Perry Como--And I Love You So (1973)

     A lot of people my age who read this blog (age 45 and up) might have forgotten that several of the pop singers of the early50's would still have the occasional hit even through the early/mid 70's. Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Perry Como would all have hits well into a time thought exclusive to rock bands and teen idols.
     I have always thought Perry Como to have one of the smoothest sounding voices in music. My problem with him has been his choice (or someone's choice) of material. He spent much of the 50's singing novelty songs like, "Papa Does Mambo", "Hot Diggity". This isn't saying that all of his time was spent doing that, but for a man of his talents, it just seemed like way much. While Sinatra was singing, "Summer Wind" and "Strangers in the Night", Como was hitting the charts with "Kewpie Doll" and "Catch A Falling Star".
      Not that it affected his popularity at all. In fact, thanks to his good looks, and laid back manner, he was a natural fit for television. From 1949 to 1959 he was on weekly, and from 1959 to 1967, was on about once a month on the Kraft Music Hall. His popularity far exceeded the other pop stars of his day just from sheer longevity.
      Because of this exposure, he was still a known name in music, especially for the older generation who still bought albums. He still was a presence on the pop charts however, "Seattle", and "It's Impossible" in 1969 and 1970 respectively, reached the top 40 with the latter making the top 10. As the decade wore on, it seems as though his effect on the pop charts had run out.
     "And I Love You So" was written by Don McLean (who wrote and sang "American Pie") and included on his 1970 debut album, "Tapestry". It reached #29 in the spring of 1973. He continued recording and touring well up in the 1980's.