Peppino began singing and playing the piano at age 4, entertaining the American army troops stationed on the island of Capri with a repertoire of American standards. After 6 years of classical studies and playing at nightclubs around Capri, Peppino and his group The Rockers released their first single, with the songs Malatia (Illness) and Nun è Peccato (It's not a sin), sung in Napoletano in 1958. The single was an instant hit, and Peppino spent most of the following year touring. A string of hit singles soon followed, usually alternating between Italian versions of American rock'n'roll and twist songs (with some verses sung in English), and originals in Italian and Napoletano, and Peppino became one of the top acts in the country.
After performing as the opening act for The Beatles in their 1965 tour of Italy, Peppino and his group attempted, with moderate success, to break out of the Italian market. Their work was very well-received particularly in Brazil, thanks to the large Italian immigrant community in the country.
The 70s saw Peppino veer toward a more adult contemporary style of music, with a new band, the New Rockers. He won the prestigious Festival della canzone italiana (Festival of the Italian song) in 1973, with the song Un grande amore e niente più (A great love and nothing more). The same year, he released the song that would accompany him through the rest of his career: Champagne was a big hit in Italy, Germany, Spain and Brazil. He won the Festival della canzone italiana again in 1976, with the song Non lo faccio più (I won't do it anymore). In 1991, he represented Italy at the Eurovision song contest, coming in 7th place with the song Comme È Ddoce 'O Mare (How sweet is the sea), sung in Napoletano.
As of 2006, Peppino di Capri is the performer with the most appearances at the Festival della canzone italiana, his last appearance being in 2005, singing La Panchina (The little park bench).
Eurovision Song Contest 1991 - Rome
Entry for Italy
Performer: Peppino di Capri
Song title: Comme E' Ddoce 'o Mare
Song writer(s): Giampiero Artegiani
Song composer(s): Marcello Marocchi
Sang in Position: 22
Final Position: 7
Total Points: 89
The 1991 Eurovision Song Contest was supposed to be held in the seaside resort San Remo which is known for its annual festival of Italian music, but host broadcaster RAI moved it to Rome at a very late stage. The moving of the show meant that RAI was not completely ready for the show and on the day of the contest, there were still works on the set to be done.
For the second time since the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, the Netherlands decided to withdraw from the contest due to the country's Rememberance Day. Malta took the open spot which meant that the country was back for the first time since 1975. The winner of the previous year and the co-host of this year, Toto Cutugno, had big difficulties with the pronunciation of the song titles and names of the artists and conductors. The other host was Gigliola Cinquetti, Italy's first Eurovision winner from 1964.
The postcards to present the different national singers were very special this year: the singers were asked to sing a known Italian song which would then be used as a short clip for the postcard. Yugoslavia's entry Brazil by Baby Doll only managed to get one single point from Malta but the extravagant performance created a cult following among Eurovision Song Contest fans.
At the end of the voting procedure, both Sweden and France had 146 points each. Because of that the the newly-created rule of 1989 was put in effect giving the victory to Swedish entrant Carola who got more '10 points votes' than France. Both Sweden and France had an equal amount of '12 point votes.' Carola had already participated in 1983 with the song Främling which ended up 3rd in Munich. She had already tried to enter the 1990 contest in Zagreb but lost out in the Swedish national heats. In 2006 though, she would re-appear on the Eurovision stage in Athens, performing Invincible which came 5th.
Venus
Peppino Di Capri Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey, Venus, oh, Venus
Venus, if you will
Please send a little girl for me to thrill
A girl who wants my kisses and my arms
A girl with all the charms of you
Venus, make her fair
And take the brightest stars up in the skies
And place them in her eyes for me
Venus, goddess of love that you are
Surely the things I ask
Can't be too great a task
Venus, if you do
I promise that I always will be true
I'll give her all the love I have to give
As long as we both shall live
Hey, Venus, oh, Venus
Make my wish come true
The lyrics of Peppino Di Capri's "Venus" express the yearning of the singer for an ideal woman, who possesses all the charms and beauty of the goddess of love, Venus. He pleads with Venus to send a girl who will not only thrill him but also wants his kisses and arms. The singer goes on to describe the qualities that he desires in this girl. He wishes for a girl who is fair with sunlight in her hair, and eyes as bright as stars. The singer believes that these requests are not too great a task for the goddess of love, as she is the one who grants love and desire to mortals.
Moreover, the singer offers to be true to the girl that Venus decides to send him. He promises to love her with all his heart for as long as they both shall live. The lyrics emphasize the power of love, which is described as something almost magical; the singer believes that Venus can magically create his ideal woman who is perfect in every way. However, the lyrics also reveal the singer's desire for control; he wants Venus to create someone who meets his specific standards, suggesting that love can be limited by one's own expectations.
Peppino Di Capri's "Venus" was initially written in 1959 by Ed Marshall and Peter DeAngelis, performed by Frankie Avalon, but was later recreated in 1960 by Peppino Di Capri. The song became one of the biggest hits of the Italian pop music of the time, frequently broadcast on the radio, and its success continued well beyond the 1960s. "Venus" has been covered by many artists worldwide in different languages, including Spanish and German. Another interesting fact about the song is that it is one of the most played songs in the Philippines during the Christmas season.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, Venus, oh, Venus
A call to Goddess Venus for help
Hey, Venus, oh, Venus
A repetition of the call to Goddess Venus for emphasis
Venus, if you will
An appeal to Goddess Venus to listen and respond to the singer's request
Please send a little girl for me to thrill
Asking Goddess Venus to send a girl who will excite and thrill him
A girl who wants my kisses and my arms
Asking for a girl who desires physical intimacy and affection from the singer
A girl with all the charms of you
Describing the ideal girl as having the same attractive qualities as Goddess Venus
Venus, make her fair
Requesting for a girl who is beautiful and attractive
A lovely girl with sunlight in her hair
Further describing the desirable girl as being cheerful and bright
And take the brightest stars up in the skies
Asking for the most beautiful stars in the sky to be used to enhance the girl's beauty
And place them in her eyes for me
Asking for the girl's eyes to sparkle and shine with the beauty of stars
Venus, goddess of love that you are
Addressing Goddess Venus as the deity of love and beauty
Surely the things I ask
Expressing confidence that the request is not too much to ask
Can't be too great a task
Further emphasizing that the request is reasonable
Venus, if you do
Reiterating the request and hope for a positive response from Goddess Venus
I promise that I always will be true
Making a commitment to stay faithful to the girl that will be sent
I'll give her all the love I have to give
Promising to love the girl with all the singer's heart and soul
As long as we both shall live
Pledging to love the girl for the rest of their lives
Hey, Venus, oh, Venus
Closing with another call to Goddess Venus for help
Make my wish come true
Reiterating the request and hope for a positive response from the deity
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Marshall
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind