"Stranger In Paradise" was written by Robert Wright and George Forrest for the 1953 Broadway show Kismet, where it was sung by Richard Kiley and Doretta Morrow. Like all the other songs in that show, the melody was based on music composed by Alexander Borodin. In this case, it was a theme from his Polovetsian Dances in the Russian composer's 1890 opera Igor.
The most popular version was sung by Tony Bennett; his version peaked at #2 in the US. (The other side of the single, "Rags to Riches," reached #1).
Tony Bennett recalled in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh: "It was released three weeks before the show opened on Broadway, right in the middle of a newspaper strike. On the opening night when the audience hears the song they had heard me sing on the radio, they cheered. That helped Kismet become a huge hit without any reviews, just word of mouth."
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