Mar 18, 20222 min read

It's Impossible/The Way of Love - Perry Como (1970)/Cher (1972) 3/18/22

To me, one of the most interesting things about early '70s music is its diversity of style. On any good Top 40 radio station, you'd hear Rock & Roll, Pop, Soul, Country, and all sorts of combinations of the three.

Occasionally, you'd even hear a song in a foreign language, or something by a pre-rock era crooner...like Perry Como.

Today's "Great Song of 1970," started out as a song in a foreign language, was translated into another foreign language...and ended up as TWO DIFFERENT "Great Songs of the '70s." In English.

See if you can follow the history. I promise it will (at least) be somewhat interesting. :-)

In 1950, the Eurovision song contest was created to help promote cooperation between European countries after World War II...and continues to be held every year.

Each participating country submits an original song to be performed on live television and radio, transmitted to national broadcasters via the EBU's Eurovision and Euroradio networks, with competing countries then casting votes for the other countries' songs to determine a winner.

In 1960, the song, "J'ai le mal de toi" ("The Way of Love") by Jack Dieval and Michel Rivgauche was considered for entry by France, but rejected. But wait...

In 1968, Armando Manzareno wrote original Spanish lyrics and recorded a version as "Somos Novios." It was altered just enough to be different than the original. But wait...

In 1970, Sid Wayne took the slightly different melody and completely rewrote the lyrics in English. Sid originally thought the song would be perfect for Elvis Presley...but at the last minute, he changed his mind and submitted it to Perry Como.

Under it's new English title, "It's Impossible," Perry's patented relaxed vocal style gently propelled the song to #1 on Billboard's Easy Listening Chart...and most amazingly, to #10 on the Hot 100. The song also reached #4 in Canada and the UK. It was nominated for "Song of the Year" at the 1971 Grammy Awards, and has been covered by everyone from Elvis...to Andrea Bocelli and Katharine McPhee...to Christina Agulera.

But wait...

By 1972, the original French version from 1960 had been translated into English and recorded by several artists with mixed results...but when Cher wrapped her distinctive vocal chords around it, "The Way Of Love" went to #2 on the adult Contemporary Chart and #7 on the Hot 100!

So what we ended up with is two "Great Songs of the '70s" developed and adapted from one original source and three different languages.

And that's the kind of thing that could (and did) happen in popular music during the early 1970s! Check out these links:

"It's Impossible" by Perry Como (1970)