This song is the quintessential Italian song. The way Dean Martin pronounces words in the song, to the words themselves, to the music and instruments behind it all is all so true of the Italian style of music. It is such a fun song.
All you need to hear is Dean Martin talking real New York City Italian. (I know he's from Ohio, chill out. What I am saying is the way he pronounces words is like someone from New York City). He says the letter 'a', after every couple of words or so. I'll show it in the lyrics. I am going to write the lyrics, the way he says them in the song, not in proper English. This song doesn't have long, clear and clean breaks in-between verses and the chorus, because it so fast, so the lyrics below are not one long verse, they are like and introduction, three chorus, two verses, and a bridge.
The song starts off slow, with a chorus of men and women singing, "A boy went back to Napoli, because he missed the scenery. The native dances and the charming songs, but wait a minute. Somethings wrong. Cause now its...". Then the tempo kicks in, and we're off with the song, "Hey Mambo! Mambo Italiano. Hey-hey Mambo! Mambo Italiano. Go, go, go, you mixed up a-Siciliano, all you Calabrese do de Mambo like-a crazy wid-a, Hey Mambo! Don't want-a Tarantella. Hey-hey Mambo! No more-a Mozzarella. Hey Mambo! Mambo Italiano, Try an enchilada wid-a fishy baccala then, Hey goomba! I love the way you dance de rumba. But take-a some advice paisano, learn-a how-da mambo. If you're gonna be a square, you ain't-a gonna go nowhere, Hey Mambo! Mambo Italiano. Hey-hey Mambo! Mambo Italiano. Go, go, Joe, shake like a Giovanna, E lo che se dice, you gid-a happy in the feets-a when you Mambo, Italiano!"
There is then an instrumental break in-between, then it comes back with, "Hey chadrool, you don't-a have't-a go to da school. Just make wid-a big-a bambino, It's-a like-a vino. Kid you're good-a looking', but you don't-a how its cookin' 'till you Hey Mambo! Mambo Italiano. Hey-hey Mambo! Mambo Italiano. Ho, ho, ho, you mixed up-a Siciliano, E lo che se dice, you gid-a happy in the feets-a when you Mambo, Italiano!" Then it has a bit more music in the background, with some grunting to the music, as it fades out.
It's lines like these, that make this song so fun to sing and dance to. It really is one of my all-time favorite songs by Dean Martin, and I hope that it becomes one of yours too!
Did you like this song choice? Did this song sound really Italian to you to? Do you want me to keep doing more Dean Martin songs, or start to do other artists?
DGS
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