Bella Notte - Umberto Marcato

Here's a cover of Bella Notte by Italian artist UBERTO MARCATO. I found this track on a value CD called ABSOLUTE ITALIAN CLASSICS and don't really know much more about it, except that it was recorded in 1957.

I don't really know much about Uberto Marcato either so if any of you out there know a good Umberto Marcato website or what album this song originally appeared on, please let me know!

Bella Notte Umberto Marcato 1957

La La Lu - Sugiurumn

If Alan Reed were alive today he would be turning 101! If you don't recognize the name, you probably would recognize his voice as Fred Flintstone from The Flintstones!

But wait, isn't this a Disney blog? Why are you talking about a Hanna-Barbera TV show? Well, because Alan Reed provided the voice of Boris in Lady and the Tramp in 1955, four years before the debut of The Flintstones.

Reed was an accomplished actor by the time he worked on Lady and the Tramp. However, the only animation voice work he had done before this was an uncredited announcer in the 1937 Looney Tune, Porky's Romance.

This version of La La Lu can be found on the unique Japanese album DISNEY AGE @ D_100 CAFE. SUGIURUMN is a Japanese DJ who has been recording music and remixing other artists' stuff since 2000. He will be releasing a new remix album later this month.

La La Lu Sugiurumn 2001

The Siamese Cat Song - Bobby McFerrin

I don't have much time today for a long post so here is an awesome track off SIMPLY MAD ABOUT THE MOUSE by BOBBY McFERRIN.

The song is The Siamese Cat Song from Lady and the Tramp.

The Siamese Cat Song Bobby McFerrin 1991

Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat/The Siamese Cat Song/The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room - On the Record Cast

It's been a few months since I posted a track from the On the Record Broadway Musical.

The main bulk of this song is Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat from the Aristocats but you will also hear a sample of the Siamese Cat Song from Lady and the Tramp as well as the Tiki Tiki Tiki Room from the Enchanted Tiki Room ride in Disneyland.

Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Cat/The Siamese Cat Song/The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room On the Record Cast 2005

Bella Notte - Steve Tyrell

Based on Ward Greene's short story Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog, Walt Disney's 15th animated feature film, Lady and the Tramp, has gained a solid place in the history of the studio.

The most memorable song in the film has got to be Bella Notte, a love ballad that is sung to the titular characters as they shared the same plate of spaghetti. This scene, even though it was created for the film and was never in the original story, has become a well recognized scene. It is argued to be the most romantic moment in Disney animation and has been parodied many times over the years.

This version is by pop jazz artist STEVE TYRELL and is a classy reworking of the song. I particularly like it when he breaks into Italian toward the end.

Bella Notte Steve Tyrell 2006

He's a Tramp - Bette Midler

Here's a charming cover of Peggy Lee's He's a Tramp from Lady and the Tramp by well-known singer and actor BETTE MIDLER from her 2005 album BETTE MIDLER SINGS THE PEGGY LEE SONGBOOK.

If you've been alive in the later half of the 20th century then you should know who Bette Midler is. She has more albums than you can shake a stick at and a healthy list of movie credits including The Rose and For the Boys which got her two Academy Award nominations for Best Actress.

Midler's style on this track both vocally and musically is so similar to the Peggy Lee original that it almost sounds the same. A great tribute to Peggy but not that great of a cover. However, I do like having the Siamese Cat Song at the beginning.

He's a Tramp Bette Midler 2005

Bella Notte - Demis Roussos

Here's a song that I can't believe I haven't covered yet. Bella Notte, the love ballad from Lady and the Tramp. This song has become very popular for Italian singers to cover, but today's cover is not one of those.

DEMIS ROUSSOS is from Egypt but he started his career in Greece when he was 17. After playing in a number of folk cover bands he met up with Aphrodite's Child and joined the group as a lead singer in 1968. His operatic style put the band on the map and after their break up in 1971 Pandolfi had a sucessful solo career. Many of his EPs and single have reached number one in the UK but Roussos remains under the radar in North America.

You'll hear a good sample of his vocal ability in his cover of Bella Notte which he recorded for his 1996 album SERENADE.

Bella Notte Demis Roussos 1996

Bella Notte/Les Poissons - On the Record Cast

It's the fifth Friday of the month and that means that I am going to fulfill a reader request. The first request I got was one from an anonymous reader asking for covers of Poor Unfortunate Souls and Les Poissons, obviously this person is a Little Mermaid fan.

Well, I don't really have any covers of either of these songs, except a version of Poor Unfortunate Souls by the Jonas Brothers. But I do have this one from the Disney's On the Record Broadway musical. It is a medley of Lady and the Tramp's Bella Notte and Les Poissons. Is this an unusual pairing for a medley? Yes. But it is part of the seventh session in the musical that features songs about animals (Bella Notte is a little bit of a stretch because it's not really about animals).

Take a listen anyway. It's cool how they mash these two songs together. And I don't really have anything to say about the history of this song or the performers or anything, except that today is the day that On the Record began performances in Chicago at The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.

Bella Notte/Les Poissons On the Record Cast 2004