1953 Perry Como: Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes

An insanely popular star in the forties, Perry Como's own brand of crooning was already starting to sound a bit old and in the way by 1953, and in that respect this can be taken as an attempt to give a rusty image a fresh lick of paint. As a song, 'Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes' has a tricksy meter that can fly with a good humoured zip when pouring from the right mouth. Como, however, tries to bend the tune to his own style of delivery and unfortunately the song is too stubborn to yield (in much the way 'Long Tall Sally' would soon refuse to yield to Pat Boone). The parping horns and matey joshing of the backing vocals try to raise it above ground level, but ultimately this is a dull version that's more Perry Coma than Como. And yes, hands up that's a rotten pun, but this is a rotten single so they kind of deserve each other.