Operatic career:
Born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was exposed to opera and singing at a young age, and by the age of 16 his vocal talent became apparent. Starting out in local operatic productions in Philadelphia, he later came to the attention of conductor Serge Koussevitzky, who provided young Cocozza with a full student scholarship to the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood in Massachusetts. Koussevitzky would later tell Lanza that, "Yours is a voice such as is heard once in a hundred years."
His operatic debut, as Fenton in Otto Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor, was at Tanglewood on August 7, 1942, after just six weeks of study with conductors Boris Goldovsky and Leonard Bernstein. It was here that Cocozza adopted his stage name from his mother Maria's maiden name of Lanza. His performances at Tanglewood won him critical acclaim, with Noel Straus of The New York Times hailing the 21-year-old tenor as having "few equals among tenors of the day in terms of quality, warmth, and power."
His operatic career was interrupted by World War II, when he was assigned to Special Services in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He appeared on the wartime shows On the Beam and Winged Victory while in the Air Corps.
He resumed his singing career in October 1945 on the CBS radio program Great Moments in Music, where he made six appearances singing various operatic selections. He later studied under Enrico Rosati for fifteen months, then embarked on an 86-concert tour of the United States, Canada and Mexico between July 1947 and May 1948 with George London and Frances Yeend. In April 1948, he sang Pinkerton in the New Orleans Opera's Madama Butterfly. A concert at the Hollywood Bowl brought Lanza to the attention of MGM's Louis B. Mayer, who signed Lanza to a seven-year film contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer. This would prove to be a turning point in the young singer's career.
Film career:
MGM's contract with Lanza required him to commit to the studio for six months, and at first Lanza was able to combine his film career with his operatic one, singing two acclaimed performances as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly for the New Orleans Opera Association in April 1948. He also continued to perform in concert, both in solo appearances and as part of the Bel Canto Trio with George London and Frances Yeend. In May 1949, he made his first commercial recordings with RCA Victor. However, his first two films, That Midnight Kiss and The Toast of New Orleans, were very successful, as was his recording career, and Lanza's fame increased dramatically.
In 1951, Lanza portrayed Enrico Caruso in The Great Caruso, which proved to be an astonishing success. At the same time, his popularity exposed Lanza to intense criticism by music critics, including those who had praised his work years earlier.
In 1954, Lanza was dismissed by MGM after he had pre-recorded the songs for The Student Prince. The film was subsequently made with actor Edmund Purdom miming to Lanza's vocals. During this period Lanza came very close to bankruptcy as a result of poor investment decisions made by his former manager. Owing about $250,000 in back taxes to the IRS, Lanza withdrew from the public eye for a time.
Mario Lanza at home.He returned to an active film career in 1956 in Serenade; despite its strong musical content, it was not as successful as his previous films. Lanza then moved to Rome, Italy in May 1957, where he worked on the film Seven Hills of Rome and returned to live performing in a series of acclaimed concerts throughout Britain, Ireland and the European Continent. In early 1958, he auditioned for the management of La Scala in Milan, and was immediately offered a minimum two-year contract to sing at that theatre. The opera initially discussed was Puccini's Tosca. Later that year, Lanza also agreed to open the 1960/61 season at the Rome Opera as Canio in Pagliacci. At the same time, however, his health began to decline, with the tenor suffering from a variety of ailments, including phlebitis and acute high blood pressure. The following year, in April 1959, Lanza suffered a minor heart attack, followed by double pneumonia in August. He died in Rome in October of that year at the age of 38 from a pulmonary embolism. His widow moved back to Hollywood with their four children and died of a drug overdose five months later; the younger of their two sons died of a heart attack at the age of 37. When Lanza died rumors spread that the notorious mob boss Lucky Luciano (Salvatore Luciano) had had him killed after he refused to perform for him but those rumors quickly died down because they simply were not true. Soprano Maria Callas would later say of him, "My biggest regret is not to have had the opportunity to sing with the greatest tenor voice I've ever heard."
Lanza's short career covered opera, radio, concerts, recordings, and motion pictures. He was the first artist for RCA Victor Red Seal to receive a gold disc. He was also the first artist to sell two and half million albums. A highly influential artist, Lanza has been credited with inspiring the careers of successive generations of opera singers, including Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Leo Nucci and Jose Carreras, as well as those of singers with seemingly different backgrounds, and influences, his RCA Victor label-mate Elvis Presley being the most notable example. In 1994, tenor José Carreras paid tribute to Lanza in a worldwide concert tour, saying of him, "If I'm an opera singer, it's thanks to Mario Lanza."
Because
Mario Lanza Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With naught save love,
And hold my hand and lift mine eyes above,
A wider world of hope and joy I see,
Because you come to me!
Because you speak to me in accent sweet,
I find the roses waking 'round my feet,
Because you speak to me!
Because God made thee mine,
I'll cherish thee,
Through light and darkness through all time to be,
And pray His love may make our love divine,
Because God made thee mine!
In Mario Lanza's song "Because," the singer expresses gratitude towards his lover for bringing hope and joy into his life. The opening line refers to the lover's unwavering love and how it has the power to lift the singer's spirit. The holding of hands and lifting of eyes suggests a sense of comfort and reassurance from the beloved which makes the singer feel secure and optimistic about the future. The second stanza continues this theme of comfort with the lover's sweet accent, leading the singer through both ups and downs, tears and joy.
The final stanza is a declaration of the singer's love, as he promises to cherish his lover through light and darkness, throughout all time. The phrase "Because God made thee mine" reinforces the idea that the couple's connection is divinely ordained and their love is a sacred bond. Lanza's passionate and emotional delivery of these lyrics underscores the intensity of the bond between the singer and his beloved.
Line by Line Meaning
Because, you come to me,
Your presence in my life brings hope and joy.
With naught save love,
You bring only love and nothing else.
And hold my hand and lift mine eyes above,
You guide me through life and make me see the beauty of the world.
A wider world of hope and joy I see,
Your presence brings me hope and happiness that extends beyond my immediate surroundings.
Because you come to me!
Because of your love and support, I am able to face life's challenges with strength and courage.
Because you speak to me in accent sweet,
Your voice is music to my ears and it fills my life with love and positivity.
I find the roses waking 'round my feet,
Your love makes my surroundings beautiful and fills my heart with joy.
And I am led through tears and joy to thee,
Through highs and lows, laughter and tears, you are always by my side, guiding me to happiness.
Because God made thee mine,
I am grateful to have you in my life, and I know that our love is meant to be.
I'll cherish thee,
I will always treasure you and hold you dear to my heart.
Through light and darkness through all time to be,
I will stand by you no matter what obstacles we may face, now and forevermore.
And pray His love may make our love divine,
I pray that our love continues to be blessed and guided by a greater force.
Because God made thee mine!
I am thankful for the love that God has bestowed upon us, for without it, we would not have found each other.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Guy D'hardelot, Edward F. Lockton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Margaret Gaskell
Because you're mine the brightest star I see looks down
My love, and envies me because you're mine
Because you're mine because you're mine
The breeze that hurries by becomes a melody
And why, because you're mine, because you're mine
I only know for as long as I may live
I'll only live for the kiss that you alone may give me
And when we kiss that isn't thunder dear
It's only my poor heart you hear, and it's applause
Because you're mine! because you're mine!
Because you're mine the brightest star I see looks down
My love, and envies me because you're mine
Because you're mine because you're mine
The breeze that hurries by becomes a melody
And why, because you're mine, because you're mine
I only know for as long as I may live
I'll only live for the kiss that you alone may give me
And when we kiss that isn't thunder dear
It's only my poor heart you hear, and it's applause
Barbara Elwis
My favourite of all Marios songs. Encapsulates the power and the tenderness of Lanzas voice. Wonderful!!
Terry
Fantastic voice I,ll walk with God is my best of all
Giovanna L.
Mi piacerebbe vedere e ascoltare una serata con queste canzoni in un teatro meravigliosi
Carla Eva Badani Schoneweg
Que extraordinario Mario Lanza….maravillosa voz y como interpreta las canciones….no hay nadie como el. Mi padre me contaba su historia de vida cuando daban sus películas. Inolvidable.
Наталья Мальцева
Можно слушать бесконечно! С юных лет люблю его голос.
Catherine Luther
Absolutely beautiful, never will there ever be a voice so amazing, and with such feeling and devotion. 🤗.
andrew cupido
Mario Lanza is one of the greatest tenors who ever lived with a broad beautiful voice...and should be respected.
Del Schneider
Better than Caruso or Pavarotti, both also great and beautiful voices
Карина Маргунова
Весь секрет великого певца 🙏💕🙏💕🙏💕 в его огромной добрейшей душе Марио Ланца!!!
Barbara Elwis
I listened to Lanza growing up as my dad adored his voice. Then concentrated on other tenors such as Pavarotti and Domingo. I would like to thank Vincent for bringing me back to this great man's voice.