Caterina Valente (born January 14, 1931 in Paris) is an Italian-born singer… Read Full Bio ↴Caterina Valente (born January 14, 1931 in Paris) is an Italian-born singer, dancer, and actress. She comes from an Italian artist family; her father Giuseppe was a well-known accordion player, her mother, Maria Valente, a musical clown. She had three siblings, of whom Silvio Francesco was also active in show business.

In 1952 she married juggler Erik van Aro (Gerd Eric Horst Scholz). He recognized her talent and accompanied her in her initial years of worldwide success, although they later divorced. In 1953, she made her first recordings with Kurt Edelhagen. Soon afterwards she achieved great success with songs like "Malagueña", "The Breeze and I", and "Dreh dich nicht um" with the Werner Müller orchestra. In 1955 she was featured on the "Colgate Comedy Hour" with Gordon MacRae. Between 1966 and 1972 she was a frequent guest on the Dean Martin Show. In 1972, she married the British pianist Roy Budd; they had a son, Alexander, but they divorced in 1979.

In Germany she was a major performer of Schlager music. There she recorded Cole Porter's "I love Paris" i.e. "Ganz Paris träumt von der Liebe", which sold more than 500,000 copies in (1954.) Like in other countries where she was popular, some in Germany mistakenly consider her a German singer.

Over the years, she has recorded or performed with many international stars, including Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Woody Herman, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Buddy Rich, Sy Oliver, Claus Ogerman, and Chet Baker.

In 2001, she released a new album Girltalk with harpist Catherine Michel. She is also the mother of singer Eric van Aro, Jr.

Forse
Caterina Valente Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Forse...
Perché ti voglio bene... forse...
Perché sei già lontano... ora...
Qualcosa si è destato in me...
Forse non ho saputo dirti t'amo
Non ho saputo aprirti il cuore
Amore... amore...

Forse...
Se vieni più vicino... forse
Se prendi la mia mano... forse
L'amore si risveglierà
Vieni ridammi l'illusione
T'amo e non avrà mai fine
Torna... amore... da me...

Amore

Forse...
Se vieni più vicino... forse
Se prendi la mia mano... forse
L'amore si risveglierà
Vieni... ridammi l'illusione
T'amo... e non avrà mai fine

Torna... amore... da me...
Da me... da me... da noi!

Overall Meaning

The song Forse by Caterina Valente appears to be a plea for a loved one to come back to the singer. The singer is unsure of their love but suspects that it exists, either because of their affection for the person or because they are now apart. The first verse suggests that something has stirred in the singer despite their difficulty in expressing their love. The second verse presents a solution; if the person comes closer and takes the singer's hand, perhaps the love they share might be rekindled. The chorus repeats these sentiments and asks the person to come back to the singer.

This song is a classic example of the Italian love song genre known as canzone. The tone is wistful and romantic, as are the simple and melodic lyrics. The song's melody is a classic example of Italian pop, with its lilting cadences and simple repetitions. The chorus is a sing-a-long affair, with the repetition of the word "amore" a selling point. Overall, the song paints a picture of a simpler time, when love was simpler and more straightforward, and getting someone back was as easy as asking them to come closer.

Line by Line Meaning

Forse...
Perhaps...

Perché ti voglio bene... forse...
Because I love you...perhaps...

Perché sei già lontano... ora...
Because you're already far away...now...

Qualcosa si è destato in me...
Something has awakened inside me...

Forse non ho saputo dirti t'amo
Maybe I didn't know how to tell you I love you

Non ho saputo aprirti il cuore
I didn't know how to open your heart

Amore... amore...
Love...love...

Se vieni più vicino... forse
If you come closer...perhaps

Se prendi la mia mano... forse
If you take my hand...perhaps

L'amore si risveglierà
Love will awaken

Vieni ridammi l'illusione
Come back and give me back the illusion