Quando, Quando, Quando
Encyclopedia
"Quando, Quando, Quando" is an Italian pop song
from 1962, in the bossa nova
style, with music written by Tony Renis and lyrics by Alberto Testa
.
American entertainer Pat Boone, who recorded the song in 1962, is listed in some sources as the writer of its English-language lyrics, but other sources, including the Songwriters Hall of Fame, say veteran songwriter Ervin Drake
was the lyricist. In 2008 the song was performed in Vietnamese, with lyrics written by Joseph Hieu of Australia. The song was sung by Hayley Marsh & Stacey Wiltshire in the Eurovision song contest. Having scored an initial rating of 90 points they went on to sing locally, achieving great success.
The song has been used and remixed by many artists and in many different arrangements. The most notable rendition in English was by pop
singer Engelbert Humperdinck
. In 2005, Michael Bublé
performed the song as a duet with Nelly Furtado
. There is an instrumental Latin version by Edgardo Cintron and The Tiempos Noventa Orchestra. The song was a 1962 Billboard Top 100 entry by Pat Boone.
Quando is the only Italian word normally retained in most English-language renditions of the song.
Pat Boone sang the starting piece in a good Italian accent but then carried on the rest of it in English, repeating every now and again some Italian words.
the Italian words sung by Boone:
Dimmi quando tu verrai,
dimmi quando... quando... quando...
l'anno, il giorno e l'ora in cui
forse tu mi bacerai...
(he says "qui" which means "here" instead of "cui" which means "that")
Other singers:
Connie Francis, American pop singer of Italian origin sang in Italian in 1963,
Cliff Richard, English singer in 1968,
Caterina Valente, German popular singer recorded a German version in 1962 "Sag mir Quando, Quando, Quando"
Sergio Franchi
recorded the song (Mostly in Italian, short chorus in English) on his 1965 RCA Victor album Live at the Coconut Grove.
Dieter Thomas Kuhn a German singer, sings in German and the song is titled "Sag mir Quando" in 1998,
Roberto Blanco from Cuban origins famous in Germany, sings in a mixed German and Italian.
Tito Rodríguez
, famous Puerto Rican conductor, arranger and singer recorded this song in mambo style, entitled "Cuando, cuando, cuando".
Winterplay, a Korean jazz band, recorded their English version of this song based on the Michael Bublé arrangement in 2008.
The song was used in the movie The Blues Brothers
(1980): when Jake and Elwood first encounter Murph and The Magictones, they are playing this song at the Holiday Inn
.
In the Ivan Reitman film Stripes (1981), Bill Murray begins singing this to avoid being killed by mercenaries.
Rory Bremner
parodied the song in the 2006 season of the Bremner, Bird and Fortune
TV series, playing Gordon Brown and Tony Blair with the former asking when the then prime minister would be leaving office.
It was also used in 2008 in the Fiat Punto
advertisements, mimicking the "Portuguese Job".
In the 2006 film Superman Returns
, the theme is performed by The Drifters
in the elevator scene when Clark Kent and Lois Lane are in the middle of several people reading about the Man of Steel's return in the Daily Planet.
In Rainer Werner Fassbinder
's Movie The Merchant of Four Seasons a remake of this song plays a central role in the relationship between the two main characters.
Fergie and Will.i.am
covered the song for Fergie's performance in the musical film
Nine
. This version peaked at number 8 on the Italian Single Chart in 2010.
Italian popular music
The expression Italian Popular Music refers to the musical output which is not usually considered Academic or Classical Music but rather have its roots in the popular traditions, and it may be defined in two ways: it can either be defined in terms of the current geographical location of the Italian...
from 1962, in the bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
style, with music written by Tony Renis and lyrics by Alberto Testa
Alberto Testa (lyricist)
Alberto Testa was an Italian composer, lyricist, singer, and writer for television. He was known primarily for his work as a lyricist, and his words were set by such songwriters as Tony Renis and Memo Remigi...
.
American entertainer Pat Boone, who recorded the song in 1962, is listed in some sources as the writer of its English-language lyrics, but other sources, including the Songwriters Hall of Fame, say veteran songwriter Ervin Drake
Ervin Drake
Ervin Drake, born Ervin Maurice Druckman is an American songwriter whose works include such American Songbook standards as "It Was a Very Good Year". He has written in a variety of styles and his work has been recorded by musicians from all over the world in a multitude of styles...
was the lyricist. In 2008 the song was performed in Vietnamese, with lyrics written by Joseph Hieu of Australia. The song was sung by Hayley Marsh & Stacey Wiltshire in the Eurovision song contest. Having scored an initial rating of 90 points they went on to sing locally, achieving great success.
English versions
The title translates as "When, When, When".The song has been used and remixed by many artists and in many different arrangements. The most notable rendition in English was by pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
singer Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck (singer)
Engelbert Humperdinck is a British pop singer, best known for his hits including "Release Me " and "After the Lovin'" as well as "The Last Waltz" .-Early life:...
. In 2005, Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
performed the song as a duet with Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
. There is an instrumental Latin version by Edgardo Cintron and The Tiempos Noventa Orchestra. The song was a 1962 Billboard Top 100 entry by Pat Boone.
Quando is the only Italian word normally retained in most English-language renditions of the song.
Pat Boone sang the starting piece in a good Italian accent but then carried on the rest of it in English, repeating every now and again some Italian words.
the Italian words sung by Boone:
Dimmi quando tu verrai,
dimmi quando... quando... quando...
l'anno, il giorno e l'ora in cui
forse tu mi bacerai...
(he says "qui" which means "here" instead of "cui" which means "that")
Other singers:
Connie Francis, American pop singer of Italian origin sang in Italian in 1963,
Cliff Richard, English singer in 1968,
Caterina Valente, German popular singer recorded a German version in 1962 "Sag mir Quando, Quando, Quando"
Sergio Franchi
Sergio Franchi
Sergio Franchi was an Italian tenor.Franchi was born in Cremona, Italy. His father wanted him to become an electrical engineer, so he studied both music and engineering simultaneously. The family moved to South Africa in 1952, where Sergio worked part-time as a draftsman, while continuing to study...
recorded the song (Mostly in Italian, short chorus in English) on his 1965 RCA Victor album Live at the Coconut Grove.
Dieter Thomas Kuhn a German singer, sings in German and the song is titled "Sag mir Quando" in 1998,
Roberto Blanco from Cuban origins famous in Germany, sings in a mixed German and Italian.
Tito Rodríguez
Tito Rodriguez
Tito Rodríguez was a popular 1950s and 1960s Puerto Rican singer and bandleader. He is known by many fans as "El Inolvidable" , a moniker based on his most popular interpretation, a song written by composer Julio Gutierrez.-Early years:Rodríguez , born in Santurce, Puerto Rico,...
, famous Puerto Rican conductor, arranger and singer recorded this song in mambo style, entitled "Cuando, cuando, cuando".
Winterplay, a Korean jazz band, recorded their English version of this song based on the Michael Bublé arrangement in 2008.
In popular culture
The song was used prominently in the 1962 movie Il Sorpasso (The Easy Life).The song was used in the movie The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers (film)
The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from a musical sketch on the NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. It features musical numbers by R&B and soul singers James...
(1980): when Jake and Elwood first encounter Murph and The Magictones, they are playing this song at the Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
.
In the Ivan Reitman film Stripes (1981), Bill Murray begins singing this to avoid being killed by mercenaries.
Rory Bremner
Rory Bremner
Roderick "Rory" Keith Ogilvy Bremner, FKC is a Scottish impressionist, playwright and comedian, noted for his work in political satire...
parodied the song in the 2006 season of the Bremner, Bird and Fortune
Bremner, Bird and Fortune
Bremner, Bird and Fortune is an award-winning satirical British television programme produced by Vera Productions for Channel Four, uniting the longstanding satirical team of John Bird and John Fortune with the satirical impressionist Rory Bremner.The show started in 1999. The fourteenth series...
TV series, playing Gordon Brown and Tony Blair with the former asking when the then prime minister would be leaving office.
It was also used in 2008 in the Fiat Punto
Fiat Punto
The Fiat Punto is a supermini produced by the Italian manufacturer, Fiat, since 1993.-1st generation :Internally codenamed Project 176, the Punto was announced in September 1993 and launched in late 1993 as a replacement for the ageing Fiat Uno. The Fiat Punto was voted European Car of the Year...
advertisements, mimicking the "Portuguese Job".
In the 2006 film Superman Returns
Superman Returns
Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars...
, the theme is performed by The Drifters
The Drifters
The Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as Clyde McPhatter's backing group in 1953...
in the elevator scene when Clark Kent and Lois Lane are in the middle of several people reading about the Man of Steel's return in the Daily Planet.
In Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Maria Fassbinder was a German movie director, screenwriter and actor. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the New German Cinema.He maintained a frenetic pace in film-making...
's Movie The Merchant of Four Seasons a remake of this song plays a central role in the relationship between the two main characters.
Fergie and Will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
covered the song for Fergie's performance in the musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
Nine
Nine (film)
Nine is a 2009 musical-romantic film directed and produced by Rob Marshall. The screenplay, written by Michael Tolkin and Anthony Minghella, is based on Arthur Kopit's book for the 1982 musical of the same name, which was itself suggested by Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8½...
. This version peaked at number 8 on the Italian Single Chart in 2010.