Como esta?

One of the classic crooners, in the same league as Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams and Tony Bennett, Perry Como used to have a Christmas special which I looked forward to watching year after year. Now gone, Como's TV special has been replaced by several singers, including Barry Manilow, even the American idol runner up, Clay Aiken. I bet Como's songs are staples in ballrooms, including in cruise ships, where there's fine dining and dancing.

"In 1932, Como left Canonsburg, moving about 100 miles away to Meadville, Pennsylvania, where his uncle had a barber shop in the Hotel Conneaut there. About 80 miles from Cleveland, it was a stop on the itinerary for dance bands who worked up and down the Ohio Valley. Como, Roselle, and their friends had gone to nearby Cleveland; their good times took them to the Silver Slipper Ballroom where Freddy Carlone and his orchestra were playing. Carlone invited anyone who thought he might have singing talent to come up and sing with his band. Young Como was terrified, but his friends urged him onto the stage. The young man wasn't certain if he should accept the offer Freddy Carlone made, so he returned to Canonsburg to talk the matter over with his father. Perry expected he would tell him to stay in the barber business, but to his surprise, the senior Como told him if he didn't give this a try, he would never know if he could be a professional singer or not. Roselle was willing to be a wife on the road, traveling with her husband and the band; they were married in Meadville in 1933. The decision was also made with an eye on finances; Como earned $125 per week from his barber business while the job with Carlone paid $28 per week. Como joined Freddy Carlone's band, and three years later moved up to Ted Weems' Orchestra and his first recording dates. Their first recording was a novelty tune called "You Can't Pull the Wool Over My Eyes", recorded for the Decca Records label."

By Perry Como

And I love you so
The people ask me how
How I've lived 'til now
I tell them I don't know

I guess they understand
How lonely life has been
But life began again
The day you took my hand

And yes I know, how lonely life can be
The shadows follow me
And the night won't set me free
But I don't let the evening get me down
Now that you're around me

And you love me too
Your thoughts are just for me
You set my spirit free
I'm happy that you do

The book of life is brief
And once a page is read
All but life is dead
That is my belief

And yes I know, how lonely life can be
The shadows follow me
And the night won't set me free
But I don't let the evening get me down
Now that you're around me