"I May Never Pass This Way Again" is a popular song, written by Murray Wizell and Irving Melsher.

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

performed the song on his TV show in November 1957, but it was first a hit for

Robert Earl Robert Earl (born 29 May 1951) is an English-American film producer, investor, restaurateur, and television personality. He is the founder and CEO of Planet Hollywood, chairman of the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, and host of ...

in the UK, where it reached No. 14 in 1958.

Background

The lyrics were first written by Murray Wizell, who then asked Irving Melsher to write the music. Soon after the song was written, Wizell and Melsher then became engaged in a legal dispute over the ownership of the song. The song was performed by

on his US TV show a number of times, first in November 1957; The performance was well-received and generated some interest, but before Como could record it, British singer

had recorded and released the song in the UK, together with another version by

Ronnie Hilton Ronnie Hilton (born Adrian Hill; 26 January 1926 – 21 February 2001) was an English singer. According to his obituary in ''The Guardian'' newspaper, "For a time Hilton was a star – strictly for home consumption – with nine Top 20 hits be ...

with the Michael Sammes Singers. Earl's version reached No. 14 on the UK chart in May 1958, while Hilton's version reached No. 27. Como's recording charted a month after the first two, peaking at No. 15 in the UK in June 1958. Como's version features the

Ray Charles Singers Ray Charles (born Charles Raymond Offenberg; September 13, 1918April 6, 2015) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, vocal arranger and conductor who was best known as organizer and leader of the Ray Charles Singers, who accompanied Pe ...

and

Mitchell Ayres Mitchell Ayres (December 24, 1909 – September 5, 1969) was an orchestra leader, music arranger, composer and performer. He is best known for his many years of work with Perry Como on radio, records, and television and as the musical condu ...

' orchestra. The song was included in his 1958 album '' When You Come to the End of the Day''.

Other versions

The song was covered by other artists in 1958, including

Dennis Lotis Dennis Lotis (8 March 1925 – 8 February 2023) was a South African-born British singer, actor, and entertainer, whose popularity was greatest in the 1950s. He was described as having "a sophisticated style that was particularly attractive to t ...

, and

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical tr ...

Kate Smith Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986) was an American contralto. Referred to as The First Lady of Radio, Smith became well known for her renditions of "God Bless America" and "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain". She began ...

recorded the song in 1965, on her gospel album, ''How Great Thou Art''.Discogs: Kate Smith - How Great Thou Art
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References

External links

* {{authority control 1958 songs 1958 singles Perry Como songs Kate Smith songs RCA Victor singles