Rags to Riches (song)

"Rags to Riches" is a 1953 popular song by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The best-known version of the song, recorded by Tony Bennett with Percy Faith and his orchestra, was number one for eight weeks on the Billboard chart in 1953 and became a gold record. In the same year, a version by David Whitfield reached number three in the British charts and one by Billy Ward and his Dominoes with Jackie Wilson singing lead made number two on Billboard's R&B chart. Later recordings by Sunny & the Sunliners (#45 in 1963) and Elvis Presley (#33 in 1971) also made the Billboard charts.

A recording by Les Howard with orchestra conducted by Frank Cordell was made in London on November 14, 1953. It was released by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10610.

Tony Bennett's version was used at the beginning of the film Goodfellas, just after Henry Hill closes the trunk of the car and says in voice-over, "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster." The song was also used in an episode of Columbo.

The opening line of the song was sung regularly and exuberantly by the character Carmine Ragusa on the television series Laverne & Shirley, typically when he had good news.

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