One-Hit Wonders: Lolita’s "Sailor (Your Home Is The Sea)"

May 13, 2011 9:00 AM

Lolita – “Sailor” (Kapp Records, 1960)

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An improbable hit-maker, Lolita Ditta scored a Number 5 hit in the US in 1960, with a song performed entirely in German.

Performing under just her first name, Lolita was an Austrian-born children’s nurse who singing career never went further than the local church choir. In a sort of Sound of Music storyline, Ditta’s chance performance on local radio won her offers to appear on TV and make records.

“Sailor,” which was picked up in the US by Kapp Records in 1960, was the result of her efforts and, despite being sung entirely in German, the melody shone through and won Lolita a spot in the Billboard Top 5.

However, like some others who scored hits in the US in foreign languages (Kyu Sakamoto, for example), Lolita’s success was short-lived. “Sailor” was her lone Top 40 record.