Lightly Latin

Lightly Latin is Perry Como's 13th RCA Victor 12" long-play album.^[4][5]

Lightly Latin
Studio album by Perry Como
Released	May 1966
Recorded	December 29, 30, 1965 ~ February 22, 25, 28, March 1, 1966
Genre	Vocal
Label	RCA Victor
Producer	Andy Wiswell
Perry Como chronology
The Scene Changes (1965) Lightly Latin (1966) Perry Como in Italy (1966)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]
Billboard	Positive [3]

Background

By 1966 Como semi-retired,^[2] but still released singles, with "Coo Coo Roo Coo Coo Paloma" being his only single to chart in 1966, reaching No. 12 on the AC chart,^[6] with that minor success he decided to release an album with more "light" latin songs.

Overview

The album features lighter Latin-American style arrangements by Nick Perito, his first collaboration with Como. The 1966 release includes five compositions by Brazilian guitarist and bossa Nova specialist Antonio Carlos Jobim, the recent Grammy Award winning hit from the Vincente Minnelli directed motion picture The Sandpiper; The Shadow Of Your Smile, and an early cover version of “Yesterday" by the Beatles.

The album reached No. 86 on Billboard Top LPs,^[7] with the minor success he made another language themed album a few months later.

Reception

Billboard said that "Perry's nation-wide TV following consistent record sales, coupled with the current interest in Latin music, make this one, (the album), a natural."^[3]

Track listing

Side 1

1. "How Insensitive" (music by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius De Moraes)
2. "Stay With Me" (Music by Nick Perito and lyrics by Ray Charles)
3. "(The) Shadow of Your Smile" (music by Johnny Mandel & words by Paul Francis Webster)
4. "Meditation" (music by Antonio Carlos Jobim with original lyrics by Newton Mendonça)
5. "And Roses and Roses" (words and music by Ray Gilbert and Dorival Caymmi)
6. "Yesterday" (words and music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney)

Side 2

1. "Coo Coo Roo Coo Coo Paloma" (music by Sosa Tomas Mendez and lyrics by Patricia P. Valando and Ronnie Carson)
2. "Dindi" (Music by Antônio Carlos Jobim with lyrics by Aloysio De Oliveira)
3. "Baía" (Music and original lyrics by Ary Evangelista Barroso)
4. "Once I Loved" (music by Antônio Carlos Jobim with lyrics by Vinicius De Moraes)
5. "Manhã de Carnaval" (music by Luiz Bonfá and lyrics by Antonio Mariz)
6. "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars" (music by Antônio Carlos Jobim, Gene Lees and Buddy Kaye)

Charts

Chart (1966)	Peak position
US Billboard Top LPs[7]	86
US Cashbox Top LPs[8]	65

References

1. Lightly Latin at AllMusic. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
2. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 1989. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4. Entry for Perry Como (unpublished preview)
3. "New LPs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 7, 1966. p. 2. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 12, 2025. Perry Como's album Lightly Latin is listed among the "New LPs" in this issue.
4. "Lightly Latin". Kokomo. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
5. "Lightly Latin-credits". AllMusic. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
6. "Billboard issue — June 18, 1966". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. June 18, 1966. p. 20. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved August 18, 2025. Reference to the song "Coo Coo Roo Coo Coo Paloma" in the context of new releases or chart listings.
7. Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top LPs, 1955–1996. Record Research. p. 35. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
8. Hoffmann, Frank W (1988). The Cash box album charts, 1955-1974. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. p. 120. ISBN 0-8108-2005-6.

External links

• Perry Como Discography