Italian-American singers / musicians & their hit songs of the
50s &
60s .
At least half of the songs are well known in Hellas. They were either party hits in the 60s & 70s or received respectable radio air-play, mostly in the 80s.
You can listen to the broadcast here
http://yourlisten.com/lefteris.lalos.7/my-radio-boo-broadcast-wednesday-25-november-2015
22:00 - 23:00
01. Peppermint Twist - Part 1 -
JOEY DEE & THE STARLITERS (
single ,
1961 )
US # 1, UK # 33
Lyrics
02. Caterina -
PERRY COMO (
single ,
1962 )
UK # 4, US # 23, BE # 3, NO # 6, DE # 11
Lyrics
03. As Long As There Is You -
TIMI YURO (
single ,
1969 / LP
Something Bad On My Mind , 1968)
The song became a radio hit ONLY in Hellas in
2010, in the ph2 remix version that was included in the collection ''
Sweet & Sweat 3 ''.
Lyrics
04. Shish-Kebab -
RALPH MARTERIE & HIS ORCHESTRA (
single ,
1957 )
US # 10, BE # 4
Cover version of ''
Harem Dance '' by
Armenian Jazz Sextet (
1957 )
Instrumental
05. Runaround Sue -
DION (
single ,
1961 )
US # 1, UK # 11
Both his major solo hits, Runaround Sue &
The Wanderer (1961) written by
Ernie Maresca .
Most successful
cover of the song in Hellas by
Leif Garrett (
1977 )
Lyrics
06. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes -
BOBBY VEE (
single ,
1962 )
US # 3, UK # 3
Lyrics
07. Blame It On The Bossa Nova -
EYDIE GORME (
single ,
1962 )
US # 7, DE # 1, NO # 2, NL # 5, UK # 32
Lyrics
08 .
I Will Follow Him -
LITTLE PEGGY MARCH (
single ,
1963 )
US # 1, DE # 6
The song was based on
Petula Clark 's ''
Chariot '' (
1962 ) that was a cover version of Franck Pourcel's instrumental ''
Chariot '' (
1961 ), composed by Paul Mauriat.
Lyrics
09. I Wonder Why -
DION & THE BELMONTS (
single ,
1958 )
US # 22
Lyrics
10. Beggin' -
THE FOUR SEASONS (
single ,
1967 )
US # 16
Was a major radio hit in Hellas in its
2007 Pilooski remix .
Lyrics
11. I Get A Kick Out Of You -
FRANK SINATRA (LP
My Cole Porter ,
1969 )
Cover version of Cole Porter's ''
I Get A Kick Out Of You '' originally sung by
Ethel Merman (OST
Anything Goes ,
1934 )
Lyrics
12. Volare -
BOBBY RYDELL (
single ,
1960 )
US # 4
Cover of
Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu by Domenico Modugno (
1958 ), Eurovision 3rd place for Italy.
Lyrics
13. Beyond The Sea -
BOBBY DARIN (
single ,
1959 )
US # 6, UK # 8
Cover version of ''
La Mer' ' by
Charles Trenet (1946)
Lyrics
14. Take Good Care Of My Baby -
BOBBY VEE (
single ,
1961 )
US # 1, UK # 3
Lyrics
15. Can't Take My Eyes Off You -
FRANKIE VALLI (
single ,
1967 )
US # 2
Lyrics
16. I Got You Babe -
SONNY & CHER (
single ,
1965 )
US # 1, UK # 1, CA # 1, IE # 2, DE # 3, NL # 4, AT # 6, NO # 6, FR # 7, FI # 8, BE # 12
It was successfully covered in 1985 by UB40 featuring vocals by Ali & Chrissie Hynde.
The song played a major role in the movie ''
Groundhog Day '' (1993)
Lyrics
17. Sway -
DEAN MARTIN (
single ,
1954 )
UK # 6, US # 15
Cover version of instrumental ''
¿ Quien Sera?'' by
Pablo Beltran Y Su Orchestra (
1953 ).
Lyrics
18. Mack The Knife -
BOBBY DARIN (
single ,
1959 )
US # 1, NO # 9, BE # 11, NL # 14, DE # 31
Cover version of the
Bertold Brecht /
Kurt Weil song ''
Die Moritat Von Mackie Messer '', first interpreted by
Kurt Gerron as for ''
The Threepenny Oper '' (OST Die Dreigroschenoper,
1928 )
Lyrics
19. Venus -
FRANKIE AVALON (
single ,
1959 )
US # 1, UK # 16, BE # 2
The song can be heard
in 2 scenes in
one of my all time favorite movies ''
She's Out Of Control '' (
1989 )
Lyrics
20. Jezebel -
FRANKIE LAINE (
single ,
1951 )
US # 2
Lyrics
23:00 - 00:00
21. Pepino, The Italian Mouse -
LOU MONTE (single,
1962 )
US # 5
Lyrics
22. That's Amore -
DEAN MARTIN (
single ,
1953 )
US # 2, UK # 2
First appeaered in the film ''
The Caddy '' (1953)
Lyrics
23. All -
JAMES DARREN (
single ,
1966 / OST
Run For Your Wife , 1965)
US # 35
Also a well known actor, James starred as Papadimos in the film ''
Guns Of Navarone '' (1961)
Lyrics
24. Baby I Need Your Lovin' -
JOHNNY RIVERS (
single ,
1967 )
US # 3
Cover version of ''
Baby I Need Your Lovin '' by the
The Four Tops (
1964 )
Lyrics
25. Walking Alone -
RONNIE DIO & THE PROPHETS (
single ,
1964 / LP
Ronnie Dio & The Prophets ,
1964 )
Lyrics
VIDEO
26. Magic Moments -
PERRY COMO with
MITCHELL AYRES ORCHESTRA &
THE RAY CHARLES SINGERS (
single ,
1957 )
UK # 1, US # 4 (although his b-side ''
Catch A Falling Star '' peaked at # 1)
One of the first hits written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David.
Lyrics
27. Spanish Eyes -
AL MARTINO (
single ,
1965 / LP
Spanish Eyes , 1966)
US # 15, UK # 5 (1973), BE # 1, DE # 3, AT # 3, NL 13
The song is based on the instrumental ''
Moon Over Naples '' by
Bert Kaempfert (
1965 ).
Al portrayed
Johnny Fontane in ''
The Godfather '' (1972)
Lyrics
28. The World We Knew (Over & Over) -
FRANK SINATRA (LP
The World We Knew ,
1967 )
US # 30, BE # 4, AT # 19, DE # 22
Cover version of ''
The World We Knew '' by
Bert Kaempfert (
1967 )
Lyrics
29. I Left My Heart In San Francisco -
TONY BENNETT (LP
I Left My... ,
1962 )
US # 19, UK # 25
Tony sung ''
I've Got The World On A String '' in the
end scene of ''
Analyze This '' (
1999 )
Lyrics
30. Free -
TOMMY LEONETTI (
single ,
1956 )
US # 23
Lyrics
31. Who's Sorry Now -
CONNIE FRANCIS (
single ,
1957 )
UK # 1, US # 4
The song was published in
1923 and interpreted by
Lisette Verea in the Marx Brothers film ''
A Night In Casablanca '' (
1946 )
Lyrics
32. You Don't Know Me -
JERRY VALE (
single ,
1956 )
US # 14
Cover version of
Eddy Arnold 's ''
You Don't Know Me '' (
1956 )
The song can be heard by
Ray Charles in one of my favorite movies, ''
Groundhog Day '' (
1993 )
Lyrics
33. Why -
FRANKIE AVALON (
single ,
1959 )
US # 1, UK # 20, NO # 3, NL # 11, BE # 11
Lyrics
34. Summer Wind -
FRANK SINATRA (
single ,
1966 )
US # 25, UK # 36
Cover version of ''
Der Sommerwind '' of
Grethe Ingmann (1965)
Lyrics
35. Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing -
THE FOUR ACES (
single ,
1955 )
US # 1, BE # 6
Won the
Academy Award for Best Song for the 1955 film ''
Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing ''.
The Four Aces were 3 Ittalian-Americans &
an Irish-American , led by
Al Alberts .
Lyrics
36. Lujon -
HENRY MANCINI (LP
Mr. Lucky Goes Latin ,
1961 )
Among his famous instrumentals in Hellas are
Peter Gunn theme (
Peter Gunn TV series ,
1958 ),
Moon River (OST
Breafast At Tiffany's ,
1961 ),
The Pink Panther Theme (OST
The Pink Panther ,
1963 ),
Ravel's Bolero (OST
10 ,
1979 ) etc.
This instrumental was used in
No More Sweet Music by
Hooverphonic in
2005 .
37. The Rose Tattoo -.
PERRY COMO with
MITCH MITCHELL AYRES & HIS ORCHESTRA (single,
1955 )
Lyrics
38. Hurt -
TIMI YURO (single,
1961 )
US # 4, NL 2, BE # 6
Cover version of ''
Hurt '' by
Roy Hamilton (
1954 )
Very popular in Hellas was the Italian version of
Fausto Leali ' ttitled ''
A Chi ''
1967 (IT # 1, AT # 9)
Lyrics
39. Unchained Melody -
LIBERACE (
b-side single ,
1956 )
Liberace is mentioned in 2 of my favorite songs:
Mr. Sandman by
The Chordettes (
1954 /
lyrics ) &
My Baby Just Cares For Me by
Nina Simone (
1958 /
lyrics )
Songs referring to Italian-American singers:
TONY BENNETT Tony Adams -
JOE STRUMMER & THE MESCALEROS (
1999 /
Lyrics : gotta Tony Bennett eight track in the hotel pity)
PERRY COMO I Really Like You - MELISSA ETHERIDGE (
1995 /
Lyrics : I'll find that song by Perry Como you like to sing)
FRANKIE LAINE Memories -
LEONARD COHEN (
1977 /
Lyrics : Frankie Laine, he was singing Jezebel)
DON McLEAN Killing Me Softly With His Song -
LORI LIEBERMAN (
1972 / The song is about Don)
Killing Me Softly With His Song -
ROBERTA FLACK (
1973 /
Lyrics )
FRANK SINATRA Empire State Of Mind -
JAY-Z feat.
ALICIA KEYS (
2009 /
Lyrics : I'm the new Sinatra)
Every Day -
ROXETTE (
2002 /
Lyrics : I play the music he adores, like Sinatra then we're talking)
Fairytale of New York -
THE POGUES feat.
KIRSTY MacCOLL (
1987 /
Lyrics : Sinatra was swinging)
Hey Manhattan -
PREFAB SPROUT (
1988 /
Lyrics : just to think Sinatra's been here too)
I Can Only Disappoint U -
MANSUN (
2000 /
Lyrics : You sing like Sinatra, always)
It’s My Life -
BON JOVI (
2000 /
Lyrics : like Frankie said I did it "My Way")
Life In A Northern Town -
THE DREAM ACADEMY (
1985 /
Lyrics ; like Sinatra in a younger day)
She Goes On -
CROWDED HOUSE (
1991 /
Lyrics : we owe it all to Frank Sinatra)
Sugar Mice -
MARILLION (
1987 /
Lyrics : I heard Sinatra calling me down through the floorboards)
On & On -
STEPHEN BISHOP (
1977 /
Lyrics : puts on Sinatra & starts to cry)
When Do I Get To Sing "My Way" -
SPARKS (
1994 /
Lyrics : when do I get to feel like Sinatra)
SONY & CHER Too Hot -
FUN LOVIN' CRIMINALS (
2003 /
Lyrics : We're kinda hot together like Sonny & Cher)
