The Man Who Plays The Mandolino

I chose to write an Ebook about the song “The Man Who Plays The Mandolino”, because of a special person to me, who introduce me to this song.

Unfortunately, he passed away.

We used to hear that song together, and I really liked the melody and the lyrics of the song.

In this book you will find out about the song and about the singer, Dean Martin.

If it is the first time you hear this song, try to catch the words that you think are special. Later on, I will add another video with lyrics.

Where “The Man Who Plays The Mandolino” came from?

“Guaglione” is a Neapolitan song from 1956 by Giuseppe Fanciulli, and lyrics by Nicola “Nisa” Salerno.

Guaglione is Neapolitan for “boy”, but as slang can mean “street urchin”, “corner boy”.

This original version of the song was the winning song at the IV Festival DI Napoli which was broadcast on radio in 1956.

The song has been covered by various artists.

Under the title “The Man Who Plays the Mandolino”, with a lyric in English, Dean Martin initially sang it in 1956.

In 1964, the song was released on a compilation album

“Hey, Brother, Pour the Wine”, and this is how the song relates to our course.

The English lyrics were written by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Giuseppe Fanciulli and Nicola Salerno.

As I promised, a version of the song with the lyrics

Dean Martin was an American singer, actor, and comedian.

One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed “The King of Cool”.

Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti on June 7, 1917, in Steubenville, Ohio, to an Italian father and Italian-American mother.

He dropped out of High School at the age of 16, and he became bootlegged liquor, worked in a steel mill, served as a croupier at a speakeasy and a blackjack dealer, and was a welterweight boxer.

Martin gained his career breakthrough together with comedian Jerry Lewis, billed as Martin & Lewis, in 1946.

They performed in nightclubs and later had numerous appearances on radio, television and in films.

Following an acrimonious ending of the partnership in 1956, Martin pursued a solo career as a performer and actor.

A little taste from this funny duo

As a singer, Martin copied the styles of Harry Mills (of the Mills Brothers), Bing Crosby, and Perry Como until he developed his own and could hold his own in duets with Sinatra and Crosby.

His signature tune, “Everybody Loves Somebody”, knocked the Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” off number one in the United States in 1964.

Elvis Presley was said to have been a fan of Martin, and patterned his performance of “Love Me Tender” after Martin’s style.

Martin, like Elvis, was influenced by country music.

As Martin’s solo career grew, he and Frank Sinatra became friends. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Martin and Sinatra, along with friends Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Sammy Davis Jr formed the Rat Pack.

The Rat Pack was legendary for its “Las Vegas Strip” performances.

Their act, always in a tuxedo, consisted of each singing individual numbers, duets and trios, along with seemingly improvised slapstick and chatter.

Sinatra and Martin supported the civil rights movement and refused to perform in clubs that would not allow African-American or Jewish performers.

In 1965, Martin launched his weekly NBC comedy-variety series, “The Dean Martin Show”, which ran until 1974.

He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1966 and was nominated again the following three years.

The show exploited his image as a carefree boozer.

Martin capitalized on his laid-back persona of the half-drunk croons, hitting on women with remarks that would get anyone else slapped, and making snappy if slurred remarks about fellow celebrities during his roasts.

Before the end, another great song I really like.