Salvatore, Knight Adamo, simply known as Adamo (born 1 November 1943, in Co… Read Full Bio ↴Salvatore, Knight Adamo, simply known as Adamo (born 1 November 1943, in Comiso, Sicily, Italy) is a Belgian – Italian composer and singer of ballads, mainly in French, but also in other languages such as German, Italian and Spanish. He had commercial success during the 1960s and 1970s, mostly in Europe and Latin America, but also in Japan and the United States. Now he lives in Belgium. He is of Sicilian/Italian ancestry.

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

Je Suis Seul
Salvatore Adamo Lyrics

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J' suis seul

La p'tite balle qui fait ping
Ne fait plus jamais pong
Je lis du Stephen King
J'écoute Louis Armstrong

J' suis seul

C'est pas vraiment Sing Sing
Mais les heures sont longues
Heureusement qu' mon lemming
Veut bien jouer au mahjong

J' suis seul

J'ai rempli un vase Ming
En me rongeant les ong'
Je m'en suis fait un pudding
Pas piqué des hannetongs

J' suis seul

Toi, tu fais du jogging
Sur la baie d'Along
Ou p't-être bien du shopping
Dans les rues de Hong Kong
Mais moi j' suis seul

Je m'adonne au zapping
À la télévisiong
Tiens, voilà Deng Xiaoping
Dans les bras d' Suzy Wong

J' suis seul

Un coup dans le Wyoming
Un coup sur le Mékong
Un coup j' te vois en string
Dans la main de King Kong

J' suis seul

J'avais mis mon smoking
Pour chanter ma love song
Mais la star du casting
A raté son aviong
Et moi je suis seul

La petite balle qui fait ping
Ne fait plus jamais pong
J' suis sonné sur le ring
Et toujours pas de gong

J' suis seul

J'ai plus de rime en -ing
J'ai fini ma chansong

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Salvatore Adamo's song "Je Suis Seul" portray a feeling of loneliness and isolation. The repetition of the phrase "J' suis seul" (I am alone) emphasizes the singer's solitude throughout the song. The song takes a playful approach to express this loneliness by using wordplay and cultural references.

In the first verse, Adamo mentions a ping-pong ball that no longer bounces back, symbolizing the lack of response or connection he feels from others. He then mentions reading Stephen King's books and listening to Louis Armstrong's music as forms of escapism, suggesting that these activities fill the void of companionship in his life.

Adamo continues with humorous references in the following verses. He mentions Sing Sing, a prison in the United States, to contrast the length of his hours alone. He also uses wordplay with "lemming" (a small rodent) and "mahjong" (a Chinese game) to illustrate his desperate attempt to find someone or something to engage with.

The lyrics further depict his loneliness through absurd scenarios and playful images. Adamo fills a Ming vase (a valuable Chinese artifact) while chewing his nails, implying his restlessness. He turns this restlessness into a metaphorical "pudding" that is not easily swayed or disturbed. He contrasts his own solitary activities, such as zapping through television channels, with the imagined adventures of the person he addresses in the song, who he envisions jogging in Wyoming or shopping in Hong Kong.

The song takes a twist in the bridge, where Adamo mentions seeing Deng Xiaoping (a Chinese politician) in the arms of Suzy Wong (a fictional character from a novel and popular film). This unexpected encounter emphasizes his disconnectedness from the real world and his longing for companionship.

The final verse highlights the frustration and disappointment in the singer's inability to find the right words or rhymes. He mentions getting ready to perform in a tuxedo, but his partner, the star of the show, has failed to show up. The song concludes with Adamo emphasizing his solitude again, stating that the ping-pong ball still doesn't make a sound, and he feels knocked out in the boxing ring without a gong to signal the end.

Overall, "Je Suis Seul" captures the essence of loneliness and longing for connection through clever wordplay, cultural references, and vivid imagery.

Je Suis SeulSalvatore Adamo Lyrics

Je Suis Seul
Salvatore Adamo Lyrics