As the story goes, Bob Merrill was on a tight deadline when he wrote “Mambo Italiano.” He reportedly scribbled the lyrics on a napkin while dining at an Italian restaurant. Then, he shared the lyrics and melody over a payphone. When one looks into Merrill’s background, his quickly hammering out a hit song becomes more believable. His credits include “(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window,” “The Kid’s Last Fight,” “People,” and other enduring hits. Merrill was also a Tony-nominated writer of musicals. He penned the lyrics for Funny Girl, as well as the music and lyrics for Carnival.
“Mambo Italiano” checks three boxes that made it incredibly popular in the United States. Mambo music and novelty songs were both popular at the time. This song checks both of those boxes. Additionally, stereotyping Italian people was all the rage. It did that as well. Unfortunately, it faced a widespread ban in the United States.
Rosemary Clooney Faces a Wide Ban
“Mambo Italiano” features a jumbled mess of lyrics. It includes Italian, Spanish, Neapolitan, Italian-American slang, and gibberish. As a result, the song’s lyrical content was all but impossible for some to decipher. This led to the song being banned by all ABC-owned stations across the United States. Executives couldn’t understand the lyrics. So, they believed they might be suggestive.
According to Songfacts, Clooney’s label, Columbia Records, stepped in to clear the air. They gathered statements from a professor of romantic languages and a Catholic priest stating that the lyrics were “in no way offensive or vulgar.”