Be My Love

Written for the 1950 film The Toast of New Orleans, “Be My Love” became Mario Lanza’s breakthrough hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard charts and selling over two million copies — one of the biggest recordings of his career.

The song’s operatic sweep made it an unlikely pop standard, but Cahn’s direct, heartfelt lyric gave it universal appeal. Keith Jarrett’s spare 1999 piano interpretation on The Melody at Night, With You is a testament to the song’s enduring melodic strength.