"Catch a Falling Star" is a song written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss. It was made famous by Perry Como who recorded and released his version in late 1957.
Background and chart performance
The song's melody is similar to a theme heard in Brahms' Academic Festival Overture, the Fuchslied (Was kommt dort von der Höh [de]). Perry Como's recording features the Ray Charles Singers, who sing the refrain as a repeated round.
It was Como's last number one hit in the United States,1 reaching number 1 on the Billboard "Most Played by Jockeys" chart, but not in the overall top 100, where it reached number 3.2 It was the first single to receive a Recording Industry Association of America gold record certification, on March 14, 1958.3 In Canada, the song reached number 12 on the CHUM Charts, February 3, 1958, co-charting with Magic Moments.4
Internationally, in 1958, the song also topped the Australian charts. In the UK Singles Chart, "Catch a Falling Star" peaked at number nine, whereas its B-side "Magic Moments" topped the charts.5
Accolades
The single won Como the 1959 Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Male.
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)6 | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
"Perry Como Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 14, 2009. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p3091/biography ↩
Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 187. /wiki/Joel_Whitburn ↩
"History Of The Awards". RIAA.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20070701162808/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinum.php?content_selector=historyx ↩
"CHUM Hit Parade - February 3, 1958". Retrieved February 10, 2023. http://chumtribute.com/58-02-03-chart.jpg ↩
"Perry Como". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 23, 2020. https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/1122/perry-como/ ↩
"American single certifications – Perry Como – Catch a Falling Star". Recording Industry Association of America. https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Perry+Como&ti=Catch+a+Falling+Star&format=Single&type=#search_section ↩