Fascination (1905 song)

"Fascination" is a popular waltz song with music (1904) by Fermo Dante Marchetti and lyrics (1905) by Maurice de Féraudy.^[1][2]

It was first published in Hamburg (Anton J. Benjamin) and Paris (Édition F. D. Marchetti) in 1904 in a version for piano solo ('Valse Tzigane'). As a song with de Féraudy's words, it was first performed by the French music-hall singer Paulette Darty, in 1905, and published the same year.^[3]

Recordings

With its English lyrics, by Dick Manning, "Fascination" was recorded by diverse artists including: Dick Jacobs, Nat King Cole, Earl Grant and David Carroll, all of whose versions, except Grant, made the charts. The Melachrino Strings recorded an instrumental version of the song in London on January 26, 1949. It was released by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog numbers B 9781, HN 2882, JK 2660 and SAB 121. Other instrumental versions include Paul Mauriat who recorded an instrumental version of the song on his album Best of France. Pete Fountain recorded it in a medley with "Basin Street Blues", "Tin Roof Blues" and "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans".

In 1957, two of the more popular recordings of "Fascination" were released, Dinah Shore went to #15 on the Billboard Most Played By Jockeys chart,^[4] while a recording by Jane Morgan was released by Kapp Records as catalog number 191, which proved to become her signature song. It first reached the Billboard magazine charts on September 9, 1957. On the Disk Jockey chart, it peaked at #7; on the Best Seller chart, at #12; on the composite chart of the top 100 songs, it reached #11.^[5]

Notable recordings in other languages

Apart from French and English there have been recording of "Fascination" in other languages:

• Carlos Galhardo recorded a Portuguese-language version in 1943.
• Elis Regina also recorded it for her album Falso Brilhante (1976).
• The song was also recorded in Portuguese and in Spanish in 1978 by Brazilian singer José Augusto.

Song in other media

• La dame de chez Maxim's (1933 Alexander Korda film), sung by Florelle (Odette Rousseau) as La Môme Crevette
• In the 1933 film The House on 56th Street, starring Kay Francis.
• On the soundtrack of the 1946 film, The Diary of a Chambermaid, starring Paulette Goddard.
• The theme was used prominently in the 1949 film Gigi directed by Jacqueline Audry.
• It was also popularized in the 1955 movie The Grand Maneuver by René Clair.
• Its popularity increased when used in the 1957 movie Love in the Afternoon directed by Billy Wilder.
• It has been featured on General Hospital numerous times, usually during Luke and Laura scenes.
• A faster-tempo version of this song featured in the first two Karate Kid films. Once during the scene at the country club, where Ali and Johnny are dancing together, the second occasion in Part II, when Daniel and Miyagi are in the car with Chozen, and Chozen dials the radio to a station that plays this same song. In The Next Karate Kid, Miyagi teaches Julie to dance to a vocal version of the song.
• Fascination was heard in Disney's Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977), in the scene where Herbie plays it on his radio, to the Lancia Scorpion later named "Giselle".
• "Fascination" was sung in the 2007 French film La Vie en rose (La Môme), by Maya Barsony, and is featured on the soundtrack.
• The first episode of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire featured an instrumental version of "Fascination".
• Frequently throughout the soundtrack of the 1942 film "Le Mariage de Chiffon", directed by Claude Autant-Lara.

The original French words

References