"Meglio stasera" (known in English as "It Had Better Be Tonight") is a 1963 song in
samba rhythm with music by
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...
, Italian lyrics by
Franco Migliacci
Francesco "Franco" Migliacci (born 28 October 1930 in Mantua) is a lyricist, producer, and actor.
Biography
He studied in Florence where his family had settled, here he entered in a competition for young players, in which he won a stay of ...
and English lyrics by
Johnny Mercer. It was composed for the 1963 film ''
The Pink Panther
''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic film '' The Pi ...
'', in which it was performed by
Fran Jeffries
Fran Jeffries (born Frances Ann Makris; May 18, 1937 – December 15, 2016) was an American singer, dancer, actress, and model.
Early life
Jeffries was born Frances Ann Makris on May 18, 1937, in Palo Alto, California, the daughter of Esther A. ...
. In addition to the vocal performance, instrumental portions of the song appear in the film's underscore, sometimes as an introduction to the main
"Pink Panther Theme".
Lyrics and translation
The beginning of the song, in the original Italian, is here followed by a literal translation and the first two lines of the English version which contains an Italian expression, "Fa' subito!", which translates as "do it right away", but which does not appear in the Italian lyrics. However, all the versions carry the same underlying meaning of "Let's make love tonight, because who knows what will happen tomorrow."
::''Italian version''
:Meglio stasera, che domani o mai,
:Domani chi lo sa, quel che sarà?
::''Literal translation of the Italian version''
:Better tonight, than tomorrow or never,
:Tomorrow who knows, what will be?
::''English version''
:Meglio stasera, baby, go-go-go,
:Or as we natives say, "Fa' subito!"
::''Spanish version''
:Mejor ahora, ya mañana no,
:Si quieres ser mi amor decídelo.
Other versions
The song has been recorded in a number of versions. The Italian version performed by
Fran Jeffries
Fran Jeffries (born Frances Ann Makris; May 18, 1937 – December 15, 2016) was an American singer, dancer, actress, and model.
Early life
Jeffries was born Frances Ann Makris on May 18, 1937, in Palo Alto, California, the daughter of Esther A. ...
appears in the film, but not on the
soundtrack album. An instrumental that resembles the underscore of Jeffries' version is included on the soundtrack album, as is a group vocal with only vaguely related English lyrics (which can be heard in the film during the fancy-dress ball and costume party whilst the attempted robbery is taking place). Another Italian version, arranged by
Ennio Morricone and performed by
Miranda Martino, in 1963, appears on the compilation album ''Da Hollywood a Cinecittà''. Morricone later also did an instrumental version on compilation albums. Another version appears in another Sellers, Blake Edwards & Mancini collaboration, the 1968 film ''
The Party''. Other singers to subsequently record the song include
Sarah Vaughan, on her 1965 album ''
Sarah Vaughan Sings the Mancini Songbook
''Sarah Vaughan Sings the Mancini Songbook'' is a 1965 album by Sarah Vaughan, of music composed by Henry Mancini.
Track listing
# "How Soon" (Al Stillman) – 2:41
# " Days of Wine and Roses" (Johnny Mercer) – 2:38
# " Dear Heart" (Ray Evans, ...
'', and
Lena Horne. A
instrumental lounge-style versionwas recorded by The Hub Kings on their album ''This Way''.
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his role as Captain Jack Harkness in ''Doctor Who'' and '' Torchwood'', and as Malcolm Merlyn in the Arrowv ...
performed the song during his 2008 tour. Accordionist
Frank Marocco recorded the song together with "
Quando, quando, quando
"Quando quando quando" (or "Quando, Quando, Quando", ; "When, When, When") is an Italian pop song from 1962, in the bossa nova style, with music written by Tony Renis and lyrics by Alberto Testa. The song, originally recorded in two different ve ...
", as part of a two-song medley on his compilation album ''
Beyond the Sea''. His arrangement appears in one of his sheet-music book combinations, titled ''Latin Rhythms''. A
Chill
In computing, CHILL (an acronym for CCITT High Level Language) is a procedural programming language designed for use in telecommunication switches (the hardware used inside telephone exchanges). The language is still used for legacy systems i ...
-style remake of this song was done by Italian group
Mondo Candido. It appears on the mix album
''Buddha Bar V''. A
mambo
Mambo most often refers to:
* Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form
*Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music
Mambo may also refer to:
Music
* Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particul ...
-style version of the song was recorded by the
swing revival group
Lee Press-on and the Nails
Lee Presson and the Nails is a swing band that formed in San Francisco in October 1994 during the late 1990s swing revival.
History
The band won a California Music Award (Bammie) in 1998 for Best Swing/Cabaret Act and an ''SF Weekly'' Award ...
for the album ''
El Bando en Fuego''. A version of the song was recorded by
Mic Gillette
Mic Gillette (May 7, 1951 – January 17, 2016) was an American brass player, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay. He is best known for being a member of the bands; Tower of Power, Cold Blood, and The Sons of Champlin. He pl ...
on his album ''
Ear Candy''. A Spanish version was also recorded in Santiago, Chile, by Bambi, a popular singer in the mid-1960s. The title was "Mejor Ahora". The Greek singer Elli Paspala performed the Italian version on her 1993 live album ''Η Ελλη Πασπαλά στο Μέγαρο Μουσικής'' (Elli Paspala at the Concert Hall).
Michael Bublé version
"It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" was later covered by Canadian crooner
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...
, and released as the fourth single from his third studio album, ''
Call Me Irresponsible''. Bublé's version of the song is an adaptation of the
musical arrangement
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchest ...
previously made for
Lena Horne.
Background
Bublé's version of the song reached #74 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
after being used in an advertising campaign for
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...
. The track became one of Bublé's most remixed songs, with mixes by
Eddie Amador being made available for download. No music video was made to accompany the release, as Bublé was away on tour at the time of the single's release. A promotional physical version of the single was made available in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, where other countries only received a digital release of the single.
Track listing
* Promotional CD single
# "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" (Eddie Amador's Club Mix) - 7:45
# "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" (Eddie Amador's Club Dub) - 5:15
# "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" (Eddie Amador's House Lovers Mix) - 8:04
# "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" (Eddie Amador's House Lovers Dub) - 6:46
# "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" (Eddie Amador's House Lovers Extra Love) - 4:42
* Digital download
# "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" (Zoned Out Mix) - 3:16
# "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" (Star City Remix) - 3:23
# "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" (Eddie Amador's House Lovers Extra Love) - 4:42
# "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" (Eddie Amador's House Lovers Dub) - 6:46
# "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" (Eddie Amador's House Lovers Mix) - 8:04
# "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" (Eddie Amador's Club Dub) - 5:15
# "It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)" (Eddie Amador's Club Mix) - 7:45
Chart performance
References
External links
* in the film
The Pink Panther
''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the classic film '' The Pi ...
{{authority control
1963 songs
Michael Bublé songs
Songs with music by Henry Mancini
Songs with lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Songs with lyrics by Franco Migliacci
The Pink Panther