Five Cheers for Perry Como

By Mary Beth
July 4th, 2008

If anybody born after 1970 has heard of Perry Como—”The Comb” as he’s affectionately known in our house—chances are it’s in the context of Christmas. He hosted several holiday specials at the end of his public life, but those sweater-intensive moments only capped a lovely, gimmick-free, All-American career for a former barber out of Pennsylvania.

He was the great gentleman of pop music in the forties and fifties. In an era of Dean Martin’s drinking and Frank Sinatra’s divorcing, Como quietly went about his business of giving deceptively natural performances which belied his work ethic. He was gentle and happy and, well, a nice guy. Como was remarkable in his ordinariness, not a belter or an innovator… just a soft tenor marking him the guy next door who simply happened to be able to carry a tune. In an era in which each new pop tartlet seems to come complete with Internet sex tape, it’s sobering to realize that Como married his childhood sweetheart. And stayed married.

So since we’re on the opposite side of the calendar from Christmas, I’d like you to meet this guy, who sang purely, lived honestly, and worked hard—and therefore doesn’t seem to have a place in today’s music industry. Let’s have a Perry party:

Catch a Falling Star
The opening “tinks” at the top of the track were made by striking a nail against a glass Coke bottle. Who would stoop to something non-synthesized for a sound effect these days? Who, for that matter, would drink Coke out of a bottle these days?

Papa Loves Mambo
You might recognize this one from the second installment of the Back to the Future movies. It’s the song playing on Biff’s car radio as Marty works his way to the front seat, reaching for that infamous sports almanac. Even though the last time America saw a mambo was in the closing scenes of Dirty Dancing, this one’s entirely danceable.

Wind Beneath My Wings
“She stole Perry’s song!” my mother cried whenever Bette Midler’s cover of this one hit the radio in the ’90s. Yep, Perry did it first, and he did it without Beaches, too. Which can only work in his favor.

Mandolins in the Moonlight
It’s a wedge of cheese cut from the same wheel as “Papa Loves Mambo,” but even though we’re not in Venice in a gondola, Perry hears that touristy music anyway. Como was as Italian as Martin or Sinatra, but as the anti-Rat Packer, he didn’t receive nearly as much marinara love.

Ave Maria
Outside of “Home for the Holidays,” this might be Como’s best mark on the Christmas season. But he was a good Catholic boy, and he knew that this one was usable all year. Have a couple minutes of peace and reflection with this one.