"Callow-la-vita" is a song by British singer-songwriter Raymond Froggatt recorded and released by his eponymous band as a debut single in April 1968.
In an interview in 1972, Raymond Froggatt said that the song "becoming such a massive hit was one of the worst things that ever happened", as "people still haven't forgotten about it.
[9] Recorded at Lansdowne Studios, the band were joined by trumpet session musicians, and the brass and saxophone arrangements were done by Les Reed.
The song also includes a verse in French, which had to be written down phonetically as Clark didn't speak the language and he later said "I didn’t know what the hell I was singing about until Top Of The Pops put a translation on screen".
[9] Reviewing the Dave Clark Five version and the reissue of Raymond Froggatt's version for New Musical Express, Derek Johnson wrote that "it's an extremely catchy tune, with a lyrical, flowing quality and the Froggatt team treats it with a delicacy and piquancy ideally suited to the subject matter".