Guaglione is a Neapolitan song

Canzone Napoletana

Canzone Napoletana, sometimes referred to as Neapolitan song, is a generic term for a traditional form of music sung in the Neapolitan language, ordinarily for the male voice singing solo, although well-represented by female soloists as well, and expressed in familiar genres such as the lover's...

 with music by Giuseppe Fanciulli and words by Nicola "Nisa" Salerno

Nicola Salerno

Nicola Salerno, also known as Nisa was an Italian lyricist. He formed a famous songwriting duo with Renato Carosone.-Career:Nicola Salerno was born in Naples....

. It was the winning song at the IV Napoli Song Festival broadcast by radio in 1956. The song's title is Neapolitan language

Neapolitan language

Neapolitan is the language of the city and region of Naples , and Campania. On October 14, 2008 a law by the Region of Campania stated that the Neapolitan language had to be protected....

 slang which translates to "street bum", "urchin", "back street boy", "corner boy" or "street tough". The word guaglione has appeared as "wallyo" in New York immigrant slang.

The song has been covered by various artists, including Italian bandleader Renzo Arbore

Renzo Arbore

Lorenzo Giovanni Arbore is an Italian TV host, showman, singer, musician, film actor and film director.-Career:...

, and Italian singers Claudio Villa

Claudio Villa (singer)

Claudio Villa, byname of Claudio Pica , was an Italian singer.-Biography:Tenor Claudio Villa was born Claudio Pica in the Trastevere quarter of Rome in 1926. He recorded over 3000 songs, sold 45 million records, and appeared in 25 musicals during his career...

, Aurelio Fierro

Aurelio Fierro

Aurelio Fierro was a successful Italian actor and singer who specialized in songs in the Neapolitan dialect.-Career:...

 and Renato Carosone

Renato Carosone

Renato Carosone , born Renato Carusone, was among the greatest figures of Italian music scene in the second half of the 20th century. He was also a modern performer of the so-called canzone napoletana, Naples' song tradition.-Beginnings:Carosone was born in Naples...

. Under the title "The Man Who Plays the Mandolino", with a lyric in English, Dean Martin

Dean Martin

Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...

 sang it in 1956 after Fred Raphael of Walt Disney Music Company

Walt Disney Music Company

Walt Disney Music Company is a U.S. music publisher. Part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Music Group, the firm was founded in October 1949. It is based in Burbank, California, and is affiliated with the performance rights organisation ASCAP....

 obtained for Disney the U.S. publishing rights.

The best known version of "Guaglione" was recorded by the Cuban bandleader Perez Prado

Perez Prado

Dámaso Pérez Prado was a Cuban bandleader, musician , and composer. He is often referred to as the 'King of the Mambo'.His orchestra was the most popular in mambo...

 in 1958 as an uptempo mambo tune. As a mambo, the track rose to fame in 1995 after it was used for the Guinness

Guinness

Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...

 advert "Anticipation". It has since been featured as the intro music for the 1996 video game Kingdom O' Magic

Kingdom O' Magic

Kingdom O' Magic is a video game released by SCi in 1996. It is a comedic point and click adventure game, filled with bizarre humour, as seen in the instruction manual: "First published in 1876 under the title '101 fun things To Do with Trolls'. However the version on CD-ROM is specially...

, and more recently as the opening music for the television show Jimmy's Farm

Jimmy's Farm

Jimmy's Farm was a documentary series, in 2002, made by Fresh One Productions for BBC Two in the UK. It featured the story of Jimmy Doherty setting up the Essex Pig Company, a rare breeds piggery on the outskirts of Ipswich in Suffolk...

. The song is one of Disney's biggest profit makers.