Arrivederci Roma
Encyclopedia
"Arrivederci Roma" is the title and refrain of a popular
Italian
song
, composed by Renato Rascel
, with lyrics by Pietro Garinei
and Sandro Giovannini. It was published in 1955
as part of the soundtrack
of the Italo-American
musical film
with the same title, released as Seven Hills of Rome
in English
. In the movie, the song is interpreted by the leading character, played by the American actor and singer Mario Lanza
. The lyrics for the English language
version of the movie were written by Carl Sigman
.
Another version of the song, with the same melody but a new set of English lyrics by Jack Fishman, was published in 1955 with the title Arrivederci Darling. Both versions of the song, in Italian and English, enjoyed lasting and widespread success in the following years.
equivalent of "goodbye". The original lyrics express the nostalgia of a Roman man for the dinners and short-lived love affairs he had with foreign tourists who came to Rome. It recalls the popular legend associated with the Trevi Fountain
:
The lyrics of Arrivederci Darling are not a translation:
singer Anne Shelton remained in the UK Singles Chart
for 4 weeks (December 17, 1955 to January 7, 1956, peaking at #17) . Another recording by Edna Savage
was in the UK chart for one week (January 14, 1956, at #19) .
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, composed by Renato Rascel
Renato Rascel
Renato Ranucci, in art Renato Rascel was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1942 and 1972...
, with lyrics by Pietro Garinei
Pietro Garinei
Pietro Garinei was an Italian playwright, actor, and songwriter.-Biography:Garinei was born at Trieste and graduated in pharmacy...
and Sandro Giovannini. It was published in 1955
1955 in music
-Events:*January 1 – RCA Victor announces a marketing plan called "Operation TNT." The label drops the list price on LPs from $5.95 to $3.98, EPs from $4.95 to $2.98, 45 EPs from $1.58 to $1.49 and 45's from $1.16 to $.89...
as part of the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of the Italo-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
with the same title, released as Seven Hills of Rome
Seven Hills of Rome (film)
Arrivederci Roma was an Italian film. Shot in 1957 on location in Rome and at the Titanus studios in the Italian capital, the movie was released by MGM in January 1958...
in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. In the movie, the song is interpreted by the leading character, played by the American actor and singer Mario Lanza
Mario Lanza
right|thumb|[[MGM]] still, circa 1949Mario Lanza was an American tenor and Hollywood movie star of the late 1940s and the 1950s. The son of Italian emigrants, he began studying to be a professional singer at the age of 16....
. The lyrics for the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
version of the movie were written by Carl Sigman
Carl Sigman
Carl Sigman was an American songwriter.-Biography:Born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, Sigman graduated from law school and passed his Bar exams to practice in the state of New York...
.
Another version of the song, with the same melody but a new set of English lyrics by Jack Fishman, was published in 1955 with the title Arrivederci Darling. Both versions of the song, in Italian and English, enjoyed lasting and widespread success in the following years.
The lyrics
Arrivederci (or a rivederci), which literally means "until we see each other again", is a common ItalianItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
equivalent of "goodbye". The original lyrics express the nostalgia of a Roman man for the dinners and short-lived love affairs he had with foreign tourists who came to Rome. It recalls the popular legend associated with the Trevi Fountain
Trevi Fountain
The Trevi Fountain is a fountain in the Trevi rione in Rome, Italy. Standing 26 metres high and 20 metres wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world....
:
T'invidio turista che arrivi, | "I envy you, tourist, you come, | ||
t'imbevi de fori e de scavi | you feast on forums and ruins, | ||
poi tutto d'un colpo te trovi | then suddenly you discover | ||
fontana de Trevi ch'è tutta pe' te! | the fountain of Trevi, which is there all for you. | ||
Ce sta 'na leggenda romana | There's a Roman legend | ||
legata a 'sta vecchia fontana | attached to this old fountain | ||
per cui se ce butti un soldino | by which if you throw in a penny | ||
costringi er destino a fatte tornà | then you'll bind Fate to make you come back. | ||
... | ... | ||
Arrivederci Roma, Goodbye, Au Revoir... | "Goodbye Rome, Goodbye, Au Revoir... | ||
Mentre l'inglesina s'allontana | While the English girl departs | ||
un ragazzinetto s'avvicina | a little kid comes by | ||
va nella fontana, pesca un soldo, se ne va! | goes into the fountain, picks a penny, goes away! | ||
Arrivederci Roma! | Goodbye Rome!" | ||
The lyrics of Arrivederci Darling are not a translation:
Arrivederci Darling is my goodbye to you
If I tell your heart we'll meet tomorrow
We will never part with words of sorrow
So I'll always say goodbye this way and I'll be true. [...]
Popularity
The recording of Arrivederci Darling by United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
singer Anne Shelton remained in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
for 4 weeks (December 17, 1955 to January 7, 1956, peaking at #17) . Another recording by Edna Savage
Edna Savage
Edna Savage was a traditional pop singer in the United Kingdom.She was born in Warrington, Cheshire, England. She had two sisters, both older. Her father was a landscape gardener, her mother an amateur singer. She left school at age 15...
was in the UK chart for one week (January 14, 1956, at #19) .
"Arrivederci Roma"
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"Arrivederci Darling"
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) - Francisco Cavez and his orchestra (19561956 in music-Events:*January 26 – Buddy Holly's first recording sessions for Decca Records take place in Nashville, Tennessee*Roy Orbison signs with Sun Records*January 27 – Elvis Presley's single "Heartbreak Hotel" / "I Was the One" is released...
) - Jo StaffordJo StaffordJo Elizabeth Stafford was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards and occasional actress whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s...
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) - Lys AssiaLys AssiaLys Assia born Rosa Mina Schärer on 3 March 1924, Rupperswil, Aargau, Switzerland) is a Swiss singer who won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. When Lys Assia was a young girl she was a dancer. In 1940, however, she stood in for a female singer...
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) - Three Suns (19551955 in music-Events:*January 1 – RCA Victor announces a marketing plan called "Operation TNT." The label drops the list price on LPs from $5.95 to $3.98, EPs from $4.95 to $2.98, 45 EPs from $1.58 to $1.49 and 45's from $1.16 to $.89...
)