¿Quién será?
"Sway" is the English version of "¿Quién será?", a 1953 mambo song by Mexican composer and bandleader Pablo Beltrán Ruiz. The most famous version is that of Dean Martin recorded in 1954. English lyrics are by Norman Gimbel. Since then the song has been recorded and remixed by many artists (see discography below).
"¿Quién será?" by Pablo Beltrán Y Su Orchestra
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"¿Quién será?" is a Spanish song written and recorded by Pablo Beltrán Ruiz.
Dean Martin version
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In 1954 the English lyrics were written by Norman Gimbel[1] and recorded by Dean Martin (his recording reached number fifteen on the Billboard magazine best-seller chart[2] and number six on the UK chart).
- Chart performance
| Chart (1954) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard US Hot 100 | 16 |
| UK Singles Chart | 6 |
Michael Bublé version
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| Song |
"Sway" was covered by Canadian crooner 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.
Background
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 appears in such television shows and films as Las Vegas, CSI: NY, Malcolm in the Middle, The Wedding Date 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 #15 on the ARIA Singles Chart, making it Bublé's highest charting single to that date.
Track listing
- Australian CD single[5]
- "Sway" (Junkie XL Mix) – 3:46
- "Sway" (Acoustic Version) – 3:08
- "Moondance" (Live Version) – 3:45
Chart performance
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 24 |
| ARIA Singles Chart | 15 |
| Polish Singles Chart | 46 |
Pussycat dolls version
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"Sway" was released single by American R&B/pop girl group the Pussycat Dolls.The song was released in 2004 as the first single from the Dolls' debut studio album PCD and Shall We Dance?.
Track listing
- "Sway" – 3:12
Selective list of recorded versions
Originals
- 1953 – Pablo Beltrán Y Su Orchestra (in Spanish)
- 1954 – Dean Martin, on Capitol Records, catalog number 2818, US 15, UK 6
English and spanish versions
"¿Quién será?" and "Sway" have been recorded dozens of times by many artists over the decades. This is merely a select list of popular recordings, not a comprehensive listing.
- 1954 – Eileen Barton, on Coral Records, catalog number 61185, backed with "When Mama Calls"
- 1959 – Rosemary Clooney and Perez Prado, from A Touch of Tabasco
- 1960 – Bobby Rydell, Capitol Recording Studios, NYC
- 1961 – Ben E. King, from Spanish Harlem
- 1963 – Cliff Richard, from When In Spain
- 1963 – Julie London, from Latin in a Satin Mood
- 1997 – Brent Spiner, from the soundtrack of the movie Out to Sea
- 1998 – Anita Kelsey, from the movie Dark City
- 1999 – Shaft, titled "(Mucho Mambo) Sway"
- 2003 – Michael Bublé, from his self-titled album Michael Bublé
- 2003 – Peter Cincotti, from his self-titled album Peter Cincotti
- 2004 – Arielle Dombasle, from her 2004 album Amor Amor
- 2007 – Puppini Sisters, Betcha Bottom Dollar
- 2007 – Jennifer Lopez
- 2009 – Haifa Wehbe, a Lebanese pop star
- 2010 – Paul Byrom of Celtic Thunder, Irish folk gan roup
- 2011 – Hooshmand Aghili, Iranian Singer
- 2011 – Donald Braswell II, on his 2011 album, Unchained.
- 2011 - 1950 & The Chu Chi Girls ft Hayley Jo, The Chu Chi sway
Live renditions
- 2007 – Melinda Doolittle on American Idol
- 2009 – Joe McElderry in UK The X Factor
- 2011 – SooYoung sang it as her solo in the 1st Japan Arena Tour
Language versions
The song has been translated and covered in several languages. Here is a selective listing of language versions
- 1954 – Pedro Infante, ¿Quien será? in the movie "Escuela de vagabundos" – Original Version (in Spanish)
- 1954 – Olavi Virta, titled "Keinu kanssani" (in Finnish)
- 1959 – The Peanuts, titled Quién Será (キエンセラ) (in Japanese)
- 1962 – Mina, title Che sarà (in Italian)
- 1968 – Teresa Teng, titled "盼望" (in Mandarin)
- 1973 – Sten & Stanley, titled "Äntligen" (in Swedish)
- 1976 – Ajda Pekkan, from "Kim Ne Derse Desin" (in Turkish)
- 1990 – Björk in album Gling-Gló, as "Í dansi með þér" (in Icelandic)
- 1999 – Götz Alsmann, titled "Zuckersüß" (in German)
- 1999 – Komár László in album Mambó Lackó, as "Mexikói Karnevál" (in Hungarian)
- 2000 – Athena – Macera, from "Tam Zamanı Şimdi" (in Turkish)
- 2002 – Pedro Fernandez, ¿Quien será? (in Spanish)
- 2004 – Arielle Dombasle, titled "Quién Será (Sway)" (in Spanish)
- 2005 – Aaron Kwok, titled "飛" ("Sway") (in Cantonese)
- 2005 – Nguyễn Hưng in album Dạ Vũ, as "Ai Sẽ Là Em" (in Vietnamese)
- 2005 – Walid Soroor, titled "Yar Nazanin" (in Persian)
- 2006 – Anjelika Varum, titled "Румба" ("Rumba") (in Russian)
- 2007 – Koor in album Wust El Balaad, as "بحبك" ("Bahebak") (in Arabic)
- 2007 – Rula Zaki (an Egyptian singer), titled "قلبي دق" ("Qalbi Daq") (in Arabic)
- 2010 – Rula Zaki, in the album "Rula" (in Arabic)
- 2010 – Shahkar Binesh Pazhooh, in the song "Vasat-e Ghalbam" (وسط قلبم) (in Persian)
- 2012 – Mohsen Namjoo, in the song "Khat Bekesh" (خط بکش) (in Persian).
Instrumental Versions
- 1955 - Noro Morales, Swinging With Noro
- 1956 - Les Baxter, from Caribbean Moonlight, on Capitol, catalog number T 733
- 1962 - Perez Prado. from Twist Goes Latin, on RCA Victor, catalog number LSP-2524
- 1965 - Michael Danzinger, from Piano Cocktail: Long Drink 6, on Amadeo, catalog number AVRS 9179
- 1965 - Clare Fischer, from Manteca!, on Pacific Jazz, catalog number ST-20096
- 2001 - Cliff Habian, from Havana Sunset, on Azica Records
- 2006 - Bill McGee, from Chase the Sunset, on Funtown
- 2007 - David Grisman, Frank Vignola, Robin Nolan & Frank Papillo, from The Living Room Sessions, on Acoustic Disc
- 2011 - Frank Vignola & Friends, on Playing the Standards (Swing Classics by Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer, Rodgers & Hammerstein and More), on Hyena Records
- 2012 - Wolfgang Russ & A-Train, from Nice & Sweet, on Chaos, catalog number LC 07326
In popular culture
- 1967 – Spanish-language version "¿Quién será?" used in Su Excelencia directed by Miguel M. Delgado
- 1997 – Sung by the cruise director/M.C./performer (Brent Spiner) in the comedy film Out to Sea, starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon.
- 1998 – Anita Kelsey recording featured in the film Dark City. The song is lip-synched by Jennifer Connelly's character as a lounge act.
- 2000 – Used in Sexy Beast, British film directed by Jonathan Glazer (the Dean Martin version)
- 2004 – The film First Daughter directed by Forest Whitaker
- 2004 – The film My Summer of Love directed by Paweł Pawlikowski
- 2004 – An episode of Malcolm in the Middle
- 2005 – The Michael Bublé version appeared in The Wedding Date, starring Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney.
- 2006 – "Sway" is heavily sampled in the Tech N9ne song; "Welcome to the Midwest"
- 2008 – Rosemary Clooney's version of the song used in the film Paris directed by Cédric Klapisch
- 2008 – Instrumental played in background in the film Revolutionary Road directed by Sam Mendes.
- 2009 – Recorded by Sylvia Brooks on her Dangerous Liaisons album which was released in 2009.[6]
- 2010 – 10th episode of 6th season of House M.D.
- 2010 – An episode of "Glee (TV series) (02X08 – Furt)" Sung by Matthew Morrison
- 2010 – Repo Men Perez Prado ft. Rosemary Clooney version
- 2010 – Featured in Just Dance 2 for the Wii
- 2010 – "Sway" can be heard in the background of Red Letter Media's Star Wars "Sith" Review
- 2011 – Sooyoung of the Korean girl group Girls' Generation sang the song as her solo number as part of Girls' Generation's two 2011 tours The 1st Japan Arena Tour and the Girls' Generation Tour
- 2011 – Used in the film La Folie Almayer, a film adaptation of Joseph Conrad's first novel Almayer's Folly by Belgian director Chantal Akerman
References
- ^ Jacobs, Dick (1988). Who Wrote That Song?. Cincinnati: Betterway Publications. ISBN 1-55870-100-1.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940–1955. Record Research.
- ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sway-Michael-Buble/dp/B00024I0V0/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1356867746&sr=1-3
- ^ a b http://www.pandora.com/music/song/michael+bubl/sway
- ^ http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MICHAEL-BUBLE-SWAY-AUSSIE-CD-SINGLE-NM-/230795219279?pt=AU_Audio_CDs&hash=item35bc77914f
- ^ Allmusic|Allmusic.com