“¿Quién será?” is a bolero-mambo song written by Mexican composers Luis Demetrio and Pablo Beltran Ruiz. However, because Demetrio sold his rights to Beltrán, the song has often been misattributed to the latter. Beltrán recorded the song for the first time with his orchestra in 1953. Pedro Infante, for whom the song was written, performed it in the film School for Tramps in 1954 and later recorded it for Peerless Records.
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 the pop 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. This recording reached number 15 on the Billboard best-seller chart and number six on the UK chart.
In 1960, Bobby Rydell recorded the first of two hit versions of the song, reaching number 14 on the Billboard charts and number 12 in Canada. A disco re-recording in 1976 reached number 27 on the Adult Contemporary chart. British electronic music duo Shaft recorded “Sway”, retitled as “(Mucho Mambo) Sway“, and released it in August 1999 as their debut single. This version is based on Rosemary Clooney’s 1960 version, but following a dispute with the copyright holders of her recording, Shaft recorded new vocals with session singer Donna Canale. The single peaked at No. 2 in the UK, and reached the top 10 in Denmark, Ireland, Norway, and Sweden. The single was later included on Shaft’s 2001 album Pick Up on This.
“Sway” was covered by Canadian singer Michael Buble for his debut studio album, released in 2003. Sway was chosen for release as the album’s third single, and was released in Australia in June 2004. 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 recorded “Sway” and released as the only single for the Shall We Dance? soundtrack. It is also the group’s debut single overall. It was later included as a bonus track on their debut studio album, PCD (2005).
“¿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.
