"Carina" is a 1958 hit song written by Italian singer

Corrado Lojacono Corrado Lojacono (22 January 1924 – 23 October 2012) was an Italian singer, actor, record producer and songwriter. Life and career Born in Palermo, Lojacono moved to Milan with his family in 1931. He started performing in 1945, specializing in ...

under the pseudonym of composer "R. Poes", to Italian lyrics by

Alberto Testa Alberto Testa may refer to: *Alberto Testa (dancer) (1922–2019), Italian dancer *Alberto Testa (lyricist) (1927–2009), Italian composer and lyricist {{Hndis, Testa, Alberto ...

. He recorded the song himself in 1958 as the B-side to "Brivido Blu", but the song became his most successful song as a songwriter. The sheet music carried the names of six other Italian male singers who immediately recorded versions including

Fred Buscaglione Ferdinando "Fred" Buscaglione (; 23 November 1921 – 3 February 1960) was an Italian singer and actor who became very popular in the late 1950s. His public persona – the character he played both in his songs and his movies – was of a humoro ...

, and internationally the song was recorded by

Sophia Loren Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone (; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren ( , ), is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest female stars of Classical Hollywood ci ...

Caterina Valente Caterina Valente (born 14 January 1931) is a French multilingual singer, guitarist, and dancer of Italian ethnicity. Valente is a polyglot; she speaks six languages, and sings in eleven. While she is best known as a performer in Europe, Valente ...

Eddie Constantine Eddie Constantine (born Edward Israël Constantinowsky; October 29, 1917 – February 25, 1993) was an American singer, actor and entertainer who spent most of his career in France. He became well-known to film audiences for his portrayal of se ...

René Carol Gerhard Tschierschnitz, known as René Carol (Berlin, 11 April 1920 - Minden, 9 April 1978), was a German Schlager singer of the 1950s and 1960s. Hit singles Song title, year, German chart placement (all on Polydor) *''Maria aus Bahia'', 1948 ...

in Germany and

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...

(on ''When in Rome''). Lojacono's own recording was re-released as an A-side in 1959. The tune was also recorded as an instrumental by the

Ray Ellington Henry Pitts Brown (17 March 1916 – 27 February 1985), known professionally as Ray Ellington, was an English singer, drummer and bandleader. He is best known for his appearances on ''The Goon Show'' from 1951 to 1960. The Ray Ellington Quartet h ...

Quartet. The lyrics begin "Carina, allegra e spensierata sei carina" (Pretty, cheerful and carefree you're pretty).Obituary - Corrado Lojacono
"MILANO - Ricordate la canzone Carina (Carina, allegra e spensierata sei carina”)?"

References

1958 songs Cliff Richard songs Caterina Valente songs Songs with lyrics by Alberto Testa (lyricist) {{1950s-song-stub