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."
I Love Thee
Mario Lanza Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
The song "Because You're Mine" is a love song by Mario Lanza about how the love of his life is the brightest star he sees and how it envies him for having her. The song talks about the different ways he adores her and how grateful he is to be with her. The song also mentions how every little thing reminds him of her and becomes a melody in his life. The lyrics are simple and sweet, showcasing the depth of his love and admiration for her.
The opening line “Because you're mine, the brightest star I see looks down, my love, and envies me because you're mine” is a metaphor for how his love is the brightest and the most significant thing in his life. The rest of the song follows the same theme but with different metaphors, such as the breeze becoming a melody, and the sound of their kiss being the sound of applause. The song expresses how much he loves her and how he cherishes every moment they spend together.
Overall, the song is a beautiful and heartfelt expression of love that is sure to make anyone feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Line by Line Meaning
Because you're mine, the brightest star I see looks down
My love, and envies me because you're mine
The love of my life, you are the center of my universe. The stars above us are envious of our indescribable love that transcends everything.
Because you're mine, because you're mine
The breeze that hurries by becomes a melody
My soul resonates with your love so deeply that every movement of the nature around us becomes a symphony in our honor.
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
My existence is dedicated to yours. I find my purpose in life through the only thing that matters to me: the love you give me.
And when we kiss that isn't thunder dear
It's only my poor heart you hear and it's applause
Whenever we embrace each other, it feels like a beautiful storm is happening. It's not the sound of thunder you hear, it's my heart beating so hard with love for you that my own body applauds it.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: NICHOLAS BRODSZKY, SAMMY CAHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ronaldtrone8567
My father sang this version at many weddings. It has always been one of my favorites. His voice was bass baritone. He is with God now; hearing this by Mario Lanza is such a joy. !
@31.01
The Greatest Tenor Voice Ever And For Eternity!!
@manny2032
An awesome golden voice.
@brucejackson4219
A superb synchrony and symbiosis of music, words and voice: deeply moving.
@gabryc.3004
Sempre e per sempre è stato e sarà il più grande tenore di tutti i tempi. Grazie per aver inserito questo pezzo
@tedwilson8271
Beautifully done by Mario Lanza, and his magnificent tenor voice!
@user-ct1ez8ll5u
Восторг !!!
@ferrantepallas
wow, what a voice!
@Annamaria-iq1wy
I love three.... E per l eternità... Bellissima musica e parole che potrebbero essere dedicate a lui e alla sua voce!
@peterchristopher3527
This last recording is rich ,and beautiful ,but note it was recorded a half step lower than the earlier performances.