Baby Elephant Walk Explained
"Baby Elephant Walk" is a song composed in 1961 by Henry Mancini for the 1962 film Hatari![1] Lyrics by Hal David were not used in the film version. The instrumental earned Mancini a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement in .[2]
Background
The tune was written for an impromptu scene in Hatari! in which 'Dallas' (Elsa Martinelli) led three baby elephants to a waterhole to bathe. The catchy simplicity has made it one of Mancini's most popular works, appearing on many compilation albums. Hal David composed lyrics for it, which were not used for the film but appear in the printed sheet music. Pat Boone used the lyrics in his recording released by Dot Records in 1965. Mancini's version was not released as a single.
Brass instruments (including repeated blasts from the tuba) and woodwind elements are combined to convey a large and plodding elephant toddler that is filled with the exuberance of youth. Mancini uses a calliope introduction to suggest the sound of a circus. A cheeky melody is then played over this on a clarinet, and the song concludes with the calliope playing the old four-note phrase known as "Good Evening, Friends".
The overall style is as that of boogie-woogie, as Mancini explained:
The cheerful tone, like that of Mancini's "The Pink Panther Theme", presents a stark contrast to more melancholy Mancini standards such as "Moon River". Due to its "goofy" sound, it is often used in a humorous context. As the allmusic.com album review states, "if Hatari! is memorable for anything, it's for the incredibly goofy 'Baby Elephant Walk,' which has gone on to be musical shorthand for kookiness of any stripe. Get this tune in your head and it sticks."
Chart history
"Baby Elephant Walk" performed by Lawrence Welk and His Orchestra peaked at #48 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1962 as well as #10 on the Easy Listening chart.[3]
Cover versions
The song was recorded by a number of performers in the 1960s, including:
Popular culture
- For a period of time, it was used as the theme song to The Ramblin' Rod Show, a children's morning cartoon show.[6]
- Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra recorded the song as "Tiny Elephant Parade" on their 1990 album Ska Para Toujou.
- The first few seconds of the song were interpolated in the 1980 arcade game Crazy Climber as the 5-second intro tune to each building (level).
- In 1986, the song was featured in Cheers season 5 episode 10: "Everyone Imitates Art", in which Woody whistles the song.
- In 1990 the song was featured in The Simpsons season 2 episode 5: "Dancin' Homer", in which a drunk Homer dances to the song which inspires the Springfield Isotopes baseball team to win.
- In 1994 Willi One Blood sampled the melody of "Baby Elephant Walk" for the chorus of the song "Whiney Whiney (What Really Drives Me Crazy)" as featured on the soundtrack for the film Dumb and Dumber.[7]
- In 1996 the song was featured in Friends season 3 episode 7: "The One with the Race Car Bed". Joey hums the song during the episode's opening scene.
- In 2016, the song was used in a Land Rover TV ad.[8]
Notes and References
- John . Gilliland . Henry . Mancini . John Gilliland . Henry Mancini . February 1969 . Show 23 - Smack Dab in the Middle on Route 66: A skinny dip in the easy listening mainstream. [Part 2] ]. Chapter 11 - Track 4 - Henry Mancini . https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19778/m1/ . Radio broadcast . en-US . John Gilliland’s “The Pop Chronicles” . 24 March 2020 . 8 . . . I've found I like to think past the obvious when I get a scene to do, if the scene will take it. Now the typical example is the Baby Elephant walk. .
- Web site: 5th Annual GRAMMY Awards (1962). 2017-11-28. GRAMMY.com. en. 24 March 2020. National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Best Instrumental Arrangement: Winner, Henry Mancini, Baby Elephant Walk. Henry Mancini, arranger (Henry Mancini).
- Book: Whitburn, Joel . Joel Whitburn . 1993 . Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993 . Record Research . 254.
- Billboard. NEW ON THE HOT 100. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. 74. 23. 1. 27 October 2018 . en . 9 June 1962. 96. BABY ELEPHANT WALK . . . Lawrence Welk, Dot 16364,... 98. BABY ELEPHANT WALK . . . Miniature Men, Dolton 57.
- Web site: 2020. Quincy Jones - Quincy Jones Explores The Music Of Henry Mancini. Discogs. Mercury – MG 20863. en. 24 March 2020.
- News: Willamette Week. REQUIEM FOR RAMBLIN' ROD: Portland's favorite kiddie show host is dead, but not forgotten.. live. 1 July 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160701232157/https://www.wweek.com/portland/article-1023-requiem-for-ramblin-rod.html. Mark Zusman. en-US. 2020-03-24. To cheers from a bleacher full of tots, each morning Ramblin' Rod sailed into camera view on a ersatz tugboat made of fiberboard, while Henry Mancini's "Baby Elephant Walk" played in the background. His uniform was always the same: polyester slacks and a cardigan sweater covered in pins that said things like "" or "Ford in '76," all gifts from his pint-sized followers.. Brian. Libby. 21 May 2002.
- Larry Flick. Single Reviews : New & Noteworthy. Google Books. Billboard. 21 January 1995. 15 July 2016. 59. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. 0006-2510. Willi One Blood
Whiney Whiney (What Really Drives Me Crazy) ... Pop minded reggae artists aims to enjoy radio success à la Ini Kamoze with a maddeningly catchy ditty that melts sexy and silly rhymes over a jaunting groove that borrows heavily from Henry Mancini's “Baby Elephant Walk” and “You Really Got Me” by the Kinks.
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- Web site: Land Rover Evoque - City Safari UK TV Advert Song / Music. Adbreakanthems. 24 March 2020. live. 21 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191221114806/https://www.adbreakanthems.com/adverts/land-rover-evoque-city-safari/. This new Land Rover Evoque spot takes MOR maestro Henry Mancini’s 1961 hit Baby Elephant Tune out for a spin in today’s urban sprawl..