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.

Serenata
Caterina Valente Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tonight while all the world is still
Here I stand under his windsmill

Sing to my loved one
Serenata for me
Sing him your song
Love′s melody

So near
Yet we're so far apart
Here I′ll stand
Till I have won my heart

Go to my loved one
Serenata and say
When you're in love
Love finds a way

(Scat)

Sing to my loved one
Serenata for me
Sing him your song
Love's melody

(Scat)

Go to my loved one
Serenata and say

When you′re in love
Love finds a way.

Overall Meaning

In Caterina Valente's song "Serenata," the singer is longing for her loved one who is not with her. The song starts off by setting the scene of a quiet night, and the singer is standing under a windmill. She calls for a serenade for her loved one, and asks the singer to sing a beautiful melody about love. The singer then talks about how she is so close to her loved one, yet so far away from him emotionally.

The singer then calls for the serenata to go to her loved one and tell him that when you're in love, love finds a way. The song ends with a scat solo before the refrain repeats itself. The lyrics of the song reflect the timeless and universal experience of longing for someone who is not with you, and it captures the essence of how love can transcend distance and bring people together.

Line by Line Meaning

Tonight while all the world is still
In this moment, when everything is quiet and still, I stand here waiting.

Here I stand under his windsmill
I stand in the shadow of his windmill, hoping for love to come my way.

Sing to my loved one
Please sing to the one I love.

Serenata for me
Sing a serenade on my behalf.

Sing him your song
Sing a love song to capture his heart.

Love's melody
A song full of love and emotion.

So near
We are close to each other.

Yet we're so far apart
But still our hearts are far apart.

Here I'll stand
I will remain here, hoping for love to come my way.

Till I have won my heart
Until I have captured the heart of the one I love.

Go to my loved one
Please go to the one I love.