Felgen started his career as a teacher. During the Second World War, Felgen was a translator for the German occupiers, and then a reporter with a French language newspaper. He studied theater and opera in Brussels and Liège; in 1946, he joined Radio Luxembourg as a chorus singer and a French language reporter. In 1949, the mastering of his baritone completed his theatre and opera studies. In 1951, he had his first international hit record, "Bonjour les amies" ("Hello Friends"). The song went on to become the theme song for his national broadcaster. In 1953, he recorded his first German language record, "Onkel Toms altes Boot" ("Uncle Tom's Old Boat"), in Berlin. He represented his home country in the Eurovision Song Contest 1960 with "So laang we's du do bast", becoming the first male contestant to represent Luxembourg and the first entrant to sing in Luxembourgish. He finished last with only one point.
One of the greatest hits of Felgen was "Ich hab Ehrfurcht vor schneeweißen Haaren" (“I Respect Your Grey Hair”), a cover of singer-guitarist and entrepreneur Bobbejaan Schoepen. Another was "Sag warum", in 1959, based on a melody by Phil Spector.
He also translated the two songs that The Beatles performed in German, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You", in 1964. These translations were credited to "J. Nicolas", an alias taken from his middle names. Felgen, then working as a programme director at the RTL, was given just 24 hours to translate the lyrics, fly to Paris, and teach the band the versions phonetically.
La lontananza
Camillo Felgen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
((Lala lala la la lalalalala
Lala lala lalalala
Lala lala la la lalalalala
Lalala la la lala lala))
Ich kann mich noch heute an die Worte erinnern,
Die du mir damals sagtest,
Als diese blonde Sirene vorbeiging und ich ihr nachblickte.
Sie löscht die kleinen Feuer und macht die großen umso größer.
Ferne und Einsamkeit, la lontananza,
Sag mir, ob unser Glück im Wind verweht.
Ferne und Einsamkeit, la lontananza,
Ob es zuende geht.
Damals hab' ich geglaubt ich könnte stark sein,
Ich hab' geglaubt, daß ich vergessen kann.
Nun bilde ich mir ein, daß auch aus Funken
Ein Feuer werden kann.
Ferne und Einsamkeit, la lontananza,
Sag mir, ob unser Glück im Wind verweht.
Ferne und Einsamkeit, la lontananza,
Ob es zuende geht.
Heut' ist ein Jahr vorbei, die Zeit vergangen,
Schwer ist der Weg für den, der nie vergißt.
So wie am ersten Tag blieb mein Verlangen,
Amore, ich weiß was Sehnsucht ist.
Ich habe nicht gewußt, wie lang der Tag ist,
Hab' nicht gewußt wie kalt die Nächte sind
Ferne und Einsamkeit, la lontananza...
The song "La Lontananza" is about the difficulties of distance and loneliness in a relationship. In the beginning, the singer remembers the words his partner spoke to him when he was admiring another woman. She told him that distance is like wind, it extinguishes small fires but makes big ones even stronger. The chorus repeats the phrase "Ferne und Einsamkeit" which translates to "distance and loneliness" in English. The singer wonders if their happiness will be blown away by the wind or if their relationship will come to an end.
As time passes, the singer realizes that forgetting about his distant partner is harder than he initially thought. He now believes that even sparks of love can grow into a huge fire. A year has gone by and the singer still feels the same longing for his partner as he did on the first day they were separated. He did not anticipate how long the days would seem or how cold the nights would be without his partner. The chorus repeats again, emphasizing the theme of distance and loneliness.
Overall, the song explores the emotional toll that distance can take on a relationship. The lyrics express the hope of rekindling the love between two people despite the distance between them.
Line by Line Meaning
Ich kann mich noch heute an die Worte erinnern,
I still remember the words you said to me back then,
Die du mir damals sagtest,
when that blonde siren passed by and I couldn't help but look,
Als diese blonde Sirene vorbeiging und ich ihr nachblickte.
you said distance is like the wind – it extinguishes small fires and makes bigger ones grow
Du hast gesagt: Die Entfernung ist wie der Wind;
Distance and loneliness, la lontananza,
Sie löscht die kleinen Feuer und macht die großen umso größer.
tell me if our happiness is blown away by the wind,
Sag mir, ob unser Glück im Wind verweht.
distance and loneliness, la lontananza,
Ferne und Einsamkeit, la lontananza,
if it's coming to an end.
Ob es zuende geht.
Back then, I thought I could be strong, I thought I could forget.
Damals hab' ich geglaubt ich könnte stark sein,
Now I believe that even from sparks, a fire can be born.
Ich hab' geglaubt, daß ich vergessen kann.
Distance and loneliness, la lontananza,
Nun bilde ich mir ein, daß auch aus Funken
tell me if our happiness is blown away by the wind,
Ein Feuer werden kann.
distance and loneliness, la lontananza,
Ferne und Einsamkeit, la lontananza,
if it's coming to an end.
Ob es zuende geht.
A year has passed and time has flown by. It's hard for those who never forget.
Heut' ist ein Jahr vorbei, die Zeit vergangen,
My longing has remained the same since the first day – love, I know what longing is.
Schwer ist der Weg für den, der nie vergißt.
I didn't know how long a day could be or how cold the nights were.
So wie am ersten Tag blieb mein Verlangen,
Distance and loneliness, la lontananza...
Amore, ich weiß was Sehnsucht ist.
Ferne und Einsamkeit, la lontananza...
Contributed by Keira M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.