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.

Ja Ja Ja Java
Caterina Valente Lyrics

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Ja ja ja Java
Where mangos and papayas grow
Ja ja ja Java
Let's where I met my Java Joe

Gee will love Java
It's so enjoy a ball in June
Ja ja ja Java

There's nothing like you night monsoon

A lock-ova lock-ova
His friend fortune wits in a raw
A lock-ova lock-ova
With all that trim where good we go

A lock-ova lock-ova
He clamp together to keep dry
A lock-ova lock-ova
He just that kiss until July

Ja ja ja Java
In June (unmeno) get on dance
Ja ja ja Java
But spent you adapt you get your man

Ja ja ja Java
More fond and sonny thrilly da
Ja ja ja Java
It's perfect when the (wares) band

A lock-ova lock-ova
Each friend fortune witching a raw
A lock-ova lock-ova
With all that trim where good we go

A lock-ova lock-ova
We need another night monsoon

A lock-ova lock-ova
To have a Java honey moon

Overall Meaning

The song "Ja Ja Ja Java" by Caterina Valente is a cheerful and upbeat song that describes a tropical paradise where mangos and papayas grow. The singer reminisces about her time in Java, where she met her love "Java Joe". She is captivated by the beauty of the place and describes the joys of dancing and spending time with her love in the warm June weather. The chorus of the song features the repeated phrase "Ja ja ja Java", which adds to the joyful energy of the song.

The song's lyrics contain a few interesting metaphors and wordplay. The phrase "A lock-ova lock-ova" is repeated a few times, which is likely a reference to the Indonesian word "loka", meaning "local". The phrase "friend fortune wits in a raw" is a play on words, as it could be read as "friend fortune waits in a row", which adds to the playful and fun tone of the song. The lyrics also mention a "night monsoon", which could be interpreted as a metaphor for a passionate and intense love.

Line by Line Meaning

Ja ja ja Java
Happy and lively Java

Where mangos and papayas grow
Java is a place where tropical fruits grow

Let's where I met my Java Joe
The singer met her lover, Java Joe, in Java

Gee will love Java
Gee (a slang term for excitement) loves Java

It's so enjoy a ball in June
June is a great month to have fun in Java

There's nothing like you night monsoon
There's no other place like Java during monsoon season

A lock-ova lock-ova
The sound of a train's wheels rolling on tracks

His friend fortune wits in a raw
His lucky friends are successful in business

With all that trim where good we go
Going to all the best places with fancy people

He clamp together to keep dry
He holds on tightly to stay dry during the rain

He just that kiss until July
He's waiting until July for a kiss