Bambino was released in early December only as a promo single, but quickly receiving more public interest than all of her previous recordings, Morisse started to heavily promote it and it was placed as title song to Dalida's debut album Son nom est Dalida that was issued by the end of same month. The album was immediately followed with a third EP titled "Bambino". After debuting at number seven in January 1957, Bambino reached number one and went on to become the biggest-selling and one of the most beloved pop standard hits of the '50s in France, Belgium, Canada and Switzerland. As the song knocked Doris Day's "Whatever Will Be, Will Be" off the top of the French charts, women began to emulate Dalida's makeup, resulting in the explosion of Rimel sales, while the men saw in her a talent, sensuality and sexiness. Coquatrix then named her "the first sex-symbol of the song". "Bambino" was Dalida's first number-one hit, and through 1957 it became the longest-running number-one in the world history, with a total of 39 consecutive weeks, still holding a record. It made Dalida an overnight star and gained her first gold disc, the very first time such an award had been received by a woman, on 19 September 1957 for sales of over 300,000. As the French music industry was then still in the background, "Bambino" was described in 2007 by Bertrand Dicale of Le Figaro as; "a launch that announced what will happen in the coming decades ... a start of really modern times where singer is more important than song". Promoting it in early 1957, Dalida also made her first TV appearance, and her contract was immediately extended for four years. Then she also received her first criticism from a journalist: "On stage, Dalida appears in beauty and warmth, highlighted by a presentation of extreme sobriety."