Rags to Riches (1953 song)

"Rags to Riches"
Song by Elvis Presley
B-side	"Where Did They Go, Lord"
Released	February 23, 1971
Recorded	September 22, 1970
Songwriter(s)	Richard Adler
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"I Really Don't Want to Know" "Rags to Riches" "Life"

"Rags to Riches" is a 1953 popular song by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross.

Background

It is based on a famous Russian tune called "Volga Melody" by Yuri Shchetkov sometimes known as "Samara My Lovely Town." The bridge passage or middle 8 was inserted by the composer.

Tony Bennett recording

The best-known version of the song, recorded by Tony Bennett with Percy Faith and his orchestra, was number one for eight weeks on the Billboard chart in 1953 and became a gold record. In 2012, he recorded a Spanglish version with bachata singer Romeo Santos for his album Viva Duets.

Other versions

• Later in 1953, a version by David Whitfield reached number three in the British charts
• Another version in 1953, by Billy Ward and his Dominoes with Jackie Wilson singing lead made number two on Billboard's Most Played in Juke Boxes chart.
• Later recordings by Sunny & the Sunliners (#45 in 1963) and Elvis Presley (#33 in 1971) also made the Billboard charts.

In popular culture

• Tony Bennett's version was featured in the opening sequence of the 1990 film Goodfellas.
• The opening line of the song was sung regularly and exuberantly by the character Carmine Ragusa on the television series Laverne & Shirley, typically when he had good news.
• Jackie Wilson's version of the song is featured in the 2010 video game Mafia II.

See also

• List of number-one singles of 1953 (U.S.)