"Meglio Stasera" (known in English as "It Had Better Be Tonight") is a song set in samba rhythm with music by legendary Hollywood composer Henry Mancini, English lyrics by Iohnny Mercer and Italian lyrics by Franco Migliacci written for the iconic 1963 film ”The Pink Panther” starring British comedy icon Peter Sellers. The song is sung in the film by Fran Jeffries but in addition to the vocal performance there are numerous musical quotes of “It Had Better Be Tonight" in the underscore throughout the film.

 

Many versions of the song "Meglio Stasera" were recorded after 1963 but it is undoubtedly due to the relatively recent emergence and global popularity of Canadian-singer Michael Bublé that the English version “It Had Better Be Tonight" resurfaced to huge international awareness. The arrangement which was recorded and popularised by Bublé is based very closely on that made especially for legendary American singer, entertainer and civil rights activist Lena Horne who died aged 92 in 2010 and which forms the backbone of this arrangement for brass band.