It is based on a famous Russian tune called "Volga Melody" by Yuri Shchetkov sometimes known as "Samara My Lovely Town." The bridge passage or middle 8 was inserted by the composer.
Tony Bennett's version was featured in the opening sequence of the 1990 film Goodfellas.[9]
The opening line of the song was sung regularly and exuberantly by the character Carmine Ragusa on the television series Laverne & Shirley,[10] typically when he had good news.
Jackie Wilson's version of the song is featured in the 2010 video game Mafia II.[11]