Murolo became virtually a cultural ambassador of Naples to the world, and it was because of his recordings and performances that Neapolitan song was spread across five other continents.
He was very conscious of the history of music in Naples, and his own repertoire came to encompass songs from across several centuries of Neapolitan music, going back to 16th century comic opera and even further, to the end of the Middle Ages. His initial recording career culminated in 1963 with a 12-LP survey of Neapolitan song covering the period from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. He continued to concertize into the 1990s and resumed recording in his late seventies -- in 1990 -- with a pair of albums entitled 'Na Voce 'Na Chitarra, Vols. 1 & 2; he followed this two years later with an album released for his 80th birthday, L'Italia è Bella. This heralded an Indian Summer of recording work for Murolo, including a collaboration with Portuguese singer Amália Rodrigues. In 1995, he was honored by Italy's president, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, with the republic's highest civilian honor. He was given a life achievement award at the San Remo Festival in 2000 as well. Murolo passed away in 2003 at age 91, one of the most beloved singers in Italy and a cultural hero without peer in Naples.
O Sole Mio
Roberto Murolo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
n'aria serena doppo na tempesta
pe'll'aria fresca pare gia' na festa
che bella cosa na jurnata'e sole.
Ma n'atu sole
cchiu' bello, oi ne'
'o sole mio sta nfronte a te!
'o sole, o sole mio
sta nfronte a te.
Luceno 'e llastre d'a fenesta toia;
'na lavannara canta e se ne vanta
e pe' tramente torce, spanne e canta
luceno'e llastre d'a fenesta toia.
Ma n'atu sole
cchiu' bello, oi ne'
'o sole mio sta nfronte a te!
'o sole o sole mio
sta nfronte a te...
sta nfronte a te.
Quanno fa notte e 'o sole se ne scenne
me vene quase 'na malincunia;
sott' a fenesta toia restarria
quando fa notte e 'o sole se ne scenne.
Ma n'atu sole
cchiu' bello, oi ne'
'o sole mio sta nfronte a te!
'o sole o sole mio
sta nfronte a te...
sta nfronte a te.
The lyrics of Roberto Murolo's song O sole mio describe the beauty of a sunny day and how it feels like a celebration after a storm. The singer describes the fresh air and how it feels like a new start. However, the singer points out that there is another sun that shines brighter than the one in the sky, and that is the sun in front of his beloved. The lyrics describe how the sun's rays light up the window of his lover's house, and he can see a woman singing and boasting about her work. The singer compares his lover's beauty to the sun, saying that the sun in front of his lover shines brighter than any other sun.
In the final verse, the singer describes how he feels when night falls and the sun sets. He becomes melancholic and wishes he could stay outside his lover's window forever. But then he remembers that he has the sun in front of him, his beloved. The lyrics are a celebration of love, and how the love between two people can shine brighter than the sun in the sky.
Line by Line Meaning
Che bella cosa è na jurnata'e'sole
What a beautiful thing is a sunny day
n'aria serena doppo na tempesta
The calm air after a storm
pe'll'aria fresca pare gia' na festa
For the cool air makes you feel like celebrating
che bella cosa na jurnata'e sole.
What a beautiful thing is a sunny day.
Ma n'atu sole
But another sun
cchiu' bello, oi ne'
More beautiful, oh yes
'o sole mio sta nfronte a te!
My sun is in front of you!
'o sole, o sole mio
Sun, my own sun
sta nfronte a te...
It's in front of you
Luceno 'e llastre d'a fenesta toia;
The panes shine at your window,
'na lavannara canta e se ne vanta
And a washwoman sings as she boasts,
e pe' tramente torce, spanne e canta
And, distractedly, she twists, wrings, and sings,
luceno'e llastre d'a fenesta toia.
The panes shine at your window.
Quanno fa notte e 'o sole se ne scenne
When night falls and the sun sets,
me vene quase 'na malincunia;
I feel almost melancholy;
sott' a fenesta toia restarria
Wishing I could stay beneath your window
quando fa notte e 'o sole se ne scenne.
When night falls and the sun sets.
Contributed by James R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Edmund StAustell
Thank you Stephen, I really appreciate that and absolutely agree with you!
Edmund StAustell
Merci beaucoup, ma chère amie!
A. Idem
It's a pleasure to listen how Murolo sings it... So sincerely and naturally in a low (in fact bass :) key with a genuine Neapolitan pronunciation.
Edmund StAustell
I certainly agree with that! Not only the best singer, but the outstanding scholar of the music. His Anthology of Neapolitan Song is the great classic in the field. An amazing man.
sfkcbf
Your comments are so true. It is a pleasure hearing the song sung and without bellowing.
Buckshot_lefonk
Edmund, you make my day! I'm completely "innamorato" with Roberto Murolo, who I consider to be the best Napolitan singer. Thanks a lot.
yaakovha1948
Outstanding.And thank you for you wise words.It is nice not to feel alone against the multitudes.
Edmund StAustell
Yes indeed! Murolo, a great poet, playwright, journalist, composer, guitarist, and scholar, is the grand master of Neapolitan musc, without doubt, and one of the great figures of Neapolitan intellectual and cultural life. His "Chronological Anthology of Neapolitan Song," featuring recorded examples of song related to the general area of Naples from the high Middle Ages to the present day, is the absolute classic of scholarship on the subject of Neapolitan music. If in doubt, check Murolo!
Françoise Crameri
Toujours un bonheur d'écouter le belle voix de Monsieur Murolo ... Mille merci Edmund et amitiés en passant ... :-)
Venancio Pedro Buricchi
ma, qui si parla italiano