The idea behind this quartet's creation came to Simon Cowell after listening to Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman's rendition of "Con Te Partirò." He realized he loved lyrical voices but not opera, so he decided to form a multinational quartet (France, Switzerland, Spain, and United States) that sounded like The Three Tenors but sang pop songs and looked like handsome Armani models.
With this idea, Cowell commenced a worldwide search for young singers who were willing to embark on the Il Divo project. His search lasted two years, from 2001 until December 2003, when the fourth member of Il Divo, American tenor David Miller, was signed. The well-established formation of Il Divo comprises a renowned Spanish opera and zarzuela baritone, Carlos Marín, a French pop singer, Sébastien Izambard, and two classically trained tenors, Swiss Urs Bühler and American David Miller. Recording of their first album started in the first half of 2004 in Sweden.
The group's debut album, the self-named Il Divo, contains renditions of Frank Sinatra's hit "My Way (A Mi Manera)," Toni Braxton's hit "Unbreak My Heart (Regresa a Mi)," an adaptation of Ennio Morricone's soundtrack titled "Gabriel's Oboe" from the movie La Misión titled "Nella Fantasia" and several songs sung in Spanish, English, Italian, and Portuguese ("Volta Pra Mim"), including 1994's San Remo Festival winner "Passerà."
Il Divo hit the #1 slot on both Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com after a breakout career-defining appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show on April 5, 2005, where the quartet performed its interpretation of "Unbreak My Heart."
In the United Kingdom, the Il Divo album topped Robbie Williams as number 1 in the UK charts (allegedly Williams said to them during the Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason film premiere, "Oi, you're the bastards that knocked me off!"). This multiplatinum-selling CD became number one in the charts in a total of 13 countries around the world, and achieved top 5 placing in 25 countries.
Il Divo's second album, Ancora, was recorded in both Sweden and London with world-renowned recording giants Per Magnusson and David Kreuger and producer Steve Mac, who was also the producer of their first album. Released on November 7, 2005 in the UK, it hit number one both in the UK and Australia within one week. Ancora was released in the US on January 24, 2006. It entered the Billboard albums chart at number 1, selling more than 150,000 copies during its first week of sales.
Highlights on Ancora include "Isabel," "I Believe In You," a duet with Céline Dion, and Il Divo's cover of Eric Carmen's "All By Myself (Solo Otra Vez)." Two of the tracks on this CD, "O Holy Night" and "Ave Maria," appear on the 2005 US-only release, Christmas Collection.
Il Divo was the perfomer of the 2006 FIFA World Cup official song "A Time of Our Lives."
The Impossible Dream
Il Divo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To fight the unbeatable foe,
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go;
To right the unrightable wrong.
To love, pure and chaste, from afar,
To try, when your arms are too weary,
This is my Quest to follow that star,
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far,
To fight for the right
Without question or pause,
To be willing to march into hell
For a heavenly cause!
And I know, if I'll only be true
To this glorious Quest,
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest.
And the world will be better for this,
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,
To reach the unreachable, the unreachable,
The unreachable stars!
And I'll reach the impossible dream,
And I'll reach the unreachable,
The unreachable stars!
(Finale)
And I'll reach the impossible dream,
And I'll reach the unreachable,
The unreachable stars!
"The Impossible Dream" is a song by English composer Mitch Leigh and lyricist Joe Darion. The lyrics describe the quest to pursue an incredibly challenging and unlikely goal that would make the world a better place. The first verse discusses the courage needed to pursue difficult and impossible dreams, even at the risk of facing unbeatable opponents or unbearable sorrow. The second verse continues the theme of pushing forward regardless of difficulty, even in the face of unrightable wrongs, and seeking to reach the unreachable star - a symbol of chasing greatness beyond what seems possible.
The chorus emphasizes that this quest is a personal one, themed around the decision to strive for something that seems impossible. In the third verse, the singer declares that his quest will continue despite potential setbacks and criticism, as it is the right thing to do. Even if it requires marching into hell, he will do it for a greater cause. The final verse is a reflection on the ultimate significance of this quest - not just for personal fulfillment, but for making the world a better place. The singer believes that if he stays true to his dream, he will ultimately find peace in his heart.
Overall, "The Impossible Dream" is a powerful ode to perseverance and the human spirit's ability to chase great goals despite the odds. It has been covered by many artists and has become particularly synonymous with the musical "Man of La Mancha."
Line by Line Meaning
To dream the impossible dream,
To set your sights on something that seems unattainable
To fight the unbeatable foe,
To stand up against something or someone that is deemed unbeatable
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To be able to endure and overcome grief and sadness that seems insurmountable
To run where the brave dare not go;
To be courageous enough to go somewhere where others fear to tread
To right the unrightable wrong.
To attempt to fix something that seems unfixed and unfixable
To love, pure and chaste, from afar,
To have a deep, unselfish, and distant love for someone or something
To try, when your arms are too weary,
To keep pushing towards your goal, even when you feel exhausted and powerless
To reach the unreachable star!
To achieve a goal that seems impossible, to reach the unreachable
This is my Quest to follow that star,
This is my purpose or mission, to achieve that impossible dream
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far,
No matter how impossible it seems, no matter how much distance there is to cover
To fight for the right
To be an advocate for what is morally correct
Without question or pause,
To not hesitate or doubt in the face of adversity
To be willing to march into hell
To be brave enough to face very difficult or dangerous situations
For a heavenly cause!
To fight for a noble, benevolent, or sacred reason
And I know, if I'll only be true
And I am confident that if I stay loyal and honest to my dreams,
To this glorious Quest,
To this admirable and honorable pursuit,
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
That I will have a sense of tranquility and inner peace,
When I'm laid to my rest.
When I pass away.
And the world will be better for this,
And the world will become a better place because of my struggles,
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
That one person who has experienced ridicule and damage,
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,
Still fought, with their remaining strength and valor,
To reach the unreachable, the unreachable,
To achieve what was deemed unattainable, to reach the unreachable,
The unreachable stars!
The highest of goals.
And I'll reach the impossible dream,
And I will achieve what is thought to be unachievable
And I'll reach the unreachable,
And I will reach the unattainable,
The unreachable stars!
The highest of aspirations.
(Finale)
End of the song
Contributed by William V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ThomAlex
To dream the impossible dream,
To fight the unbeatable foe,
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go;
To right the unrightable wrong.
To love, pure and chaste, from afar,
To try, when your arms are too weary,
To reach the unreachable star!
This is my Quest to follow that star,
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far,
To fight for the right
Without question or pause,
To be willing to march into hell
For a heavenly cause!
And I know, if I'll only be true
To this glorious Quest,
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest.
And the world will be better for this,
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,
To reach the unreachable, the unreachable,
The unreachable stars!
And I'll reach the impossible dream,
And I'll reach the unreachable,
The unreachable stars!
Lorena Alvarado
Que voz y que hombre tan especial fue Carlos Marín,difícil encontrar un caballero tan extraordinario como el siempre lo estrañaremos.
Ethan R
Una gran canción y la voz de Carlos le da un toque especial. Me gusta esta versión se Il Divo y la versión de esta canción que Carlos cantó en español, si alguien lee este comentario se la recomiendo, está aquí en Youtube
Mery Glenni
Que melodía tan hermosa y qué felices se les ve cantando. Sobre todo Carlos; voz maravillosa donde los haya.
Marcela castaño
This song has been an icon since it was first written about 40 or so, years ago for the stage play and later the movie The Man From La Mancha. Many artists have sung it but this rendition just brings tears to my eyes. So beautiful!
Dircinha da Silva Ribeiro
Mágico,fantástico, surreal,encantador.
FLOR DEL CARMEN PASTOR GALVEZ
¡Fantásticos desde el principio hasta el final de la canción! Me tienen hipnotizada, no me canso de escucharlos todo el día una y mil veces. Son increíblemente encantadores.
Maite Parello Valero
Totalmente de acuerdo contigo. Son unicos, llegan directo al corazon, Oigo sus canciones una y otra vez. Son magicos y espectaculares, sus voces y presencia sublimes.
Isabel Lacoma
Q pena por CARLOS. Yo también no me canso de oír los y verlos. Y tambien se me caen las lágrimas. Los adoro. Y en su nueva etapa les deseo lo mejor. ❤❤❤❤
Hakan sac
La presentación impecable y la trascendencia de sus voces nos llenan el alma ...
abejita veloz
We will never forget Carlos Marin's talent!
R.I.P😔