Caruso (song)

"Caruso" is a song written by Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla in 1986. It is dedicated to Enrico Caruso, an Italian tenor. Following Lucio Dalla's death, the song entered the Italian Singles Chart, peaking at number two for two consecutive weeks.[1] The single was also certified platinum by the Federation of the Italian Music Industry.[2]

Meaning of the song

The song simply tells about the pain and longings of a man who is about to die while he is looking into the eyes of a girl who was very dear to him.

Lucio Dalla told the origin and the meaning of the song in an interview to the main Italian newspaper, il Corriere della Sera. He was stopped in Sorrento with his boat and lodged in a Hotel in Sorrento, in the very same room where many years earlier the tenor Enrico Caruso spent some time shortly before dying. The owners of the hotel told Dalla about the last days of Caruso, and in particular his passion for a young woman to whom he was giving singing lessons. Lucio Dalla says he was inspired by these stories to write this song.[3]

Enrico Caruso, a great legend of the Italian opera was one of the greatest and most sought-after singers during the late 19th and early 20th century. He lived a very difficult and rather unhappy life, having had many challenges and problems with Italian opera houses, but gained more fame and success in the United States.

Caruso was born to a poor family in Naples. He was often involved with women, and had several love affairs with prominent married women in the performing arts, which often ended badly. His longest and most passionate love affair was with the married Ada Giachetti, with whom he had two sons. It ended when she left him for their chauffeur. A few years before he died, he met and wed a woman 20 years his junior, Dorothy Park Benjamin, whom Lucio Dalla describes in this song "Caruso". With her he had a daughter named Gloria.

Guardò negli occhi la ragazza quegli occhi verdi come il mare
He looked into the eyes of the girl, those eyes as green as the sea
Poi all'improvviso uscì una lacrima e lui credette di affogare
But then, a tear fell, and he believed he was drowning

In the song it says "Surriento", in the Neapolitan dialect meaning Sorrento. This is where Caruso spent many days in convalescence before he finally died at Vesuvio Hotel in Naples. The music and words of the refrain

Te voglio bene assaje
I love you very much
ma tanto tanto bene sai
very, very much, you know
è una catena ormai
It is a chain by now
che scioglie il sangue dint'e vene sai...
that heats the blood inside of our veins, you know...

are based on a Napolitan song, titled "Dicitencello vuje", published in 1930 by Rodolfo Falvo (music) and Enzo Fusco (text) written according to the best tradition of Napolitan "romances" with a strong operatic style.

In Italian one can say, "Ti voglio bene (I love you)" to any family member or close friend, but the phrase is routinely used toward one's romantic love. The exact words of the song are: "Te voglio bene assaje, ma tanto tanto bene sai" and are, in Neapolitan dialect, meaning: I love you very much. Very, very much, you know." Followed by the lines: "We've formed a (chain) bond by now, that thaws the blood in my veins, you know".

Lucio Dalla's official video of the song was filmed at the Vesuvio Hotel where Enrico Caruso died.

In 2015, on the occasion of the third anniversary of Dalla’s passing, GoldenGate Edizioni published the biographical novel by Raffaele Lauro,[4] “Caruso The Song - Lucio Dalla and Sorrento”,[5] which through unpublished testimonies reconstructs the almost fifty-year-long bond (from 1964 to 2012) of the great artist with Sorrento (“Sorrento is the true corner of my soul”), and the authentic inspiration for his masterpiece, “Caruso”. The documentary film by the same author, “Lucio Dalla and Sorrento - Places of the Soul”,[6] was presented in the national première on 7 August 2015 at the Social World Film Festival 2015 in Vico Equense.

Cover versions

Charts

Chart (1990–2012) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] 43
France (SNEP)[11] 38
Germany (Official German Charts)[12] 61
Italy (FIMI)[13] 2
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] 68
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[15] 30
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 16

References

  1. ↑ "Italian Charts - Lucio Dalla - Caruso (song)". Italiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  2. ↑ "Italian single certifications" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select Online in the field Sezione. The certification will load automatically
  3. ↑ "Dalla: «Scrissi la canzone su Caruso nell' albergo dove morì»". archiviostorico.corriere.it. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  4. ↑ Mauro Siniscalchi. "Raffaele Lauro". raffaelelauro.it. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "Caruso The Song | Caruso The Song - Lucio Dalla e Sorrento". carusothesong.com. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  6. ↑ Mauro Siniscalchi. "Lucio Dalla e Sorrento - I luoghi dell'anima". carusothesong.com. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  7. ↑ http://www.vitas.com.ru/radio/
  8. ↑ "Italia overview". Allmusic.com.
  9. ↑ "Chris Botti". JazzMonthly.com.
  10. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Lucio Dalla – Caruso" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  11. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Lucio Dalla – Caruso" (in French). Les classement single.
  12. ↑ "Musicline.de – Lucio Dalla Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  13. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Lucio Dalla – Caruso". Top Digital Download.
  14. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lucio Dalla – Caruso" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  15. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Lucio Dalla – Caruso" Canciones Top 50.
  16. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Lucio Dalla – Caruso". Swiss Singles Chart.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, March 31, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.