… Read Full Bio ↴Ornella Vanoni (born September 22, 1934 in Milan) is an Italian singer.
She started her artistic career in 1960 as a theatrical actress of Bertolt Brecht works under the direction of Giorgio Strehler. At the same time, she started singing, recording for a high-class public. The folklore and popular songs she reinvented in her recordings of this period, especially ones connected with organized crime, gave her the nickname of cantante della mala (literally translated as "singer of the bad life")
Soon after her popularity rose, thanks to the songs "Senza fine" and "Che cosa c'è" (1963) written for her by Gino Paoli. In 1964 she won the Napoli Festival with "Tu si na cosa grande".
She subsequently took part in a series of Sanremo festivals, which resulted in great successes with the songs; "Abbracciami forte" (1965), "Io ti darò di più" (1966), "La musica è finita" (1967), "Casa bianca" (1968), and "Eternità" (1970). "Casa Bianca", which came second, was the subject of the dispute between its author Don Backy and the Clan of Adriano Celentano because of copyright problems.
During the same period she released the songs "Una ragione di più", "Un'ora sola ti vorrei" and "L'appuntamento".
In 1976 she met Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho, and she released the songs "La voglia, la pazzia, l'incoscienza e l'allegria". During the 1980s she also released "Ricetta di donna" (1980), "Uomini" (1983) and "Ti lascio una canzone" (1985, a duet sung with Gino Paoli). In 1989 she returned to Sanremo with the song "Io come farò".
In 1999 she recorded "Alberi", a duet sung with Enzo Gragnaniello. She was mostly active in live concerts and as a guest singer in recordings. In 2004 she released a duo album with Gino Paoli as a way of celebrating her 70th birthday.
In addition to her singing career, Ornella Vanoni was active in many other performing arts. Apart from the aforementioned theatre career, she also took part in movies, posed nude for the Italian version of Playboy Italy and also participated in television programmes such as a parody of a velina of Striscia la notizia.
The inclusion of her song "L'Appuntamento" on the Ocean's Twelve soundtrack sparked a renewal of interest in Vanoni in the US.
Favola
Ornella Vanoni Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Un facile sogno che forse non c'è.
Pensai che tu, non fossi più tu,
Avessi i pensieri che non trovo più.
Amai in te un re che non c'è,
E solo la mente mi disse chi è.
Scoprii che tu coi tuoi occhi blu
Parevi una stella caduta quaggiù.
Cantai perché cantassi con me,
E il canto era dolce, cantato da te.
Scherzai perché ridessi di me,
E un caldo sorriso sgorgasse da te.
Parlai di te parlando con me,
Al mondo discorso più bello non c'è.
Scoprii che tu coi tuoi occhi blu
Parevi una stella caduta quaggiù.
Infine tu tornasti lassù,
E non ho più visto quei tuoi occhi blu.
Rimase a me un mucchio di "se":
"se avesse", "se fosse", "se disse", "se c'è".
Amai, cantai, pensai e pregai,
E adesso ho soltanto un ricordo oramai.
Scoprii, sognai, parlai tra di me,
Di un mondo, di un tempo, di un re che non c'è.
(Grazie a Andreina per questo testo)
The lyrics of Ornella Vanoni's song "Favola" tell the story of a dreamy and idealistic love that eventually fades away. The singer dreams of a world with the person she loves, a world that may not exist. She starts to doubt whether the person she loves is truly themselves or has changed in some way. Despite this, she still loves and admires them, seeing them as a king-like figure. The person's blue eyes make them appear as a fallen star, which they may be, as they eventually leave and are no longer present in the singer's life.
The singer sings and jokes with the person, cherishing their time together. They speak about the person to themselves, finding it to be the most beautiful conversation in the world. However, when the person leaves, the singer is left with a pile of "what ifs" and only memories. They continue to love, sing, and dream, but the person is no longer a part of their life. The concept of a "fable" is used to describe this love, highlighting its dreamy, idealistic nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Sognai per me un mondo con te,
I dreamed of a world with you for myself,
Un facile sogno che forse non c'è.
An easy dream that maybe doesn't exist.
Pensai che tu, non fossi più tu,
I thought that you weren't really you anymore,
Avessi i pensieri che non trovo più.
That you had thoughts that I couldn't find anymore.
Amai in te un re che non c'è,
I loved in you a king that doesn't exist,
E solo la mente mi disse chi è.
Only my mind told me who he is.
Scoprii che tu coi tuoi occhi blu
I discovered that you, with your blue eyes,
Parevi una stella caduta quaggiù.
Seemed like a star fallen here below.
Cantai perché cantassi con me,
I sang so you would sing with me,
E il canto era dolce, cantato da te.
And the song was sweet, sung by you.
Scherzai perché ridessi di me,
I joked so you would laugh at me,
E un caldo sorriso sgorgasse da te.
And a warm smile would come from you.
Parlai di te parlando con me,
I talked about you while talking to myself,
Al mondo discorso più bello non c'è.
There is no discourse in the world more beautiful.
Infine tu tornasti lassù,
Finally, you went back up there,
E non ho più visto quei tuoi occhi blu.
And I haven't seen those blue eyes anymore.
Rimase a me un mucchio di "se":
I was left with a pile of "ifs":
"se avesse", "se fosse", "se disse", "se c'è".
"if he had", "if he were", "if he said", "if he existed".
Amai, cantai, pensai e pregai,
I loved, sang, thought, and prayed,
E adesso ho soltanto un ricordo oramai.
And now I only have a memory left.
Scoprii, sognai, parlai tra di me,
I discovered, dreamed, and talked to myself,
Di un mondo, di un tempo, di un re che non c'è.
About a world, a time, a king that doesn't exist.
Contributed by Sarah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@giorgiomassa6875
Dolcezza e intensità: la dolcezza di una musica che porta tenerezza, un testo che racconta momenti di felicità e di malinconia, l'intensità di una interprete unica che sa unire grazia ed espressività. Un duetto d'amore che esce dal palcoscenico di un teatro per entrare nell'intimità dei sentimenti in modo diretto e con semplicità di cuore.
Giorgio Massa
@paolorenzo11
voce unica...inimitabile...Ornella quando canta fa venire brividi di piacere...
@carmenpalu838
Bellissima canzone, non la conoscevo!
@michelem2117
Splendido duetto con il grande Bertoli
@silvergold207
Splendida interprete!
@ItaloVolpato
Realmente, Franco Rodella.
@ItaloVolpato
Música feita pelos anjos.