"Be My Love"
Single by Mario Lanza
B-side"I'll Never Love You"
Released1950
Recorded1950
GenreTraditional pop
Length3:29
LabelRCA Victor Red Seal
Composer(s)Nicholas Brodszky
Lyricist(s)Sammy Cahn
Mario Lanza singles chronology
"Toast of New Orleans"
(1950) 		"Be My Love"
(1950) 		"Granada"
(1950)

"Be My Love" is a popular song with lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by Nicholas Brodszky. Published in 1950, it was written for Mario Lanza, who sang it with Kathryn Grayson in the 1950 movie The Toast of New Orleans.[1] The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1950 but lost to "Mona Lisa". He recorded it on June 27, 1950, with Ray Sinatra's orchestra.[2]

Lanza's 1950 recording of the song (released by RCA Victor Red Seal Records as catalog number 10-1561) was his first million-seller,[1] eventually selling over two million copies.[3] It was on the Billboard charts for 34 weeks, going to number one.[4] It was the theme song for Lanza's radio program, The Mario Lanza Show (1951–52). It eventually became so firmly linked to him that he wearied of it and resorted to spoofing it in private.[5]

Other versions

References

  1. ^ a b Mannering, Derek (2005). Mario Lanza: Singing to the Gods. Univ. Press of Mississippi. pp. 69, 74. ISBN 978-1-61703-425-1.
  2. ^ "b". members.optusnet.com.au. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
  3. ^ Parish, James R.; Pitts, Michael R. (2003). Hollywood Songsters: Garland to O'Connor. Taylor & Francis. p. 494. ISBN 978-0-415-94333-8.
  4. ^ Dean, Maury (2003). Rock and Roll. Algora Publishing. p. 416. ISBN 978-0-87586-207-1.
  5. ^ Bessette, Roland L. (1999). Mario Lanza: Tenor in Exile. Amadeus Press. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-57467-044-8.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1994). Joel Whitburn's Pop Hits, 1940–1954. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-106-2.
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Joel Whitburn Presents Across the Charts: The 1960s. Record Research. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-89820-175-8.
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