I remember David Whitfield's recording of Cara Mia back in the early to mid fifties. Great voice, tenor, operatic in quality. It stayed on top of the Hit Parade for several weeks.

As a result, everybody else had to take a crack at it, resulting in some pretty gawdawful renditions. Mario Lanza, of course, had to have a go. Overdramatizing and swooping from note to note like a trapeze artist, it was next to unlistenable and sank like a rock in the ratings. The only other singer who was able to do it justice was Dennis Day, the regular singer on the Jack Benny Show. He was a genuine Irish tenor.

But the best all-around performance was David Whitfield's

Don Firth

P. S. As to many of the subsequent renditions, think of Bob Dylan singing Nessun Dorma.