Adamo is one of the most commercially successful singers in Europe. Adamo has sold over 80 million copies of his albums worldwide. He is currently living in Belgium though he has lived in France with his family. His hits include "Tombe la Neige", "Vous permettez, Monsieur?" and "Inch'Allah", all from the sixties.
Adamo's early influences were the poetry of Victor Hugo, the music of French crooners such as Jacques Prévert or Georges Brassens, and the Italian canzonette. He started singing and composing his own songs from an early age. His debut was in a Radio Luxembourg competition, where he participated as singer and composer of the song "Si j'osais" ("If I dared") winning the competition's final held in Paris, in 14 February 1960.
Adamo's first hit was "Sans toi, ma mie", in 1963, from his debut album 63/64. He followed this with a series of hits, "Tombe la neige" ("The snow falls"), "Vous permettez, Monsieur?" ("May I, Sir"), "La Nuit" ("The Night") (1964), "Dolce Paola" ("Sweet Paola"), "Les Filles du bord de mer" ("The girls at the beach"), "Mes mains sur tes hanches" ("My hands on your hips") (1965), "Ton Nom" ("Your Name"), "Une meche de cheveux" ("Lock of golden hair") (1966), "Une larme aux nuages" ("A tear to the clouds"), "Inch'Allah" (1967), "L'amour te ressemble" ("Love resembles you"), "F... comme femme" ("F... like woman") (1968), "A demain sur la lune" ("See you tomorrow on the moon"), "Petit bonheur" ("Small happiness") (1969), "Va mon bateau" ("My boat goes"), "Les belles dames" ("Beautiful ladies") (1970), "J'avais oublié que les roses sont roses" ("I had forgotten that the roses are pink") (1971), "C'est ma vie" ("It's my life") (1975). Other notable songs included "Manuel", "Si Tu Etais", "Les Collines De Rabiah", "J'Te Lache Plus", "Mourir Dans Tes Bras", and "Ce George(s)".
The self-penned "Petit bonheur" sold over one million copies by April 1970, and was awarded a gold disc.
Amália Rodrigues recorded "Inch'Allah" in French. Adamo briefly attempted movie acting when he was cast in the film Les Arnaud (1967), which starred Bourvil.
He has recorded in many languages and, besides France and Belgium, had hits in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Turkey and also in Japan, where he toured repeatedly. Adamo has had hits and toured also in Latin America. In Chile, the audience awarded him an appreciation prize known as the "Antorcha" (Gold and Silver Torch) at the "Festival de Viña del Mar" held yearly in the "Quinta Vergara", at the seaside resort of Viña del Mar, where he once had to sing in three different, sold-out venues in the same night.
In the 1980s, Adamo's career faltered, as the style of his music was no longer fashionable. Since the 1990s, however, and on the crest of a nostalgia wave, Adamo has successfully resumed composing, issuing records and touring, starting with a full season at the Casino de Paris venue in April 1990. Adamo has sold over 100 million copies of recordings worldwide.
Albums
* 1992 Rêveur de fond
* 1994 C’est ma vie (compilation Live)
* 1995 La vie comme elle passe
* 1998 Regards
* 2001 Par les temps qui courent
* 2002 Les mots de l’âme (compilation)
* 2003 Zanzibar
* 2004 Un soir au Zanzibar (CD/DVD compilation Live)
* 2007 La part de l'ange
Elle était belle pourtant
Salvatore Adamo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Elle est partie, elle a plié bagages et puis la vie tourne la page
Elle était belle, pourtant, si j'avais pu la garder
Le soir, comme une enfant, moi, je l'aurai bercée
Il est parti l'oiseau, c'est la faute à Prévert
Qui veut que les oiseaux s'envolent au grand air
Qu'on n'y prend pas le temps de s'habituer
Parfois on sent qu'on va flancher, on serre les dents il faut oublier
Elle était belle, pourtant, si j'avais pu la garder
Le soir, comme une enfant, moi, je l'aurai bercée
Il est parti l'oiseau, c'est la faute à Prévert
Qui veut que les oiseaux s'envolent au grand air
Elle était belle, pourtant c'est drôle, je l'oublie déjà
Je te comprends va-t'en, ne te retourne pas !
In Salvatore Adamo's song "Elle était belle pourtant," the singer reflects on a lost love that he had become attached to for a short period of time. The first few lines suggest a fleeting passionate encounter with a girl that ended when she left and moved on with her life. The song goes on to describe how even though the girl was beautiful, the love did not last, and the singer could not hold on to her. He refers to her departure as "l'oiseau qui s'envole" (the bird that flies away), blaming the French poet Jacques Prévert for writing about birds who should not be caged and must fly free.
As the song progresses, the singer reflects on the struggle of love and the difficult process of moving on. While admitting his love was "long to install," he admits that sometimes one must simply "forget and move on" - even if it means forgetting a beautiful love that has passed. By the end of the song, the singer implies that he has already forgotten his lost love and urges her to go and not turn back.
Overall, the song provides a poignant and melancholic portrayal of the complexities of love and the painful process of letting go when a relationship does not work out.
Line by Line Meaning
D'une jolie fille on s'amourache, pour quelques nuits on s'y attache
We fall in love with a pretty girl and become attached for a few nights
Elle est partie, elle a plié bagages et puis la vie tourne la page
She left, packed her bags, and life moves on
Elle était belle, pourtant, si j'avais pu la garder
She was beautiful, but if only I could have kept her
Le soir, comme une enfant, moi, je l'aurai bercée
In the evening, like a child, I would have rocked her
Il est parti l'oiseau, c'est la faute à Prévert
The bird has flown away, it's Prévert's fault
Qui veut que les oiseaux s'envolent au grand air
He wants birds to fly in the open air
L'amour est long à s'installer
Love takes a long time to settle
Qu'on n'y prend pas le temps de s'habituer
We don't take the time to get used to it
Parfois on sent qu'on va flancher, on serre les dents il faut oublier
Sometimes we feel like giving up, but we grit our teeth and forget
Elle était belle, pourtant c'est drôle, je l'oublie déjà
She was beautiful, yet it's funny, I'm already forgetting her
Je te comprends va-t'en, ne te retourne pas !
I understand, go away, don't look back!
Lyrics © BALANDRAS EDITIONS
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