| The Student Prince | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1954 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Mario Lanza chronology | ||||
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Mario Lanza Sings the Hit Songs from "The Student Prince" and Other Great Musical Comedies, or simply The Student Prince, is an album by tenor Mario Lanza containing songs from the 1954 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Student Prince that was originally going to feature him in the title role.
The songs from The Student Prince were recorded by Lanza with an orchestra conducted by Constantine Callinicos. The recording sessions took place at MGM Studios in Hollywood in July–August 1952. [1] After Lanza reportedly walked out of the film set and refused to work under the direction of film director Curtis Bernhardt, these recordings were used for the film – with Edmund Purdom, who substituted Lanza in the title role, lip-synching to them. [2] [ better source needed ] (One song, "Beloved", had to be re-recorded for use in the film on a later date. That was done by Lanza at MGM Studios on 20 May 1953.) [1]
The album was released on the RCA Victor record label in 1954 – in the same year as the film was premiered.
It was available both in LP and EP formats (catalog nos. LM-1837 and ERB 1837, respectively). [3] The LP version contained one side of songs not included in the film and was titled Mario Lanza Sings the Hit Songs from "The Student Prince" and Other Great Musical Comedies. [4] The EP version (two records in a gatefold cover) contained only songs from the film and was titled Mario Lanza Sings the Hit Songs from "The Student Prince". [5]
The LP album was listed on Billboard's charts as either just Student Prince (originally) [3] or as Student Prince & Other Great Musical Comedy Hits (in 1959–1960). [6] [7] In 1971, RCA reissued the album in reprocessed stereo sound with new cover art and revised title Mario Lanza Sings Hit Songs From The Student Prince and Other Great Musicals catalog no. LSC-3216(e).
Both the LP and EP versions spent numerous weeks at number one on Billboard's Best Selling Popular Albums chart – on the "LPs" and "EPs" halves of the chart, respectively. [3] [8] [9]
12-inch LP (RCA Victor LM 1837)
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Note(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Orchestral introduction" | Sigmund Romberg | From The Student Prince | ||
| 2. | "Serenade" | Dorothy Donnelly | Sigmund Romberg | From The Student Prince | |
| 3. | "Golden Days" | Dorothy Donnelly | Sigmund Romberg | From The Student Prince | |
| 4. | "Drink, Drink, Drink" (with chorus) | Dorothy Donnelly | Sigmund Romberg | From The Student Prince | |
| 5. | "Summertime in Heidelberg" (with Elizabeth Doubleday, soprano) | Paul Francis Webster | Nicholas Brodszky | From The Student Prince | |
| 6. | "Beloved" | Paul Francis Webster | Nicholas Brodszky | From The Student Prince | |
| 7. | "Gaudeamus igitur" (with male chorus) | Traditional | Traditional | From The Student Prince | |
| 8. | "Deep in My Heart, Dear" (with Elizabeth Doubleday, soprano) | Dorothy Donnelly | Sigmund Romberg | From The Student Prince | |
| 9. | "I'll Walk with God" (with chorus) | Paul Francis Webster | Nicholas Brodszky | From The Student Prince |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Note(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Yours Is My Heart Alone" | Franz Lehár | From the musical Land of Smiles | ||
| 2. | "Romance" | Walter Donaldson | Edgar Leslie | From the film Cameo Kirby | |
| 3. | "I'll See You Again" | Noel Coward | Noel Coward | From the musical Bittersweet | |
| 4. | "If I Loved You" | Oscar Hammerstein II | Richard Rodgers | From the musical Carousel | |
| 5. | "I'll Be Seeing You" | Irving Kahal | Sammy Fain | From The Royal Palm Review | |
| 6. | "One Night of Love" | Gus Kahn | Victor Schertzinger | From the Columbia film One Night of Love |
Album of two EPs (RCA Victor ERB 1837)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Orchestral introduction" | |
| 2. | "Serenade" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Golden Days" | |
| 2. | "Drink, Drink, Drink" | |
| 3. | "Summertime in Heidelberg" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Beloved" | |
| 2. | "Gaudeamus igitur" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Deep in My Heart, Dear" | |
| 2. | "I'll Walk with God" |
| Chart (1954–1955) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Best Selling Popular Albums – LPs [10] | 1 |
| US Billboard Best Selling Popular Albums – EPs [11] | 1 |
| Chart (1959–1960) | Peak position |
| US Billboard Top LPs – Best Selling Monophonic LPs [6] | 11 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) [12] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
