"Lujon" (also known as "Slow Hot Wind") is a musical piece 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 ...

Background

Its name comes from the lujon percussion instrument heard on the recording.

Henry Mancini recording

It appeared on his 1961 album ''Mr. Lucky Goes Latin'', but was an original piece of music that had nothing to do with the '' Mr. Lucky'' television program. It was included in the soundtracks for the films ''

The Big Lebowski ''The Big Lebowski'' () is a 1998 crime comedy film written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, a Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler. He is assaulted as a result of mistaken ...

'', ''

Sexy Beast ''Sexy Beast'' is a 2000 British crime film directed by Jonathan Glazer (in his feature film directorial debut) and written by Louis Mellis and David Scinto. It stars Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, and Ian McShane. It follows Gary "Gal" Dove (Win ...

'', '' W.E.'', and '' Two Lovers''. Mancini would later record a jazz/swing version of "Slow Hot Wind" and include it on his 1975 album ''Symphonic Soul''. The song would eventually reach the #38 spot on the Adult Contemporary list in 1976.

Other versions

* With lyrics by

Norman Gimbel Norman Gimbel (November 16, 1927 – December 19, 2018) was an American lyricist of popular songs, television and movie themes. He wrote the lyrics for songs including " Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Ready to Take a Chance Again" (both wit ...

, titled as "Slow Hot Wind" (or "A Slow Hot Wind"), the song was recorded by

Johnny Hartman John Maurice Hartman (July 3, 1923 – September 15, 1983) was an American jazz singer who specialized in ballads. He sang and recorded with Earl Hines' and Dizzy Gillespie's big bands and with Erroll Garner. Hartman is best remembered for his ...

(1964 album '' The Voice That Is!''), Sarah Vaughan (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, ...

''),

Sérgio Mendes Sérgio Santos Mendes (; born February 11, 1941) is a Brazilian musician. His career took off with worldwide hits by his group Brasil '66. He has over 55 releases and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk. He was nominated for ...

& Brazil '66 (1966 album '' Herb Alpert Presents''),

Roseanna Vitro Roseanna Elizabeth Vitro (born February 28, 1951) is a jazz singer and teacher from Arkansas. Biography Born Roseanna Elizabeth VitroScott Fredrickson and Gary W. Kennedy.Vitro (Wickliffe), Roseanna" In ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2 ...

(1991 album '' Reaching for the Moon''),

Julee Cruise Julee Ann Cruise (December 1, 1956 – June 9, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and actress, known for her collaborations with composer Angelo Badalamenti and film director David Lynch in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She released fo ...

(2002 album ''

The Art of Being a Girl ''The Art of Being a Girl'' is the third album by Julee Cruise and was released in 2002. Released nine years after her previous album, Cruise departs from the dream pop-laden sound of her first two releases for a more jazz and electronica sound. ...

'') and others. * The song was remixed as "Ocean Beach" by Black Mighty Orchestra on the compilation album ''

Chilled 1991–2008 ''Chillout Sessions'' is a series of compilations released by Ministry of Sound that focus on songs from the chillout genre. Songs on Chillout Sessions compilations vary in style from lounge to electronica and are released by many different art ...

''. * "Lujon" is featured in the 1996 album '' Sacrebleu'' by

Dimitri from Paris Dimitri from Paris (born Dimitrios Yerasimos, el, Δημήτριος Γεράσιμος; 27 October 1963) is a French music producer and DJ of Greek descent. His musical influences are rooted in 1970s funk and disco sounds that spawned contempo ...

, Track 19, renamed "Epilogue". * Belgian

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tem ...

band

Hooverphonic Hooverphonic is a Belgian band that formed in October 1995. Though originally categorized as a trip hop group, they quickly expanded their sound to the point where they could no longer be described as a singular genre, but rather encompass altern ...

recorded a version of the song overlaid with vocals, "No More Sweet Music". from the 2005 eponymous album. * "Lujon" was recorded by Les Deux Love Orchestra and appears on the album, ''King Kong'' (2008). The Les Deux Love Orchestra features members of Henry Mancini's original orchestra.

In popular culture

* "Lujon" appeared in the 1998 movie ''

'' where lead character Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski was enticed by porn producer Jackie Treehorn to go after Bunny Lebowski for the money Treehorn loaned her. The song played in Treehorn's bachelor pad while he was drugging The Dude. * "Lujon" appeared in the 2000 movie ''

'' where lead character Gal, in a dream-like sequence, begins floating into the loving embrace of his wife above his beloved pool. * "Lujon" appeared in the 2008 movie '' Two Lovers''. It is a recurrent theme in a whole part of the movie where the main character goes to a restaurant with the woman he likes. * "Lujon" appears in the 2004 movie “Never Die Alone” starring DMX in the scene in which he goes to California and is sitting by the pool and meets an actress. * The

DJ Cam Laurent Daumail (born 1973), better known by his stage name DJ Cam, is a French record producer. Daumail's music is largely rooted in hip hop, combined with elements of jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American co ...

's 2001 downtempo album ''Honeymoon'' and in 2011 it appeared in Madonna's ''W.E.'' movie. * "Lujon" appears in

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...

's 2016 Beatles documentary ''Eight Days a Week: The Touring Years'' to introduce the suave and urbane manager,

Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein (; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was a British music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put him i ...

. * DJ and producer Nightmares on Wax sampled "Lujon" during his popular London Boiler Room set in 2013. * R&B singer

Amber Mark Amber Mark (born December 29, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. She released her first mini-album, ''3:33am'', in May 2017. Her multifaceted style implements sounds from hip hop, R&B, soul, and bossa nova. She was nominat ...

sampled "Lujon" on her 2020 single, "Generous." * American rapper

Tyler, the Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future. Okonma self-released his debut mixtape ' ...

sampled "Slow Hot Wind" performed by Penny Goodwin on his song "Hot Wind Blows" for his 2021 album, ''

Call Me If You Get Lost ''Call Me If You Get Lost'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper and producer Tyler, the Creator. The album was released on June 25, 2021, through Columbia Records. The album is narrated by DJ Drama and features guest appearances from 42 ...

''.

References

{{1960s-pop-song-stub Songs with music by Henry Mancini Songs with lyrics by Norman Gimbel