Caterina

Words and Music by Earl Shuman

and Maurice "Bugs" Bower, 1961

Roncom Music Company

With Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra

and the Ray Charles Singers

Produced by Hugo & Luigi

Recorded in Webster Hall, New York City

Recording Engineer: Bob Simpson

Recording Time 2:11

Recorded February 14, 1962 ~ Matrix No. N5PW-1410 Take 5

Single release: RCA-45RPM-47-8004

Single Flip Side: "The Island of Forgotten Lovers"

US Chart Position No. 23

Charted Adult Contemporary No. 6 / German Chart Position No. 11

Italian Single release: RCA-45N-1272

Single Flip Side: "The Island of Forgotten Lovers "

Italian Chart No. 10

UK Single release: RCA-45RPM-1283

Single Flip Side: "The Island of Forgotten Lovers "

Belgian Chart No. 3 ( August, 1962 )

JAPAN Single release: RCA-45RPM-SS-1319

Single Flip Side: "The Island of Forgotten Lovers "

YUGOSLAVIA Single release: RCA Jugoton SRC-8085

Single Flip Side: "The Island of Forgotten Lovers "

GERMANY Single release: RCA-45RPM-PPBO-4106

Single Flip Side: "Hot Diggity ( Dog Ziggity Boom )"

Argentina Single release: RCA - 0114

Single Flip Side: "Maria"

UK Single Maxi Million Series 45-RPM RCA 2469-B ( 1963 )

Second Song Side B: "Delaware"

Single Flip Side A: "( I Love You ) Don't You Forget It"

Album issue: CAM-LP12 "An Evening with Perry Como" CAL-742 MONO 1963

Caterina / Island of Forgotten Lovers - Japan Single

Caterina / Island of Forgotten Lovers ~ Italian picture sleeve

Caterina / Island of Forgotten Lovers ~ Yugoslavian picture sleeve

'The crazy thing about this song', recalls Maurice ( Bugs ) Bower, 'is that we had a song, but we needed a title. We called it 'Caterina', and it turned out to be perfect because the title doesn't have to translate overseas . . . and we had this song, with the original title, in the Top Ten in almost every country in the world.' 'Caterina' added another hit to the list of Earl Shuman, who wrote such favourites as 'Seven Lonely Days', 'Hey There Lonely Boy', and 'Left Right Out of Your Heart'. Says Bower of Perry's recording, 'I think the record was popular with little kids because of all those 'ha-ha-ha's' and 'ho-ho-ho's' in it. Kid's think he's Santa Claus!'

( notes from "The Incomparable Como" Readers Digest UK compilation 1975 )