Henry Mancini - Baby Elephant Walk - 1962 |
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"Baby Elephant Walk" is a tune written in 1961 by composer Henry Mancini, for the 1962 release of the movie Hatari! The composer combines brass instruments (including repeated blasts from the tuba) and woodwind elements to convey the sense of a toddler that is large and plodding, but nonetheless filled with the exuberance of youth. The catchy, jazzy simplicity of the tune has made it one of Mancini's most popular works, prompting its appearance on nearly twenty later compilation and best of/greatest hits albums. 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." Hal David reportedly composed lyrics to Mancini's tune, which were never used. 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 in an episode of The Critic. It was also covered by a number of performers in the 1960s, including Bill Haley & His Comets who recorded a version for Orfeon Records in 1964. It was the closing song at the end of The Lemonwheel, the August 1998 music festival that ended the summer tour of jamband Phish. Mancini's version was not released as a single. The Billboard Top 100 singles were Lawrence Welk, and the Miniature Men. [1] |
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