"If (They Made Me a King)" is a

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

song with music written by

Tolchard Evans Sydney Edmund Tolchard Evans (20 September 1901 – 12 March 1978) was a British songwriter, composer, pianist and bandleader, whose works were popular from the 1920s to the 1960s. Early life He was born in West Kilburn, London, the son of Edmun ...

and the lyrics written by Robert Hargreaves and

Stanley J. Damerell Stanley J. Damerell (''aka'' Jack Stevens ''aka'' John Edward Stanley Damerell Stevens; ''né'' John Edward Stanley Stevens; 1 July 1878 – 12 December 1951) was, in his early life (1900s through to the early 1920s), a British vaudevillian actor ...

. The song was written in 1934, but the most popular versions were recorded in 1950-1951.

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...

's version, recorded November 28, 1950, was a number-one hit on the ''Billboard'' charts for eight weeks. The Como version was released under the following labels and catalog numbers: *In the United States, by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

, as catalog number 47-3997 with the flip side "Zing Zing - Zoom Zoom" *In Argentina, by ''Discos RCA Victor Argentina,'' as catalog number 68-0583 with the flip side "Zing Zing - Zoom Zoom" *In the United Kingdom, by

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

, as catalog number B-10042 with the flip side "Zing Zing - Zoom Zoom" *In Germany, by HMV, as catalog number X-7293 with the flip side being a Tony Martin/

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, and television personality, and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during ...

recording of "A Penny a Kiss"

Other charted versions in 1951

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop music singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classi ...

also recorded the song (with "queen" for "king" in the lyric). Her version, with the

Paul Weston Paul Weston (born Paul Wetstein; March 12, 1912 – September 20, 1996) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor who worked in music and television from the 1930s to the 1970s, pioneering mood music and becoming known as "the F ...

orchestra backing her, was recorded on October 16, 1950 and released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

as catalog number 39082. This reached No. 8 in the Billboard charts. *

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

recorded the song December 21, 1950, and scored a #10 hit. *

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

recorded the song December 2, 1950, and scored a #14 hit. *

Guy Lombardo Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was an Italian-Canadian-American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racer. Lombardo formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor, and othe ...

& His Royal Canadians (vocal by Bill Flanagan) - peaked at No. 20. *

The Ink Spots The Ink Spots were an American pop vocal group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style presaged the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely a ...

- peaked at No. 23. *

Jan Garber Jan Garber (born Jacob Charles Garber, November 5, 1894 – October 5, 1977) was an American violinist and jazz bandleader. Biography Garber was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He had his own band by the time he was 21. He became known as "The ...

& His Orchestra (vocal by Roy Cordell) - peaked at No. 26. *

Vic Damone Vic Damone (born Vito Rocco Farinola; June 12, 1928 – February 11, 2018) was an American traditional pop and big band singer and actor. He was best known for his performances of songs such as the number one hit " You're Breaking My Heart", an ...

- peaked at No. 28.

Other versions

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

- recorded February 6, 1951 for Decca Records (catalog No. 27481). *In 1961,

doowop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

group "The Paragons" released a version which peaked at No. 82 and spent 5 weeks in the Top 100. *

The Bachelors The Bachelors were a popular music group, originating from Dublin, Ireland, but primarily based in the United Kingdom. They had several international hits during the 1960s, including eight top-ten singles in the UK between 1963 and 1966. Car ...

- ''Presenting: The Bachelors'' (1964). *

Timi Yuro Rosemary Victoria Yuro (August 4, 1940 – March 30, 2004), known professionally as Timi Yuro, was an American singer-songwriter. Sometimes called "the little girl with the big voice," she is considered to be one of the first blue-eyed soul st ...

- this was another distaff version (substituting "queen" for "king") and included in her album ''The Amazing Timi Yuro'' (1964). *

Jerry Vale Jerry Vale (born Gennaro Louis Vitaliano; July 8, 1930 – May 18, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter and actor. During the 1950s and 1960s, he reached the top of the pop charts with his interpretations of romantic ballads, including a cover ...

- ''Jerry Vale's Greatest Hits'' (1961). *

Al Hirt Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java" and the accompanying album '' Honey in the Horn'' (1963), and for the them ...

released a version of the song in 1969. The song went to #16 on the

Adult Contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

and #116 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.Al Hirt's "If" Chart Positions
Retrieved March 24, 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:If They Made Me A King 1934 songs 1950 singles 1969 singles Songs written by Tolchard Evans Number-one singles in the United States Dean Martin songs Perry Como songs RCA Victor singles