Mostly Martha (song)

"Mostly Martha" is a popular song written by Ralph Sterling (music) and Dorcas Cochran (lyrics). The best-known version was recorded by The Crew-Cuts in 1955. This recording was released by Mercury Records as catalog number 70741 along with the flip side of "Angels In the Sky". It first reached the Billboard magazine charts on January 7, 1956. It peaked at #31 on the composite chart of the top 100 songs. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

The melody of the song is borrowed from the tenor aria usually known by its Italian title, "M'appari", composed in 1847 by the German Friedrich von Flotow. It was written for his opera L'Ame en Peine, but famous for its inclusion in his best-known work, Martha . The melody appears as part of the background music in Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film Rear Window .

References

1. Niemeyer, Daniel (2013). 1950s American Style: A Reference Guide (soft cover). ISBN   978-1-304-20165-2 . Retrieved 2025-11-14.
2. Hoffmann, Frank; Cooper, B. Lee; Haney, Wayne S. (2014-02-04). Rock Music in American Popular Culture III: More Rock 'n' Roll Resources. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-317-95759-1 . Retrieved 2025-11-14.
3. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1956-02-25. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
4. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1956-02-04. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
5. Whitburn, Joel (2012-07-18). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th Edition: Complete Chart Information about America's Most Popular Songs and Artists, 1955-2009. Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. ISBN   978-0-307-98512-5 . Retrieved 2025-11-14.
6. Warner, Jay (2006). American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   978-0-634-09978-6 . Retrieved 2025-11-14.