Thank you, Mr C, for your gift of music

Somewhere in between Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams, there was Perry Como. The baritone crooner who built a career out of a cool, relaxed singing style passed away last May 12 after a long illness. He died peacefully in his sleep in his home in Florida. He would have been 89 years old today, I May 18.

At a time when the word balladeer means the organ-wrenching histrionics of Michael Bolton and when cool is used to describe Puff Daddy’s wardrobe, Como is an anachronism from long ago who is totally lost on younger listeners. There was a time though when even teenagers sang Sing to me, Mr. C, sing to me and meant it with all their hearts.

And Perry Como sang. He was a teenaged barber who left his home in Pennsylvania to join a touring band during the ’30s as a Bing Crosby wannabe. After six years with the Ted Weerns’ band he decided to go slow and it was at this point that he was able to develop his own style.

His first big seller was Till the End of Time in 1945. The exciting combination of Chopin’s passionate melody and Como’s romantic crooning sent the former Pierino Roland Como off to a career that would span more than five decades. He was a success on records, radio, television and even appeared in a few films during the ’50s like Words and Music and Doll Face.

Como is considered a television pioneer in th realm of musical variety show. Mr. C. Sing to Me was the theme song of The Perry Como Show which started in 1950 and which made him a weekly fixture in millions of homes for a record 13 years. It was also during this time that he recorded his biggest hits. He was so popular that the year 1954 found him with four songs in the charts, Wanted, Hit and Run Affair, Papa Loves Mambo and Home for the Holidays.

Papa Loves Mambo is but one of several cute little ditties that Como popularized. It was novelty songs like this that gave him an edge over the other balladeers of the period. He was never afraid to be funny and he not only gave his fans many tunes to smile with, he also gave children songs they can sing along with. And they do, to this day. Hot Diggity, A You’re Adorable, A Bushel and A Peck, Delaware and he even did a cover of Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo.

The last time we heard of Perry Como was in the soundtrack of the 1994 Kevin Costner movie A Perfect World where Catch a Falling Star, his Grammy winning song from 1958 was used as the theme. This created worldwide awareness about his very successful career and sparked renewed interest in his music. It was then that younger listeners discovered that he was also responsible for the beautiful ballads It’s Impossible and And I Love You So, which topped the charts during the early ’70s.

If you want to know more about his music, ask Lolo and Lola and friends in the same age bracket. There is a strong probability they danced to Papa Loves Mambo and courted and had hearts broken with Perry Como songs playing in the background.

Thank you Mr. C, for If, Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes, No Other Love, Ko Ko Mo, Tina Marie, Glendora, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Round and Round, Jingle Bells, Magic Moments, Kewpie Doll, Prisoner of Love, Surrender, Some Enchanted Evening, When You Were Sweet Sixteen, I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now, Forever and Ever, If I Loved You, Maybe, Say You’re Mine Again, They Say It’s Wonderful, Because, Far Away Places, More, I’m Always Chasing Rainbows, Bali Hai, You’re Just in Love, Patricia, Long Ago and Far Away, All Through the Day, I Dream of You, Jukebox Baby, Winter Wonderland.

I Don’t See Me in Your Eyes Anymore, All At Once You Loved Her, I’m Confessin’, Please Mr. Sun, If You Were the Only Girl in the World, Temptation, Tulips and Heather, I Confess, Ramblin’ Rose, Blue Room, One Little Candle, More Than You Know, To Know You is to Love You, It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, My Love and Devotion, Delaware, A Fellow Needs a Girl, I Cross My Fingers, Hello Young Lovers, Moon Talk, Lies, Keep It Gay, I Love You Don’t You Forget It, Love Makes the World Go Round, Mandolins in the Moonlight, The Rose Tattoo, Make Someone Happy, Just Out of Reach and others.