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 Winner Takes it All
Il Divo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ya se dijo todo
Duele aún mover
Cosas del ayer
Hice igual que tú
Me quedé sin cartas
Ya no hay vuelta atrás
Va todo al ganador
A quien jugó mejor
Me toca a mi perder
Que le voy a hacer
Quise ver en ti
Un lugar seguro
Un muro alrededor
Ese fue mi error
No debí soñar
Un amor tan puro
Que inocente fue
Ir de buena fe
Los dioses por placer
Eligen sin querer
Asustados al rodar
Marcan nuestro azar
Va todo al ganador
Te deja su dolor
Es como debe ser
Hoy igual que ayer
Ya no quiero hablar
Ya se dijo todo
Duele aún mover
Cosas del ayer
Va todo al ganador
A quien jugó mejor
Me toca a mi perder
Va todo al ganador
Ganador
Actué bien o mal
Lo bueno y lo mejor
Va todo al ganador
A quien jugó mejor
Va todo al ganador
Va todo al ganador
Ya no quiero hablar
Ya se dijo todo
The lyrics of Il Divo's song 'The Winner Takes It All' describe the feeling of heartbreak and the acceptance of losing in a relationship. The first verse tells us that the singer doesn't want to talk anymore because everything has already been said. Moving on from the past hurts and it's difficult for them to move on. The second verse tells us that the singer and the person they were with both had no cards (options) left to play and there is no going back.
The chorus describes the theme of the song, which is that everything goes to the winner who played better. In this case, the singer has to accept that they have lost and the pain from the loss. The bridge portion of the song talks about the singer's mistake in thinking that the person they were with would provide a safe and comfortable place, only to realize that it was a wrong assumption. The gods, without meaning to, make choices that affect us and leave us with our own fate.
Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of the inevitability of losing in love and the acceptance that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Ya no quiero hablar
I do not wish to speak anymore.
Ya se dijo todo
Everything has already been said.
Duele aún mover
It hurts to even move.
Cosas del ayer
Things from the past.
Hice igual que tú
I did the same as you did.
Me quedé sin cartas
I ran out of cards to play.
Ya no hay vuelta atrás
There is no turning back anymore.
No reparten más
They are not dealing anymore.
Va todo al ganador
Everything goes to the winner.
A quien jugó mejor
To the one who played better.
Me toca a mi perder
It is my turn to lose.
Que le voy a hacer
What am I supposed to do?
Quise ver en ti
I wanted to see in you.
Un lugar seguro
A safe place.
Un muro alrededor
A wall around.
Ese fue mi error
That was my mistake.
No debi soñar
I shouldn't have dreamed.
Un amor tan puro
Such a pure love.
Que inocente fue
How innocent it was.
Ir de buena fe
To go in good faith.
Los dioses por placer
The gods for pleasure.
Eligen sin querer
Choose without meaning to.
Sustados al rodar
Tossed as they roll.
Marcan nuestro azar
They mark our fate.
Te deja su dolor
It leaves you with its pain.
Es como debe ser
It is how it should be.
Hoy igual que ayer
Today, just as yesterday.
Actués bien o mal
Whether you act good or bad.
Lo bueno y lo mejor
The good and the best.
Va todo al ganador
Everything goes to the winner.
Ganador
Winner.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Benny Goran Bror Andersson, Bjoern K Ulvaeus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Irene Kovach
Carlos, tu pérdida es irreemplazable. Una voz prodigiosa y una personalidad magnética. Descansa en paz 😔
Pinkchihuahuadog
2:43 (R.I.P.) Descansa en Paz, Carlos Marín. Nadie podrá sustituir tu increíble voz.
Anca Alina
Es verdad, nadie lo va a poder sustituir! Se nos fue un grande! Que voz, que expresividad, que artista...😓🖤😭
Maria Dolores Guerrero Sanchez
Es verdad no habrá otro como el imposible descanses en paz carlos marin 💔😢😢😢😢
Lili
Verdad😢 es único
Alicia H.H
Lo que los productores de el Il Divo intenta hacer a pocos días de el fallecimiento de el maravilloso e increíble cantante y barítono Carlos Marin. Al parecer ya tienen un sustituto que va ir a los próximos conciertos supuestamente como invitado, pero que falta de respeto a sus fans y público no somos unos ingnorantes .Que pasa que lo tenías preparado? Carlos era el mejor de el grupo id divo y esto no se hace. Abandono ser fans de il Divo, por que sin Carlos no tiene sentido seguir escuchándolos.
Mere Dalila
Concordo .ninguém
Таня Дивина
Этот голос будет звучать в моей душе всегда, СПАСИБО, КАРЛОС!
Luisa Jordan
Que ganador,que luz ,no te dejaremos de escuchar desde el cielo.
Edith Esmeralda Reyes Santos
Aún no puedo creer la partida de Carlos Marín. Su increíble voz siempre se elevará tan alto como él lo ha hecho hoy.