The Last Waltz (La dernière valse)

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The Last Waltz (Barry Mason, Les Reed)

It was one of Engelbert Humperdinck’s biggest hits, spending five weeks at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, from September 1967 to October 1967, and has since sold over 1.17 million copies in the United Kingdom.^[3]^[4]

International charts for the Humperdinck single, from Wikipedia:

Irish Singles Chart	1
UK Singles Chart^[9]	1
Australian Singles Chart	1
New Zealand Singles Chart	1
Austrian Top 40	3
Norwegian Singles Chart	3
Dutch Singles Chart	6
US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	6
Swiss Singles Chart	9
German Singles Chart	14
US Billboard Hot 100	25

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Engelbert Humperdinck — issued on 18 August 1967 in the UK on the single Decca F 12655, b/w “That Promise” (Gordon Mills); it was also the title track of a 1967 album

Some versions available in video libraries, such as the following, seem to have echo added. Videos exhibiting this effect are typically labelled “stereo” by their providers. Recording in stereo doesn’t, of course, automatically result in added echo, but this might provide a clue for those who wish to investigate the matter further.

Additional vocal recordings of “the Last Waltz” (original English lyric)

Anita Kerr Singers — from the 1967 album All You Need is Love, Warner Bros. Records ‎WS 1724

Petula Clark — from her album The Other Man’s Grass is Always Greener, Pye Records ‎NSPL 18211 (Stereo), Pye NPL 18211 (Mono), released on 1 January 1968

Connie Francis — from her 1969 album Connie Francis Sings the Songs of Les Reed, (US) MGM Records ‎SE-4655

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La dernière valse — lyric by Hubert Ithier

Ainsi va la vie, tout est bien fini
Il me reste une valse et mes larmes

Adapted from Wikipedia:

Recordings of a French-language version, titled “La dernière valse,” were released by Mireille Mathieu and Petula Clark in 1967. Mireille Mathieu’s version spent three weeks at number one in the French pop charts, and was also a hit in Britain, reaching #26. Petula Clark’s version entered the French charts in February 1968 and reached number two^[7] but did not chart in the UK.

Mireille Mathieu — issued in 1967 on the EP Barclay (France) 71.210 M (also 71210)

Mireille Mathieu — from a 1967 episode of the French TV series Tilt magazine

Petula Clark — issued in November 1967 on the EP Disques Vogue (FR) EPL 8 584 (also Disques Vogue EPL. 8584)

Tino Rossi — from the 1967 EP “La chapelle au clair de lune,” Columbia ‎(France) ESRF 1899

Ginette Reno — from her 1969 album Ginette Reno, Grand Prix (Canada) GPS 3301

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L’ultimo valzer — Italian lyric by Misselvia

Fausto Cigliano — issued in 1967 as the B-side of Gerusalemme Gerusalemme, Parade (Italy) PRC 5048

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Der letzte Walzer — German lyric by Kurt Feltz

Margot Eskens — from the 1968 LP Herzlichst für Sie, CBS (Germany) S 52655

presently unavailable

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Gerhard Wendland – presumably the same recording that appeared on the 1968 album Love, So Heißt Mein Song, (Germany) Philips 844 350 PY

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Son Dans — Turkish-language version

Zümrüt — issued in 1969 as the B-side of “Samanyolu“

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Selected instrumentals

Fausto Papetti — from the 1968 album 8a Raccolta, (Italy) Durium MS A 77189 (album also released in 1968 as I’ll Never Fall in Love Again, Durium MSA77189); later included in the compilation Petite Fleur, released in Germany in 1979

Klaus Wunderlich — issued as “The Last Waltz” on the 1968 LP Hammond Pops 2, Telefunken ‎(Germany) SLE 14 514-P

Oscar Denayer— from the 1978 album Accordeon Musette

Hideshi Kibi — accordion solo, 2008

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Mireille Mathieu — live, c. 1990

Enfin, Wikipedia notes that,^“The song is associated with the English football clubs, Peterborough United F.C. and Gillingham F.C.^[5]^[6]^”Don’t ask me why they incorporate the “la la la la” chorus of “Hey Jude” into the song. British, y’know.