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.

fascinating rhythm
Caterina Valente Lyrics

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Got a little rhythm, a rhythm, a rhythm
That pit-a-pats through my brain;
So darn persistent,
The day isn't distant

When it'll drive me insane.
Comes in the morning
Without any warning,

And hangs around me all day.

I'll have to sneak up to it
Someday, and speak up to it.
I hope it listens when I say:
Fascinating Rhythm,

You've got me on the go!
Fascinating Rhythm,
I'm all a-quiver.
When a mess you're making!

The neighbours want to know
Why I'm always shaking
Just like a flivver.
Each morning I get up with the sun

Start a-hopping,
Never stopping
To find at night no work has been done.
I know that

Once it didn't matter
But now you're doing wrong;
When you start to patter
I'm so unhappy.

Won't you take a day off?
Decide to run along
Somewhere far away off
And make it snappy!

Oh, how I long to be the man I used to be!

Fascinating rhythm,
Oh won't you stop picking on me?

Overall Meaning

In Caterina Valente's "Fascinating Rhythm," the singer describes the persistent rhythm that has taken hold of her mind and body. She muses about how this rhythm seems to control her every action, to the point of being distracting and exhausting. She reflects on the fact that at one point, this rhythm didn't matter, but now it's causing trouble. She even asks the rhythm to take a day off so she can get some peace.

The lyrics of this song reveal the internal battle that we all face when we are caught up in something that captivates us. The rhythm in the song can represent anything that holds our attention, inspires us, or causes us to get caught up in something, whether it's a relationship, a hobby or even a job. When we're in the throes of something that excites us, it's easy to get carried away and lose sight of everything else. This song reminds us that it's important to find balance, to take a break once in a while, and not let one thing dominate our lives.

Line by Line Meaning

Got a little rhythm, a rhythm, a rhythm
I have a beat, a beat, a beat

That pit-a-pats through my brain;
It thumps constantly in my mind

So darn persistent,
It's extremely unyielding

The day isn't distant
It's not far off

When it'll drive me insane.
It will make me go mad.

Comes in the morning
It arrives at dawn

Without any warning,
Unannounced

And hangs around me all day.
And stays with me all day long

I'll have to sneak up to it
I must approach it surreptitiously

Someday, and speak up to it.
And one day confront it

I hope it listens when I say:
I hope it will heed my words: