A NEAPOLITAN BALLAD
“O sole mio” (“My Sunshine”) was composed by Eduardo Di Capua. Its lyric, comparing a lover’s face with the sun, was written by a poet, Giovanni Capurro. In 1916 the celebrated tenor Enrico Caruso recorded it for a 78rpm single on the Victor label, a version that has been repackaged more than 90 times.
Tony Martin, an American crooner and actor, enjoyed a hit single with an English-language version called “There’s No Tomorrow” in 1950.
Elvis Presley loved Martin’s record. He taped his own version in 1959 while stationed in Germany with the US Army, a performance that went unreleased until 1997. Presley also asked his music publisher to create a new song around the melody, who gave the job to composers Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold. It took them two hours to complete the lyrics for “It’s Now or Never”, and Presley’s sensitive and elegant 1960 recording became the second biggest-selling single of his career.
Tony Martin, an American crooner and actor, enjoyed a hit single with an English-language version called “There’s No Tomorrow” in 1950.
Elvis Presley loved Martin’s record. He taped his own version in 1959 while stationed in Germany with the US Army, a performance that went unreleased until 1997. Presley also asked his music publisher to create a new song around the melody, who gave the job to composers Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold. It took them two hours to complete the lyrics for “It’s Now or Never”, and Presley’s sensitive and elegant 1960 recording became the second biggest-selling single of his career.
https://www.ft.com/content/7c9e7874-1bad-11e7-a266-12672483791a
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