEPHANT WALK . . . Miniature Men, Dolton 57
To cheers from a bleacher full of tots, each morning Ramblin' Rod sailed into camera view on a ersatz tugboat made of fiberboard, while Henry Mancini's "Baby Elephant Walk" played in the background. His uniform was always the same: polyester slacks and a cardigan sweater covered in pins that said things like "I'm with Stupid" or "Ford in '76," all gifts from his pint-sized followers.
Willi One Blood: Whiney Whiney (What Really Drives Me Crazy) ... Pop minded reggae artists aims to enjoy radio success à la Ini Kamoze with a maddeningly catchy ditty that melts sexy and silly rhymes over a jaunting groove that borrows heavily from Henry Mancini's "Baby Elephant Walk" and "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks.
This new Land Rover Evoque spot takes MOR maestro Henry Mancini's 1961 hit Baby Elephant Tune out for a spin in today's urban sprawl.
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, and twenty Grammy Awards, plus a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.
The 5th Annual Grammy Awards were held on May 15, 1963, at Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City. They recognized accomplishments by musicians for the year 1962. Tony Bennett and Igor Stravinsky each won 3 awards.
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