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
Le Taureau Et L'Enfant
Salvatore Adamo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Le soleil joue les picadors
L'enfant somnole bienheureux
Le taureau cueille un bouton d'or
Il est midi, l'arène est vide
Vide de gloire, vide de sang
Y a juste un p'tit taureau timide
La foule crie, l'enfant est debout
Tout nu, tout seul devant la mort
Le taureau croule à ses genoux
C'est le plus grand des matadors
Au bout d'un rêve triomphant
Est né le prince des arènes,
Pour ne pas réveiller l'enfant
Le taureau retient son haleine
Cent fois l'enfant tue le taureau
Et le taureau aime l'enfant
Le taureau berce son bourreau
Les taureaux ne sont pas méfiants
La foule crie, l'enfant est debout
Tout nu, tout seul devant la mort
Le taureau croule à ses genoux
C'est le plus grand des matadors
Ivre de sang, la foule exulte
Si fort qu'elle réveille l'enfant
Son rêve meurt dans le tumulte
Comme un soleil dans le néant
Tout souriant, l'enfant se lève
Mon Dieu, mon Dieu, que c'était beau !
Mais le taureau devine son rêve
Y a-t-il des larmes de taureau ?
Le soleil meurt, couleur de sang
Et sombre dans le ciel livide
Devant un p'tit taureau timide,
Un homme a tué un enfant.
The lyrics of "Le Taureau Et L'enfant" by Salvatore Adamo describe a bullfight in a poetic and metaphoric way, exploring themes of innocence, violence, and the cycle of life and death. The setting is an arena where the sun is like a flaming bed of coals and the child sleeps blissfully while the bull picks a daisy. It's noon, and the arena is empty of glory and blood, except for a shy little bull that shadows the child. The crowd chants and cheers as the child, naked and alone, faces death, while the bull collapses at his feet, becoming the greatest of all matadors in a triumphant dream.
The cycle repeats, and the child kills the bull a hundred times, as the bull grows more fond of the child, even cradling his executioner. The crowd becomes intoxicated by blood, and the dream dies in the tumult. The child wakes up smiling, marveling at the beauty of the spectacle, but the bull intuits his dream and wonders if there are tears of a bull. The sun sets, red as blood, and sinks into the livid sky while a man kills a child in front of a timid little bull.
Line by Line Meaning
Le sable est un grand lit de feu
The sand is like a huge bed of burning coals
Le soleil joue les picadors
The sun plays the role of the picadors
L'enfant somnole bienheureux
The child sleeps blissfully
Le taureau cueille un bouton d'or
The bull picks a golden button
Il est midi, l'arène est vide
It's noon and the arena is empty
Vide de gloire, vide de sang
Devoid of glory, devoid of blood
Y a juste un p'tit taureau timide
There is only a little shy bull
Qui fait de l'ombre à un enfant
Who casts a shadow on a child
La foule crie, l'enfant est debout
The crowd cheers as the child stands up
Tout nu, tout seul devant la mort
Completely naked and alone facing death
Le taureau croule à ses genoux
The bull crumbles at his knees
C'est le plus grand des matadors
He is the greatest of matadors
Au bout d'un rêve triomphant
At the end of a triumphant dream
Est né le prince des arènes,
The prince of arenas is born
Pour ne pas réveiller l'enfant
So as not to awaken the child
Le taureau retient son haleine
The bull holds its breath
Cent fois l'enfant tue le taureau
A hundred times the child kills the bull
Et le taureau aime l'enfant
And the bull loves the child
Le taureau berce son bourreau
The bull rocks his executioner
Les taureaux ne sont pas méfiants
Bulls are not wary
Ivre de sang, la foule exulte
Drunk with blood, the crowd exults
Si fort qu'elle réveille l'enfant
So loud that it wakes the child up
Son rêve meurt dans le tumulte
His dream dies in the commotion
Comme un soleil dans le néant
Like a sun in nothingness
Tout souriant, l'enfant se lève
Smiling, the child stands up
Mon Dieu, mon Dieu, que c'était beau !
My God, my God, how beautiful it was!
Mais le taureau devine son rêve
But the bull understands his dream
Y a-t-il des larmes de taureau ?
Are there tears from the bull?
Le soleil meurt, couleur de sang
The sun dies, red as blood
Et sombre dans le ciel livide
And sinks into the ashen sky
Devant un p'tit taureau timide,
In front of a little shy bull
Un homme a tué un enfant.
A man killed a child.
Lyrics © BALANDRAS EDITIONS
Written by: Salvatore ADAMO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind