The Writer's Life 2/23 - Dom, Bob & Mitch

Nel blu dipinto di blu is known as Volare in the USA. Composed by Domenico Modugno and Franco Migliacci, it won first prize at the 1958 San Remo Festival and became an enormous success worldwide. It won two Grammy Awards and sold more than 22 million copies. Modugno, singer, songwriter, actor, guitarist, became a member of the Italian Parliament later in life. He passed away at 66 in 1994, but the song endures. I've always been fascinated by the contrast between the serious tone of the original and Bobby Rydell's jaunty version which, backed by a cutesy, irresistible female chorus, really Americanized the song. The 1960 hit, which rose to #4 on the Billboard chart, projects a positivism that characterized the USA at the time, one gradually erased by the turmoil to come, beginning with the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. The adaptation was written by Mitchell Parish, born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky in Lithuania in 1900. His career began in the late 1920's and included lyrics to standards such as Star Dust, Moonlight Serenade and Sophisticated Lady. A member of the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, he passed away in 1993. I've heard Rydell's version several times lately. He was born Robert Louis Ridarelli in Philadelphia in 1942 and is still with us. If only the rest of the world meshed as beautifully as musical artists frequently do. Here is a live clip of the original that includes English translation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qivzSaALee8
And here's a pic of Modugno:

And here are Parish's lyrics:

Volare (whoa oh, whoa)
Cantare (yeah, yeah) whoa, oh, oh, oh
Let's fly way up to the clouds
Away from the madd'ning crowds
We can sing in the glow of a star that I know of
Where lovers enjoy peace of mind
Let us leave the confusion and all disillusion behind (yeah yeah all behind)
Just like birds of a feather
A rainbow together we'll find
Volare, whoa, oh, oh, oh
Cantare, (yeah, yeah) whoa, oh, oh, oh
No wonder my happy heart sings (yeah, yeah)
Your love has given me wings
(Volare) yeah, yeah, yeah (oh oh oh) la la la
(Cantare) whoa whoa (oh, oh, oh)
Let's fly way up to the clouds
Away from the madd'ning crowds
We can sing in the glow of a star that I know of
Where lovers enjoy peace of mind
Let us leave the confusion and all disillusion behind (yeah yeah all behind)
Just like birds of a feather
A rainbow together we'll find
Volare, whoa whoa (oh, oh, oh)
Cantare, oh oh oh (yeah, it's true) yeah, yeah
No wonder my happy heart sings (la, la, la)
Your love has given me wings
Little baby your love has given me wings
Oh oh your love has given me wings
Your love has given me wings

And here's a clip of Rydell that perfecly captures the spirit of the his take despite the lip-synching:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCfgTxcRIdg 
And here's a pic of Rydell:

And here's a pic of Mitchell Parish:

(Facts from Wiki)

I've been kicking myself all afternoon, having let the forecast dissuade me from running the floating book shop. I left the apartment at 10:20. It was raining, not pouring. Rather than check conditions under the scaffold, I turned back immediately. Later, returning from the Stop n Shop recycling center, I saw that the area was dry. By then all the parking spots were taken. I felt like an idiot. This may have been one of those days when someone came along and bought one of my books. In order to turn the negative to a positive, I began a careful reading of next year's novel, Inside Out, which I'd planned to start on March 1st. Since the forecast calls for rain the next two days, I thought I might as well begin. The casual flushes of errors I did during the three-week cyclone bomb have really paid off. I'm able to read virtually without pause.

My Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Vic-Fortezza/e/B002M4NLJE

FB: https://www.facebook.com/Vic-Fortezza-Author-118397641564801/?fref=ts

Read Vic's Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza