"Lawrence Welk Calcutta"
0"LAWRENCE WELK! WHAT ARE YOU DOIN' HERE? Well, I happen to be a Lawrence Welk fan (yes, for real.) and I happen to LOVE this breezy little tune, that's what he's doing here! There is an interesting backstory to this one that I only recently learned when I finally decided to dig out the song's history. VERY interesting, especially the last fact about this tune's performance of the charts (including one I'd NEVER have guessed!)
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)
"Calcutta" is a German pop song. The tune was written in 1958 by the composer Heino Gaze. The original title was "Tivoli Melody", but it was re-titled several times, until it finally was named for the Indian city of Kolkata, known in German as Kalkutta and in English as Calcutta. In the English-speaking world, the song was released under the title "Calcutta", and the American songwriting team of Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss wrote English lyrics, celebrating the charms of the "ladies of Calcutta."
Welk's recording of the tune was something of a departure for him. It incorporated his recognizable "trademarks," i.e., the harpsichord lead and an accordion but combined them with handclaps and a brisk rock rhythm.
"Calcutta" stayed atop the US pop chart for two weeks while the album, with its combination of easy listening tunes and covers of then-popular rock singles, charted at #1 for two weeks,[1] spending three months on the chart. At the time "Calcutta" reached #1, Welk, who was 57, became the oldest artist to have a number one pop single in the U.S. (His record would be broken three years later by Louis Armstrong who at age 63 topped the singles charts with "Hello, Dolly!" in early 1964.)
(LLLLL0000K AT THIS!) "Calcutta" was also a hit on the Hot R&B Sides chart, where it peaked at #10.[2] It proved to be the last charting hit of Welk's career.
Yep, GET IT, LAWRENCE!"