The lyrics are intended to sound like Italian non-sense, cooed to a baby as a lullaby.[2]
Perry Como recording
The song was popularized by
Perry Como in
1947. The recording was released by
RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-2259. The record first reached the
Billboard charts on May 30, 1947, and lasted 12 weeks on the chart, peaking at No.1. The flip side of the record, "
When You Were Sweet Sixteen", was also a big hit, reaching No.2 on the chart.[3]
Other recordings
Adelaide Hall appears in the earliest post-war
BBCtelerecording singing "Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba (My Bambino Go to Sleep" live at RadiOlympia Theatre on October 7, 1947, for a
BBC TV show entitled Variety in Sepia.[4] When the show was originally broadcast on
BBC TV it was 60 minutes in length and also included performances from
Winifred Atwell,
Evelyn Dove,
Cyril Blake and his Calypso Band,
Edric Connor and
Mable Lee and was produced by Eric Fawcett. The six-minute footage of Miss Hall is all that survives of the show.[5]
Other recordings of the song were made by
Peggy Lee, by
Blue Barron, and by
The Charioteers about the same time.
The Wiggles also sang this song on their album and DVD Pop Go the Wiggles for
Anthony Field's newborn son, Antonio who debuted himself, although the song was not featured on the US version of the DVD.