Jerry Vale's beautiful high-tenor voice graced many of the most enchanting … Read Full Bio ↴Jerry Vale's beautiful high-tenor voice graced many of the most enchanting pop songs of the '50s and '60s, including a parade of Italian-American favorites like "Innamorata (Sweetheart)," "Volare," "Amore, Scusami," and his signature song, "Al Di La." Vale, born Genaro Louis Vitaliano in 1932, learned the Italian repertoire from an early age; his mother often sang around the house and trotted out the old songs at extended-family gatherings. While shining shoes at a local barber shop at the age of 11, young Vitaliano began singing popular songs for customers while he worked. He was soon sent to a vocal coach, where he learned piano as well as voice. Over the course of just four years, he'd progressed from school productions to paying gigs to residencies at supper clubs around New York City.

After Guy Mitchell caught his set at one club, Jerry Vale began recording demonstration discs for Columbia. When A&R supremo Mitch Miller heard his excellent voice, however, he signed Vale to his own contract. Vale first hit the charts in 1953 with "You Can Never Give Me Back My Heart" (arranged by Percy Faith), and continued during the mid '50s with "Two Purple Shadows," "I Live Each Day," and his biggest hit, "You Don't Know Me." Though his first explicitly Italian recording, "Innamorata (Sweetheart)," finally appeared in 1956, it wasn't until 1962 that Vale convinced the notoriously conservative Miller to record a full album of Italian songs. "I Have But One Heart" proved a big seller and was followed one year later by "Arrivederci, Roma" and a continental LP, "The Language of Love," both of which placed even higher than the first on the album charts.

Though the mid '60s were a trying time for traditional pop singers, Vale continued to be successful, with singles like "Have You Looked Into Your Heart" and "For Mama," and Top 40 LPs like "There Goes My Heart" and "It's Magic." Even after his albums began failing to make the charts in the early '70s, Vale remained a popular name in clubs and on television throughout the '70s and '80s. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Arrivederci Roma
Jerry Vale Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Arrivederci, Roma
Goodbye, goodbye to Rome

City of a million moonlit places
City of a million warm embraces
Where I found the one of all the faces
Far from home

Arrivederci, Roma
It's time for us to part

Save the wedding bells for my returning
Keep my lover's arms outstretched and yearning
Please be sure the flame of love keeps burning
In her heart

Si ritrova a pranzo a Squarciarelli
Fettuccine e vino dei Castelli
Come ai tempi belli che Pinelli immortalò

Arrivederci, Roma
Non so scordarti più

Save the wedding bells for my returning
Keep my lover's arms outstretched and yearning

Please be sure the flame of love keeps burning
In her heart

Overall Meaning

The song "Arrivederci Roma" by Jerry Vale is a farewell tribute to the city of Rome. The lyrics are full of nostalgia as the singer bids goodbye to the city and his lover. Rome is described as a city of a million moonlit places where he found the love of his life, a city of endless warm embraces. However, it is time for him to depart from the city, and he leaves behind a lover who is waiting for him to return.

The song takes a wistful and melancholic tone as the singer requests his lover to keep the flame of their love burning in her heart until he comes back. He asks her to save the wedding bells for his return and to keep her arms outstretched and yearning for him. The repeated chorus of "Arrivederci Roma" adds to the emotional theme of the song, creating a sense of finality and closure.

Jerry Vale's rendition of the song has a slow, romantic melody that perfectly complements the lyrics. The singer's heartfelt delivery, combined with the beautiful instrumentation, makes the song a classic tribute to the "Eternal City" of Rome. "Arrivederci Roma" continues to be a popular song, reminding people of the beauty and romance of the city.

Line by Line Meaning

Arrivederci Roma, Goodbye, goodbye to Rome
Farewell Rome, it's time to say goodbye.

City of a million moonlit places,
Rome is a city full of beautiful places illuminated by the moon.

City of a million warm embraces,
Rome is a city where people have a warm and welcoming attitude.

Where I found the one of all the faces,
He found the person he loves the most in Rome.

Far from home!
He wasn't in his own city when he met his love.

Arrivederci Roma, It's time for us to part,
He is bidding farewell to Rome as it's time for him to leave.

Save the wedding bells for my returning,
He wants the wedding bells to ring when he comes back.

Keep my lover's arms outstretched and yearning,
He wants his lover to miss him dearly and keep their love strong while he is away.

Please be sure the flame of love keeps burning, In her heart!
He wants his lover to keep their love alive in her heart.

Arrivederci Roma, Roma, Roma, Roma
He bids farewell to Rome repeatedly as it's hard for him to part with the city.

Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Allessandro Giovannini, Pietro Garinei, Renato Ranucci, Carl Sigman

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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