Released 1957 | Recorded October 9, 1957 | |
Writer(s) Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss | ||
"Catch a Falling Star", written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss, is a song made famous by Perry Como's hit version, recorded and released in late 1957. It was Como's last #1 hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard "Most Played by Jockeys" chart but not in the overall top 100, where it reached #2. It was the first single to receive a gold record certification, on March 14, 1958. The song also topped the Australian charts in 1958. The single won Como the 1959 Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Male. Its melody is based on a theme from Brahms' Academic Festival Overture. The Como version features the Ray Charles Singers, who sing the refrain as a repeated round.
The song has been featured in several films, including The Princess Diaries, Love Actually, Everybody's Fine and Never Been Kissed. It was often featured in the TV series Lost, and was most often associated with Claire Littleton and her baby, Aaron. A musical phrase from the song appears in John Williams's score for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull during the motorcycle chase through the college.