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

La Vie En Rose
Jerry Vale Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose

When you kiss me, Heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose

When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart, a world where roses bloom
And when you speak, angels sing from above
Everyday words seem to turn into love songs

Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be
La vie en rose

Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose

Il me dit des mots d'amour
Des mots de tous les jours
Et ca me fait quelque chose

When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart, a world where roses bloom
And when you speak, angels sing from above
Everyday words seem to turn into love songs

Give your heart and soul to me

And life will always be
La vie en rose

Overall Meaning

The song "La Vie En Rose" is a romantic song about being in love and seeing life through rose-colored glasses. The lyrics describe the powerful effect that the person singing to has on the singer, as they are able to cast a magic spell through their love. When the two are together, everything seems beautiful and perfect, and the singer is transported to a world where roses bloom. The words that are spoken by the loved one are transformed into beautiful love songs by the angels above.

The song is a beautiful tribute to the transformative power of love. When two people are truly in love, the world around them seems to change, and everything appears more beautiful and perfect. The song paints a picture of two people in love who are completely wrapped up in each other, and who see only the best in each other and in the world around them.

Line by Line Meaning

Hold me close and hold me fast
Wrap your arms around me tightly and don't let go

The magic spell you cast
Your love has a powerful effect on me, like magic

This is la vie en rose
With your love, life is beautiful and full of passion

When you kiss me, Heaven sighs
Your kisses are so sweet, it's like even Heaven is moved

And though I close my eyes
Even when I don't see, I still feel your love

I see la vie en rose
Your love has opened my eyes to the beauty of life

When you press me to your heart
Holding me close to your heart makes me feel like nothing else matters

I'm in a world apart, a world where roses bloom
With you, I'm in a special place that's filled with beauty and love

And when you speak, angels sing from above
Your voice is like music that reaches even the heavens

Everyday words seem to turn into love songs
Even simple words from you sound like the most romantic lyrics

Give your heart and soul to me
Offer me your deepest feelings and emotions