"The Loveliest Night of the Year" 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 tota ...

song. The music was first published as a

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wal ...

called " Sobre las olas" ("Over the Waves") in 1888, written by Juventino P. Rosas. In

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...

, the music was adapted by Irving Aaronson with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster for the movie ''

The Great Caruso ''The Great Caruso'' is a 1951 biographical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Mario Lanza as Enrico Caruso. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Joe Pasternak with Jesse L. Lasky as associate producer from a screenplay ...

'', in which it was sung by

Ann Blyth Ann Marie Blyth (born August 16, 1928) is an American retired actress and singer. For her performance as Veda in the 1945 Michael Curtiz film ''Mildred Pierce'', Blyth was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She is one of ...

. Later, Mario Lanza recorded the song. It became one of the most popular songs of 1951, reaching number three in the US

Billboard Charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

. Lanza received his third

Gold Disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

for this song. In the UK, the song was a number one hit based on sales of sheet music. It reached the top spot in January 1952, staying there for four weeks. The song was also associated with Anne Shelton, whose contemporary recording was available alongside Lanza's. The instrumental version of the song is often associated with magicians performing their "magical tricks", and flying trapeze acts, with whom it is often played in the background, especially in

animated cartoon Animation is a method by which image, still figures are manipulated to appear as Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent cel, celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited ...

s. It is so commonly associated with these entertainments as to be iconic, although few people know it the music by name. In this fashion a snatch of the song featured on the single "Drowning in Berlin", a no.9 UK hit for The Mobiles in 1982.

Other film appearances

* 1936 - '' The Beloved Vagabond''

Other recordings

* 1950 -

Helen O'Connell Helen O'Connell (May 23, 1920 – September 9, 1993) was an American singer, actress, and hostess, described as "the quintessential big band singer of the 1940s". Early life Born in Lima, Ohio, O'Connell grew up in Toledo, Ohio. By the time ...

* 1951 -

* 1954 - Vera Lynn * 1960 - Connie Francis for her album ''More Italian Favorites''. * 1962 -

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

- included in his album ''

On the Happy Side ''On the Happy Side'' was a long-playing vinyl album recorded by Bing Crosby for his own company, Project Records and issued by Warner Bros. Records (W1482) in 1962. The album is in a “sing along” style and Crosby over-dubbed his vocals on acco ...

''. * 1962 -

Keely Smith Dorothy Jacqueline Keely (March 9, 1928The reference work ''The Encyclopedia of Native Music: More Than a Century of Recordings from Wax Cylinder to the Internet'' gives Smith's date of birth as March 9, 1932. – December 16, 2017), profession ...

for her album ''Because You're Mine''. * 1967- Paulo Diniz adapted the song in portuguese with the title "Seria Bom". * 2008 - Alfio for his album ''Classic Rewinds'', which pays tribute to Mario Lanza and 14 other popular Italian-American singers.

References

Songs with music by Juventino Rosas Songs with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster 1888 songs Mario Lanza songs {{pop-standard-stub