Perry Como's 16 #1 Hits


1. Till The End Of Time - 1945 Pop
2. Prisoner Of Love - 1946 Pop
3. Surrender - 1946 Pop
4. Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba (My Bambino Go To Sleep) - 1947 Pop
5. A - You're Adorable - 1949 Pop
6. Some Enchanted Evening - 1949 Pop
7. Hoop-Dee-Doo (with the Fontane Sisters) - 1950 Pop
8. If - 1951 Pop
9. Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes - 1952 Pop
10. No Other Love - 1953 Pop
11. Wanted - 1954 Pop
12. Papa Loves Mambo - 1954 Pop
13. Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom) - 1955 Pop
14. Round And Round - 1957 Pop
15. Catch A Falling Star - 1957 Pop
16. It's Impossible - 1970 Easy Listening

Prisoner of Love was in the Sopranos, the scene where Tony Soprano walks into Junior's club and asked him to be the boss, and Papa Loves Mambo is in The Last Don, the scene where Pippi DeLena (played by Joe Montegna) danced with his wife in Las Vegas.



The End

Perry, from Cannonsberg, PA where many of my dad's relatives lived and which we used to visit quite a bit.

Yeah, Perry was a great Italian-America crooner.

His first name was Pierino.

Do you remmeber his TV show and "Letters, we get letters, we get stacks and stacks of letters ... Dear Perry, would you be so kind to fill a request and sing the song I like best?"

Everytime I hear "Catch A Falling Star" I'm taken back to my childhood home in Michigan. We had one of those huge counsel radios. For some I picture myself in that room by the radio.

Btw, I remember how so many comedians would make fun of Como's very relaxed style. Don't remember who, but one comedian acting like Como, was sitting on a chair singing a ballad and falls asleep. Funny at the time.

Although his voice was pleasant enough, I think his down earth personality made him very likeable. Of course being Italian was a big plus with my family also.

TIS

Btw, I hadn't heard "Catch A Falling Star" in ages. Just recently I saw a movie and it was the opening song while the credits played. I just can't think of which movie.

Some fine songs there.

And a fine, fine singer. He always made it sound so easy!

One song that is not on the #1 hits list, but was a favorite of mine, was his version of When You Were Sweet Sixteen. A lovely ballad (previously recorded by others including Al Jolson), it was very special to my late parents. To this day, hearing that song gets ol' Vitelli misty-eyed. I still have the old 78rpm recording in my record cabinet.

Signor V.

A lot of Italian ladies in the '30's and '40's were in love with him....

I'm not sure what comedian it was, TIS. But my favorite songs by him is It's Impossible & Papa Loves Mambo.

Sorry SV, the song When We Were Sweet Sixteen wasn't a number one hit. It was a top ten one, though.

The only ones I don't remember (by title anyway):

Your Adorable
Hoop-De-Doo

Btw, trivia, and I'm not certain of the answer. Does anyone who remembers the show, remember what "theme" song he started his show with (at least I think he sang it weekly). I'm guessing Catch A Falling Star. ??

TIS

In the early '50's, every teenaged girl was either for Perry or for Eddie Fisher. That is, until Elvis came along...

Perry also was responsible for popularizing a hairstyle known by his name (and later called "Peter Gunn" after a TV detective). He also popularized the "golfing sweater."

"Dream along with me. I'm on my way tot he stars."

I remember it well!

"Dream along with me. I'm on my way tot he stars.


Oh yea, of course. I remember NOW! It clicked immediately. I remember it vividly. Thanks Oli.


TIS

Como had a very pleasant voice and his singing style was SMOOOOOOTH. He made Dean Martin look like he was on steroids.

Dunno if any of you ever heard Perry sing "Kol Nidre" (a "song" sung on the holiest day of the year in the Jewish faith) but it's an amazing rendition.

I know - that's why I said it wasn't on the list. My earlier post may have been a little unclear. (It did make it to #2, though. )

Signor V.

I thought that was Eisenhower! (Who, from what I can recall, wasn't much of a singer. )

Signor V.

SV, you're right it almost hit number one on the pop charts. SC, that is so true. Perry Como is a legend. Is he still alive??? I don't remember hearing of him passing away.

He died a number of years ago.

Thanks... I'm sure I was very young at the time. I know Sinatra died in 1998. I wonder if Pizza Boy likes Como songs, I'm sure he does.

Perry Como was 13 when he worked as a barber, and was so good that he had his own shop when he was 14. As a teenager in Canonsburg, he was in a band with Bobby Vinton's father.

Of course I do. I only took so long to reply because my wife gets mad when I use the computer at night .

There are very few Italian American singers that I don't care for. But even if he wasn't Italian, Como's voice transcends all of that anyway. He was as smooth as silk.

I thought "It's Impossible" was a remarkable achievment when you consider the fact that Como was almost 60 years old when he recorded it. His voice was as smooth at 60 as it was at 30. That's a testament to clean living. No booze, cigarettes or hookers for Perry. Sinatra is still my favorite, but in many ways Como was the anti-Sinatra in terms of how he led his life. He was a family man to emulate until the very end. And speaking of which, when he passed away he was living not far from my in-laws in Jupiter, Florida.

Off topic on "It's Impossible." --- Elvis did a hell of a cover.

Flip side: "Eli, Eli." He donned a yarmulke when he sang then on TV.

Conversely, Eddie Fisher, who was Jewish, did a beautiful rendition of "Anema E Core." But he sang it almost entirely in English (except for the title).

For the past year and a half I have been the Project Manager for FiOS in Canonsburg (and other areas in Western PA). Canonsburg touts itself as the "Small Town Capital of Music in America"....because....Perry Como and Bobby Vinton were come from Canonsburg (south of Pittsburgh). There was also a studio musician band and a couple of other music related people from Canonsburg.

He did have a very soothingly smooth voice.

Wow!!! Never knew Elvis sang it.... He does do a fantastic job.

I loved those trips. It seemed that all my relatives from the old country lived there or congregated there.

Do you live in Pgh?

Never even been there Oli. In this age of computers, Google Earth, and large spans of control....I live near Atlantic City, NJ. We send surveyors to the areas we cover for work. But I've come to know the area, virtually. Looks like a pretty area in Google Earth.

Interesting MC!!!