Since 1935, the song has been most closely associated with Jeanette MacDonald, who played the lead role of "Marietta" in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayerfilm version of the operetta that was released in that year. The song proved to be one of her most popular; she recorded it multiple times throughout her lifetime and she often performed it during concerts and radio appearances for the rest of her career. Her recording of the song was released as RCA Victor 78 RPM single #10-1134-A with Orchestra and Maximilian Pilzer, conducting.
Cover versions and references in popular culture
Billy May recorded a Latin-styled version of the piece for his 1954 album Naughty Operetta![1] The recording was later included on Capitol'sUltra-Lounge Internet-only album "Ciao Bella!"[2]
The children's novel Zizzy Zing by Ursula Dubosarsky takes its name from a line of The Italian Street Song, which is played on a record by one of the characters.[3]
It was performed on Sesame Street by Plácido Flamingo, accompanied by an orchestra of animals making musical versions of their noises, conducted by Seiji Ozawa.
