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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“¿Quién será?” is a bolero–mambo written by Mexican composer Pablo Beltrán Ruiz. Beltrán recorded the song for the first time with his orchestra in 1953. Pedro Infante, for whom the song was written, recorded it in 1954.
Norman Gimbel took the song, removed the somewhat melancholy Spanish lyrics about a man wondering if he shall ever love again, and wrote brand-new English lyrics about a man praising his dancing partner’s ability to affect his heart with how she “sways” when they dance. This new song, titled “Sway“, has become a standard in both the pop and jazz repertoire. The first version to achieve considerable success in the United States was recorded by singer Dean Martin with the Dick Stabile orchestra in 1954.
Pablo Beltrán version
| “¿Quién será?” | |
|---|---|
| Single by Pablo Beltrán y su Orquestra | |
| from the album South of the Border / Al sur de la frontera – Cha-cha-cha | |
| Released | 1953 |
| Recorded | 1953 |
| Genre | Big band, cha-cha-chá |
| Length | 2:08 |
| Label | RCA Victor |
| Composer(s) | Luis Demetrio |
| Lyricist(s) | Norman Gimbel |
The first rendition of Luis Demetrio‘s “¿Quién será?” was recorded by Pablo Beltrán Ruiz with his orchestra as an instrumental cha-cha-chá in 1953. This version was later included on the LP South of the Border / Al sur de la frontera – Cha-cha-cha. According to Demetrio, Beltrán only contributed the first few chords of the song. The rest of the composition and the original lyrics (in Spanish) were all written by Demetrio. However, because Demetrio sold his rights to Beltrán, the song has often been misattributed to the latter.
Beltrán re-recorded the song on numerous occasions including an upbeat cumbia version for the album Mister Cumbia (1966), a ska version for the album Caliente, caliente… a go-go (1966) and a boogaloo version for the album Rosita bonita (1968), all released by RCA Victor. The cumbia version was featured in the 1967 Cantinflas film Su Excelencia.
Pedro Infante version
Demetrio had written the song specifically for Mexican singer Pedro Infante, who performed it in the film School for Tramps in 1954 and later recorded it for Peerless Records. It became one of Infante’s signature songs and a hit across Latin America. Shortly after, Germán Valdés, better known as Tin Tan, performed a parody version of Infante’s rendition in the film The Viscount of Monte Cristo.
Dean Martin version
| “Sway” | |
|---|---|
| Single by Dean Martin | |
| from the album Hey, Brother, Pour the Wine | |
| B-side | “Money Burns a Hole in My Pocket” |
| Released | 1954 |
| Recorded | 1954 |
| Genre | Big band, pop |
| Length | 2:42 |
| Label | Capitol |
| Composer(s) | Luis Demetrio |
| Lyricist(s) | Norman Gimbel |
| Producer(s) | Dick Stabile |
| Dean Martin singles chronology | |
| “Hey, Brother, Pour the Wine” (1954)”Sway“ (1954)”Money Burns a Hole in my Pocket” (1954) |
In 1954, the English lyrics were written by Norman Gimbel and recorded by Dean Martin backed by Dick Stabile‘s orchestra. This recording reached number 15 on the Billboard magazine best-seller chart and number six on the UK chart. The single was released with the B-side “Money Burns a Hole in My Pocket” (Jule Styne, Bob Hilliard) in the US, while the British version was backed by “Pretty as a Picture” (Johnny Anz). The song was well received by critics, being described as a “happy reading of a listenable ditty in the Latin-American manner” by a contemporary reviewer.
Shaft version
| “(Mucho Mambo) Sway” | |
|---|---|
| |
| Single by Shaft | |
| from the album Pick Up on This | |
| Released | August 23, 1999 |
| Recorded | 1999 |
| Genre | Latin house |
| Length | 3:42 |
| Label | Wonderboy Universal |
| Composer(s) | Luis Demetrio |
| Lyricist(s) | Norman Gimbel |
| Producer(s) | Al and El |
| Shaft singles chronology | |
| “(Mucho Mambo) Sway“ (1999)”Mambo Italiano“ (2000) |
British electronica band Shaft recorded “Sway” in 1999, retitled as “(Mucho Mambo) Sway“, and released it in August 1999 as their debut single. This version peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, topped the New Zealand Singles Chart, and reached the top 10 in Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and on the Canadian Singles Chart. Although it did not appear on Canada’s RPM Top Singles chart, it did debut and peak at No. 10 on the RPM Dance chart. The single was later included on Shaft’s 2001, album Pick Up on This.
Michael Bublé version
| “Sway” | |
|---|---|
| Single by Michael Bublé | |
| from the album Michael Bublé | |
| Released | June 22, 2004 |
| Recorded | July 1998 – April 1999 |
| Genre | Latin pop |
| Length | 3:08 |
| Label | 143, Reprise |
| Composer(s) | Luis Demetrio |
| Lyricist(s) | Norman Gimbel |
| Michael Bublé singles chronology | |
| “Kissing a Fool“ (2003)”Sway“ (2004)”Spider-Man Theme“ (2004) |
“Sway” was covered by Canadian singer Michael Bublé for his debut major-label studio album, Michael Bublé, released in 2003. Sway was chosen for release as the album’s third single, and was released in Australia on June 22, 2004.
Sway was only released as an individual single in Australia. In many other countries, the release of the track was held back until July 26, and packaged as a double A-side with the album’s fourth single, Spider-Man Theme. However, due to its popularity with Australian radio stations, the track was given a separate release in the region, with Spider-Man Theme being released three months later in September 2004, as a separate release. Bublé’s version of the song has appeared in such television shows and films as Las Vegas, CSI: NY, Malcolm in the Middle, The Wedding Date, Da Kath and Kim Code and No Reservations. The music video for the track was directed by Peter Kasden, who also filmed a music video for the single’s B-side, Moondance, which was released exclusively to Australian music channels to promote the release of the single. The video features scenes of Bublé performing the song in the studio, intercut with scenes of Bublé driving a car through the Australian outback. The separate release, two music videos and strong radio airplay meant that Sway reached a peak of No. 15 on the ARIA Singles Chart, making it Bublé’s highest charting single to that date.
The Pussycat Dolls version
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| “Sway” | |
|---|---|
| Single by The Pussycat Dolls | |
| from the album Shall We Dance – Soundtrack from the Motion Picture and PCD | |
| Released | September 28, 2004 |
| Recorded | 2004 |
| Genre | Popjazzlatin |
| Length | 3:12 |
| Label | A&MInterscope |
| Composer(s) | Luis Demetrio |
| Lyricist(s) | Norman Gimbel |
| Producer(s) | Ron Fair |
| The Pussycat Dolls singles chronology | |
| “Sway“ (2004)”Don’t Cha“ (2005) |
The music video for “Sway” was directed by Steve Antin, the brother of The Pussycat Dolls creator, Robin Antin. The video features The Pussycat Dolls dancing against a backdrop of scenes from the movie. The music video was included as bonus clip in the DVD release of Shall We Dance. At that point, the Pussycat Dolls were still recording their album PCD, and the group featured members of the original Pussycat Dolls burlesque troupe who remained after the re-casting process, such as Robin Antin, Cyia Batten, Kasey Campbell and Kaya Jones. Reviewers for Comingsoon.net, Edward Douglas and Scott Chitwood described the video as “sexy” and “stylish”. They also wrote that “it perfectly fits the mood of the film.” Slant Magazine‘s writer Ed Gonzales wondered if the editors of Maxim financed the video. Rachel Sexton of MovieFreak.com suggested buyers to skip the video calling it “cheesy”. Renata Joy of Dvdizzy.com noted that “the song is much more enjoyable when not watching the accompanying video.” “Sway” was performed on Dancing with the Stars along with “Don’t Cha” during the results show on January 27, 2006.
Other versions
“¿Quién será?” and “Sway” have been recorded dozens of times by many artists over the decades, many of which have been included in feature films and TV episodes. This is merely a select list of popular recordings, not a comprehensive listing.
- 1960 – Bobby Rydell recorded the first of two hit versions of the song, reaching number 14 on the Billboard charts. A disco re-recording in 1976 reached number 27 on the adult contemporary charts.
- 1960 – Rosemary Clooney and Dámaso Pérez Prado – A Touch of Tabasco, RCA Victor
- 1963 – Julie London – Latin in a Satin Mood, Liberty Record
- 1965 – Cliff Richard – Cliff Richard, Columbia Records
- 1967 – The film Su Excelencia, directed by Miguel M. Delgado
- 1976 – Recorded in Bahasa Melayu (Malay Version), Entitled ‘Renunglah Mataku Yang Rindu’ (Look Into My Longing Eyes) by Sanisah Huri and written by Yusnor Ef.
- 1983 – Gemma Van Eck, formerly of Babe, recorded a disco version of the song with little success in the Dutch hitparade.
- 1997 – Brent Spiner on the soundtrack of the movie Out to Sea
- 1998 – The film Dark City, featured the version by Anita Kelsey, lip-synched by Jennifer Connelly‘s character as a lounge act (Jennifer Connelly herself sang it in the Director’s Cut)
- 1999 – The film Drive Me Crazy, directed by John Schultz
- 1999 – adapted with the title “Fantasi” by Pita Loppies, into the soundtrack of an Indonesian soap opera Indonesian soap opera Putri Duyung starring by Ayu Azhari
- 2000 – The film Sexy Beast, directed by Jonathan Glazer, features the Dean Martin version
- 2001 – The film Gaudi Afternoon, directed by Susan Seidelman
- 2004 – The film 2046, directed by Wong Kar-wai
- 2004 – The film First Daughter, directed by Forest Whitaker
- 2004 – The film My Summer of Love, directed by Paweł Pawlikowski
- 2005 – The documentary film Romántico, directed by Mark Becker, features a version of the song played by Arturo Arias and Carmelo Muñiz
- 2005 – The film The Wedding Date, directed by Clare Kilner, features the version by Michael Bublé
- 2008 – The film Paris, directed by Cédric Klapisch, features the version by Pérez Prado and Rosemary Clooney
- 2008 – The film Revolutionary Road, directed by Sam Mendes
- 2010 – 10th episode of sixth season of TV series House M.D.
- 2010 – The film Repo Men, directed by Miguel Sapochnik, features the version by Pérez Prado and Rosemary Clooney
- 2010 – In the eighth episode of the second season of Glee it was covered by Matthew Morrison
- 2011 – The film La Folie Almayer, directed by Chantal Akerman
- 2012 – The film Silver Linings Playbook
- 2013 – 4th episode of first season of Masters of Sex
- 2014 – “Endeavour” episode “Sway” features the Dean Martin version
- 2014 – The film Lilting, directed by Hong Khaou
- 2018 – On The Voice UK, Shane McCormack & Ivy Paige covered the Rosemary Clooney version in the Battle rounds on March 10, 2018.
- 2020 – As part of the soundtrack for the film Birds of Prey, directed by Cathy Yan, a Hip-Hop version where the chorus was sung with some rap verses added were recorded and performed by GALXARA and Saweetie.
- 2020 – British girl group Little Mix, sampled the song as a chorus for their song Rendezvous in their sixth album Confetti.
- Sway by The Jazz Woman
- Sway by Giada Valenti
- Quien Sera / Sway – Instrumental cover
The song has also been translated and covered in several languages.
American girl group The Pussycat Dolls recorded “Sway” for the Shall We Dance? soundtrack. The song was later included as a bonus track on their debut album PCD (2005).
First Daughter
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