Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)

The popularity of the song has led to curiosity about the origins of the title saying, "que sera, sera", and the identity of its language. Both the Spanish-like spelling used by Livingston and Evans and an Italian-like form ("che sarà sarà") are first documented in the 16th century as an English heraldic motto.[8] The "Spanish" form appears on a brass plaque in the Church of St. Nicholas, Thames Ditton, Surrey, dated 1559.[9] The "Italian" form was first adopted as a family motto by either John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford, or his son, Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford. It is said by some sources to have been adopted by the elder Russell after his experience at the Battle of Pavia (1525), and to be engraved on his tomb (1555 N.S.).[10][11] The 2nd Earl's adoption of the motto is commemorated in a manuscript dated 1582.[12] Their successors—Earls and, later, Dukes of Bedford ("Sixth Creation"), as well as other aristocratic families—continued to use the motto. Soon after its adoption as a heraldic motto, it appeared in Christopher Marlowe's play Doctor Faustus (written ca. 1590; published 1604), whose text[13] (Act 1, Scene 1) contains a line with the archaic Italian spelling "Che sera, sera / What will be, shall be".[14] Early in the 17th century the saying begins to appear in the speech and thoughts of fictional characters as a spontaneous expression of a fatalistic attitude. The phrase, in its English form, is used in the novel Hard Times by Charles Dickens, first published in 1854.[15]

The saying is always in an English-speaking context, and has no history in Spain, Portugal, Italy, or France, and in fact is ungrammatical in all four Romance languages.[16] It is composed of Spanish or Italian words superimposed on English syntax. It was evidently formed by a word-for-word mistranslation of English "What will be will be", merging the free relative pronoun what (= "that which") with the interrogative what?[7]

Livingston and Evans had some knowledge of Spanish, and early in their career they worked together as musicians on cruise ships to the Caribbean and South America. Composer Jay Livingston had seen the 1954 Hollywood film The Barefoot Contessa, in which a fictional Italian family has the motto "Che sarà sarà" carved in stone at their ancestral mansion. He immediately wrote it down as a possible song title, and he and lyricist Ray Evans later gave it a Spanish spelling "because there are so many Spanish-speaking people in the world".[17][18][19]

In modern times, thanks to the popularity of the song and its many translations, the phrase has been adopted in countries around the world to name a variety of entities, including books, movies, restaurants, vacation rentals, airplanes, and race horses.[20]

The song originally appeared in Alfred Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much, where it appears diegetically and serves an important role in the film's plot. In the film, Day plays a retired popular singer, Jo McKenna, who, along with her husband (played by Jimmy Stewart) and son, becomes embroiled in a plot to assassinate a foreign prime minister. After foiling the assassination attempt, Jo and her husband are invited by the prime minister to the embassy, where they believe their young son is being held by the conspirators. Jo sits at a piano and plays "Que Sera, Sera", singing loudly in the hope of reaching her son. Upon hearing his mother play the familiar song, Jo's son whistles along, allowing Jo's husband to find and rescue the boy, just before he was to be murdered by the conspirators to the assassination attempt.[21]

"Que Sera Sera" came to be considered Doris Day's signature song, and she went on to sing it in later films and TV appearances. In 1960's Please Don't Eat the Daisies, she sings a snippet of the song to her co-star, David Niven, who plays her husband.[22] In the 1966 film The Glass Bottom Boat she sings a snippet accompanied by Arthur Godfrey on ukulele. From 1968 to 1973, it was the theme song for the sitcom The Doris Day Show.[23][24] The 1999 Studio Ghibli film My Neighbors the Yamadas features a Japanese cover of the song toward the end of the film. Director Isao Takahata wrote the translation for the lyrics, with an arrangement by Neko Saitou.[25]

Versions of the song have appeared on a number of film and television soundtracks, often juxtaposed with dark or disastrous events to create an effect of black comedy. For example, in The Simpsons episode "Bart's Comet", the song is sung by the citizens of Springfield in anticipation of an impending comet strike that will wipe out the town and kill them all. Previously, the song was featured over the opening and the ending credits of Heathers, a dark teen comedy dealing with murder and suicide. The version over the opening credits is performed by Syd Straw and the version over the ending credits is performed by Sly and the Family Stone.

"Que Sera, Sera" has been adapted as a popular celebratory football chant in England,[26] typically with the lyrics:

Que sera sera,
Whatever will be will be,
We're going to Wembley,
Que sera sera

This would be sung by fans following a victory that progresses their favoured team to the next round of a competition that will ultimately lead them to Wembley Stadium (typically the FA Cup, the finals of which have been held in Wembley since 1923).[27] Variations have been reported substituting other venues, such as "We're going to Germany", in reference to a team qualifying for the 2006 World Cup.[28]

Australian pop singer Normie Rowe'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",[29] and is reputed to be the biggest-selling Australian single of the 1960s.[30] The song was "done in the style of "Louie, Louie" and the manner of "Hang On Sloopy",[29] 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).[31][32] in September 1965, charting for 28 weeks and selling in unprecedented numbers, with Rock historian Ian McFarlane reporting sales of 80,000 copies,[30][33] while 1970s encyclopedist Noel McGrath claimed sales of 100,000.[34] 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.[35] In December 1965 the master of Rowe's version was purchased by Jay-Gee Records for release in the United States.[36] In April 1966 Rowe received a second gold record for the sales of "Que Sera, Sera".[37] In August 1966 Rowe won Radio 5KA's annual best male vocal award for "Que Sera, Sera".[38] 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".[39]

In the decades since the song's original release, "Que Sera, Sera" has been covered by dozens of artists. A 1970 cover sung by Mary Hopkin and produced by Mickie Most reached #77 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #7 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[40] A 1982 cover by Shakin' Stevens from his album Give Me Your Heart Tonight reached #2 on the UK charts.

Sly & the Family Stone covered the song on their 1973 album Fresh, in a radically slowed-down and soulful version.[41]

In 1966 Geno Washington & the Ram Jam Band had a minor hit with it when it got to #43.[42]

As a result of the song's immediate popularity following the release of The Man Who Knew Too Much, versions were soon written in other languages. An early example was a Dutch version by Jo Leemans which reached the Belgian charts in December 1956.[43] Versions of the song have also been recorded in Danish, French, Mandarin, Spanish, Japanese, and Swedish, among other languages. These in turn have led some non-English speakers to adopt the saying "que sera, sera".[3]

In India, the song was first adapted in the Tamil-language film Aaravalli (1957). Later in 1965, the original version was sung by Bhanumathi in the Telugu-language film Thodu Needa, with minor changes in the lyrics.[44]

The song's lyrics have been referenced or modified in other compositions, such as the 1978 song "Baby Hold On" by Eddie Money, which features the modified refrain "Whatever will be, will be/The future is ours to see".

• Day, Doris (1956), "Que Sera, Sera", The Man Who Knew Too Much, You tube.
• Rowe, Normie (1965), "Que Sera, Sera", You tube.
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics