In Lehar's bittersweet operetta Giuditta, the beautiful heroine Giuditta abandons her husband to be with Octavio, an army captain. When he leaves her to pursue his military career, she becomes a night-club performer in North Africa. The aria 'Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswert' is sung by Octavio in the first act of the operetta. This aria became a true earworm which is often performed by tenor's at concerts.