Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Qué Será, Será)
Encyclopedia
"Que Sera, Sera", first published in 1956, is a popular
song
which was written by the Jay Livingston
and Ray Evans
songwriting team.
The song was introduced in the Alfred Hitchcock
film The Man Who Knew Too Much
(1956), starring Doris Day
and James Stewart
in the lead roles.
Day's recording
of the song for Columbia Records
(catalog number
40704) was a hit in both the United States— where it made it to number two on the Billboard Hot 100
— and number one in the UK Singles Chart
. From 1968 to 1973, it was the theme song
for the situation comedy
The Doris Day Show
, becoming her signature song
.
The song progresses through the life of the singer and, as they sing one verse after another, another period of that persons life is revealed from childhood to adolescence to adulthood, having children and finally old age.
It reached the Billboard magazine charts in July 1956. The song received the 1956 Academy Award for Best Original Song
with the alternative title "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)". It was the third Oscar in this category for Livingston and Evans, who previously won in 1948 and 1950. The title sequence
of the Hitchcock film gives the song title as Whatever Will Be. It was a #1 hit in Australia for pop singer Normie Rowe
in September 1965.
, in which an Italian family has the motto "Che sarà sarà" carved in stone at their ancestral castle. He immediately wrote it down as a possible song title, and he and lyricist
Ray Evans later respelled it in Spanish "because there are so many Spanish-speaking people in the world." Early in their career, Evans and Livingston had worked together as musicians on cruise ships to the Caribbean and South America. No other language was involved in their coining of the phrase.
"Que sera sera" (with this evidently Spanish-based spelling, but no accent marks) appears as the motto on an English family coat of arms
described in William Bartlett's 1865 history of the parish of Wimbledon. But no variant of "Que será será" appears in any of the books in Spanish scanned by the Google Books project, with publication dates from 1500 to 2008.
Although "Che sarà sarà" is also ungrammatical in modern standard Italian (where the idea could be rendered "Quel che sarà sarà"), it does appear in an English context over 400 years ago, in Christopher Marlowe's
play Doctor Faustus
(Act 1, Scene 1), whose text contains the line "Che sera, sera / What will be, shall be"). The Italian version of the saying (spelled "Che sara sara") also has served as the heraldic motto of the Dukes of Bedford
(England) since at least as early as 1749. It is not known whether Joseph L. Mankiewicz
, the screenwriter and director of The Barefoot Contessa, was aware of this use of the slogan.
. The chorus' second line is changed to: Que Sera Sera, whatever will be, will be, we're going to Wembley, Que Sera Sera.
It was also adopted by the Republic of Ireland football team when they qualified for the World Cup in 1990, a.k.a. Italia '90. It was changed to: "Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be. We're going to Italy, Que sera, sera".
In 1956, "Que Sera Sera" was the name given to a US Navy
C-47 Skytrain
which, on October 31, 1956, was the first aircraft to land on the South Pole
(Operation Deep Freeze
II).
In 2011, the anime Inazuma Eleven go uses the phrase in its second opening.
's 1965 recording of "Que Sera Sera'", which was produced by Pat Aulton
on the Sunshine Record label
(Sunshine QK 1103), was the biggest hit of his career, "the biggest Australian rock 'n roll hit of 1965", and is reputed to be the biggest-selling Australian single of the 1960s. The song was "done in the style of "Louie, Louie" and the manner of "Hang On Sloopy
", and given a "Merseybeat" treatment (in the manner of The Beatles' "Twist & Shout"), and was backed by Rowe's band The Playboys. It was paired with a powerful version of the Johnny Kidd & The Pirates' classic "Shakin' All Over
", and the single became a double-sided No. 1 hit in most capitals (#1 Sydney, #1 Melbourne, #1 Brisbane, #1 Adelaide, and Perth
). in September 1965, charting for 28 weeks and selling in unprecedented numbers, with Rock historian Ian McFarlane reporting sales of 80,000 copies, while 1970s encyclopedist Noel McGrath claimed sales of 100,000. Rowe scored another first in October 1965 when "Que Sera Sera" became his third hit single in the Melbourne Top 40 simultaneously. In 1965 Rowe received a gold record for "Que Sera Sera" at Sydney's prestigious Chevron Hotel. In December 1965 the master of Rowe's version was purchased by Jay-Gee Records for release in the USA. In April 1966 Rowe received a second gold record for the sales of "Que Sera Sera". In August 1966 Rowe won Radio 5KA's annual best male vocal award for "Que Sera Sera". In 2006 Rowe released a newly recorded version, which was released by ABC via iTunes
, and later adding "the whole digital mix with a radio mix and a dance mix".
Other versions of "Que Sera, Sera" include:
In 2010, Australian singer Melinda Schneider
recorded the song for her Doris Day tribute album Melinda Does Doris.
A yiddish version (Barclay 86034) was recorded in 1958 by comedian Dave Cash
with Didier Boland and his orchestra.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
which was written by the Jay Livingston
Jay Livingston
Jay Livingston was an American composer and singer best known as half of a songwriting duo with Ray Evans that specialized in songs composed for films. Livingston wrote the music and Evans the lyrics....
and Ray Evans
Ray Evans
Raymond Bernard Evans was an American songwriter. He was a partner in a composing and songwriting duo with Jay Livingston, known for the songs they composed for films...
songwriting team.
The song was introduced in the Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
film The Man Who Knew Too Much
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)
The Man Who Knew Too Much is a suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring James Stewart and Doris Day. The film is a remake in widescreen VistaVision and Technicolor of Hitchcock's 1934 film of the same name....
(1956), starring Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
and James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
in the lead roles.
Day's recording
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
of the song for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
(catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
40704) was a hit in both the United States— where it made it to number two on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
— and number one in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. From 1968 to 1973, it was the theme song
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
for the situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
The Doris Day Show
The Doris Day Show
The Doris Day Show is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 1968 until September 1973. In addition to showcasing Doris Day, the show is remembered for its many abrupt format changes over the course of its five-year run...
, becoming her signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
.
The song progresses through the life of the singer and, as they sing one verse after another, another period of that persons life is revealed from childhood to adolescence to adulthood, having children and finally old age.
It reached the Billboard magazine charts in July 1956. The song received the 1956 Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
with the alternative title "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)". It was the third Oscar in this category for Livingston and Evans, who previously won in 1948 and 1950. The title sequence
Title sequence
A Title Sequence is the method by which cinematic films or television programs present their title, key production and cast members, or both, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound...
of the Hitchcock film gives the song title as Whatever Will Be. It was a #1 hit in Australia for pop singer Normie Rowe
Normie Rowe
Norman John "Normie" Rowe AM was a major male solo performer of Australian pop music in the 1960s. Known for his bright and edgy tenor voice and dynamic stage presence, many of Rowe's most successful recordings were produced by Pat Aulton, house producer for the Sunshine Records, Spin Records and...
in September 1965.
Language in title and lyrics
There has been some confusion about the identity of the language in the song's title and lyrics. The words are Spanish, but the phrase is ungrammatical in Spanish. (In grammatical Spanish a roughly equivalent idea is expressed in the proverb "Lo que ha de ser, será [o el mundo se hundirá].") Composer Jay Livingston had seen the 1954 film The Barefoot ContessaThe Barefoot Contessa
The Barefoot Contessa is a 1954 film about the life and loves of fictional Spanish sex symbol Maria Vargas. It was written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and stars Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner and Edmond O'Brien....
, in which an Italian family has the motto "Che sarà sarà" carved in stone at their ancestral castle. He immediately wrote it down as a possible song title, and he and lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
Ray Evans later respelled it in Spanish "because there are so many Spanish-speaking people in the world." Early in their career, Evans and Livingston had worked together as musicians on cruise ships to the Caribbean and South America. No other language was involved in their coining of the phrase.
"Que sera sera" (with this evidently Spanish-based spelling, but no accent marks) appears as the motto on an English family coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
described in William Bartlett's 1865 history of the parish of Wimbledon. But no variant of "Que será será" appears in any of the books in Spanish scanned by the Google Books project, with publication dates from 1500 to 2008.
Although "Che sarà sarà" is also ungrammatical in modern standard Italian (where the idea could be rendered "Quel che sarà sarà"), it does appear in an English context over 400 years ago, in Christopher Marlowe's
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
play Doctor Faustus
Doctor Faustus
Doctor Faustus could refer to:*The character of Faust*Dr. Johann Georg Faust , widely considered to be an inspiration for the character of Faust....
(Act 1, Scene 1), whose text contains the line "Che sera, sera / What will be, shall be"). The Italian version of the saying (spelled "Che sara sara") also has served as the heraldic motto of the Dukes of Bedford
Duke of Bedford
thumb|right|240px|William Russell, 1st Duke of BedfordDuke of Bedford is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 in favour of Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of France. He was made Earl of Kendal at the same time...
(England) since at least as early as 1749. It is not known whether Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Joseph Leo Mankiewicz was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Mankiewicz had a long Hollywood career and is best known as the writer-director of All About Eve , which was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won six. He was brother to screenwriter and drama critic Herman J...
, the screenwriter and director of The Barefoot Contessa, was aware of this use of the slogan.
Other uses of the song and phrase
The song is regularly sung at English football matches when a team is progressing to the next round of a competition that will ultimately lead them to Wembley StadiumWembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
. The chorus' second line is changed to: Que Sera Sera, whatever will be, will be, we're going to Wembley, Que Sera Sera.
It was also adopted by the Republic of Ireland football team when they qualified for the World Cup in 1990, a.k.a. Italia '90. It was changed to: "Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be. We're going to Italy, Que sera, sera".
In 1956, "Que Sera Sera" was the name given to a US Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
which, on October 31, 1956, was the first aircraft to land on the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
(Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze is the codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on...
II).
In 2011, the anime Inazuma Eleven go uses the phrase in its second opening.
Other versions
Australian pop singer Normie RoweNormie Rowe
Norman John "Normie" Rowe AM was a major male solo performer of Australian pop music in the 1960s. Known for his bright and edgy tenor voice and dynamic stage presence, many of Rowe's most successful recordings were produced by Pat Aulton, house producer for the Sunshine Records, Spin Records and...
's 1965 recording of "Que Sera Sera'", which was produced by Pat Aulton
Pat Aulton
Pat Aulton was a noted Australian record producer, musician, arranger and songwriter.He is best known for the successful pop and rock singles and albums he produced for Australian and New Zealand artists in the 1960s and early 1970s on the Sunshine and Spin Records labels...
on the Sunshine Record label
Sunshine Records (Australia)
Sunshine Records was an Australian independent pop music record label of the mid-1960s. It was established in late 1964 by promoter Ivan Dayman in collaboration with musician-producer-arranger-songwriter Pat Aulton and entrepreneur, producer and songwriter Nat Kipner .Most of its releases were in...
(Sunshine QK 1103), was the biggest hit of his career, "the biggest Australian rock 'n roll hit of 1965", and is reputed to be the biggest-selling Australian single of the 1960s. The song was "done in the style of "Louie, Louie" and the manner of "Hang On Sloopy
Hang on Sloopy
"Hang on Sloopy" is a song by the pop group The McCoys which was #1 in America in October 1965 and is the official rock song of the state of Ohio and The Ohio State University...
", and given a "Merseybeat" treatment (in the manner of The Beatles' "Twist & Shout"), and was backed by Rowe's band The Playboys. It was paired with a powerful version of the Johnny Kidd & The Pirates' classic "Shakin' All Over
Shakin' All Over
"Shakin' All Over" is a rock and roll song originally performed by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. It was written by frontman Johnny Kidd and reached #1 in the United Kingdom in August 1960...
", and the single became a double-sided No. 1 hit in most capitals (#1 Sydney, #1 Melbourne, #1 Brisbane, #1 Adelaide, and Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
). in September 1965, charting for 28 weeks and selling in unprecedented numbers, with Rock historian Ian McFarlane reporting sales of 80,000 copies, while 1970s encyclopedist Noel McGrath claimed sales of 100,000. Rowe scored another first in October 1965 when "Que Sera Sera" became his third hit single in the Melbourne Top 40 simultaneously. In 1965 Rowe received a gold record for "Que Sera Sera" at Sydney's prestigious Chevron Hotel. In December 1965 the master of Rowe's version was purchased by Jay-Gee Records for release in the USA. In April 1966 Rowe received a second gold record for the sales of "Que Sera Sera". In August 1966 Rowe won Radio 5KA's annual best male vocal award for "Que Sera Sera". In 2006 Rowe released a newly recorded version, which was released by ABC via iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, and later adding "the whole digital mix with a radio mix and a dance mix".
Other versions of "Que Sera, Sera" include:
- Connie FrancisConnie FrancisConnie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
(USA 1962) - The High Keys (Atco 6268) (USA June 1963) USA #48 (September 1963)
- Los Moonlights (RCA) (Mexico 1964)
- Earl Royce & the Olympics (Columbia) (UK 1964) (Tower 137) (USA 1965)
- P.J. Proby as "Whatever Will Be" (Liberty LRP-3406/LST-7406) (UK 1964)
- Alvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the ChipmunksAlvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
(Liberty) (USA 1965 & 1969) - The Lords (Columbia) (West Germany 1965)
- Geno Washington & the Ram Jam BandGeno Washington & The Ram Jam BandGeno Washington & the Ram Jam Band were an English based soul band, active from 1965 to 1968.-Career:The Ram Jam Band were formed around 1964 and evolved out of a group called Les Blues who were formed to rival an English group with a Black American singer called Milton And The Continentals...
(Piccadilly 7N 35346) b/w "All I Need", (UK #43, April 1966) and (#43 October 1966) - The ShirellesThe ShirellesThe Shirelles were an African-American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens , Doris Coley , Addie "Micki" Harris , and Beverly Lee...
(Scepter 12150) (USA 1966) - Mary HopkinMary HopkinMary Hopkin , credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti, is a Welsh folk singer best known for her 1968 UK number one single "Those Were The Days". She was one of the first musicians to sign to The Beatles' Apple label....
produced by Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
(Apple 1823) (USA June 1970) - Sly and the Family Stone (Columbia Epic KE 32134) (USA June 1973)
- Natalie ColeNatalie ColeNatalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
(Capitol SKBL-11709) (USA 1978) - Pink MartiniPink MartiniPink Martini is a 13-member "little orchestra" from Portland, Oregon, formed in 1994 by pianist Thomas M. Lauderdale. They draw inspiration from music from all over the world – crossing genres of classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop.-History:...
(Heinz Records) (USA 1997) - Andrew LilesAndrew LilesAndrew Liles is a UK based sound artist and multi-instrumentalist. He has a vast output of recordings that he has released since the mid-1980s, covering a variety of styles as experimental music, dark ambient music, progressive rock and even hints at hard rock....
(Infraction INFX 006) (USA 2003) - Wax TailorWax TailorWax Tailor is the alias of French trip hop/hip hop producer, Jean-Christophe Le Saoût . He started in 2004 with two EP's . The first album Tales of the Forgotten Melodies was released in March 2005, mixing hip-hop, downtempo, trip-hop with samples extracted from movies...
(Lab'Oratoire Le Plan) (USA 2004) - K FoundationK FoundationThe K Foundation was an art foundation set up by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty in 1993, following their 'retirement' from the music industry. The Foundation served as an artistic outlet for the duo's post-retirement KLF income...
Presents the Red Army ChoirRed Army ChoirThe A.V. Alexandrov Russian army twice red-bannered academic song and dance ensemble , in short, the Alexandrov ensemble is a performing ensemble that serves as the official army choir of the Russian armed forces...
as 'K Cera CeraK Cera Cera"K Cera Cera", a presentation of The Red Army Choir by the K Foundation , was released as a limited edition single in Israel and Palestine in November 1993...
' (NMC Music Ltd.) (Israel & Palestine 1993)
In 2010, Australian singer Melinda Schneider
Melinda Schneider
Melinda Schneider is an Australian country music performer and the daughter of yodeler Mary Schneider. Schneider performed with her mother on the album The Magic of Yodeling at the age of eight. She studied dance as a child and made her acting debut on the popular Australian drama A Country...
recorded the song for her Doris Day tribute album Melinda Does Doris.
A yiddish version (Barclay 86034) was recorded in 1958 by comedian Dave Cash
Dave Cash (Yiddish comedian)
Dave Cash was a Rumanian-born French Yiddish-language comedian, composer, musician and entertainer. He very was well known in the Yiddish theater for his song parodies. He was the animator of a Yiddish-language cabaret in Pigalle, that had an otherwise typical program for a French cabaret...
with Didier Boland and his orchestra.