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 neon
Salvatore Adamo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qu'on se le dise, entre pantins, gare à la crise, gare à l'instinct
Car plus ça monte et plus j'ai honte
Plus je me rends compte que je ne suis pas grand
Pas grand, pas grand
Et ça m'énerve, j'perds mon latin, j'perds ma verve et je m'éteins
Centième étage, centième cage, centième orage, je serre les dents
Enfin sur terre et solitaire, dans les rues, j'erre au gré du vent
Je cherche une âme au cœur du soir, je ne réclame qu'un peu d'espoir
Le néon, le néon, le nez en l'air, l'air d'un...
Broadway la blonde dans la nuit gronde
Et c'est la ronde des morts-vivants
Dans ce dédale, je perds la foi et un vandale s'éveille en moi
Le bruit me saoule, je suis Samson, les murs s'écroulent sur ma prison
Amérique, à mes risques, à mes disques, je te devais
J'ai pris le risque, tant pis pour toi
Car dans mes disques, tu resteras le néon, le néon.
The lyrics of Salvatore Adamo's Le Néon depict the struggles of an individual in the modern world, as he feels small and insignificant amidst the chaos and pressure of society. The repeated references to "le néon" (the neon light) and having one's "nez en l'air" (nose in the air) imply a sense of disconnection from reality, almost as though the singer is lost in his own thoughts and fantasies, ignoring the world around him. He warns other people to be careful of blindly following their instincts, as it may lead to crisis and loss of self-awareness.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes increasingly disillusioned and frustrated with his situation. He feels inadequate ("je ne suis pas grand") and is unable to hold onto his sense of purpose and passion ("je perds ma verve"). He finds himself lost in the concrete jungle, searching for a sense of connection or hope that is elusive. The reference to "Broadway la blonde dans la nuit gronde" (the blonde on Broadway growls at night) invokes a sense of danger and confusion, as though the singer is surrounded by people who are barely surviving and acting on animalistic instincts.
Ultimately, the song seems to suggest that despite the struggles and uncertainties of life, it is important to hold onto one's identity and values. The singer may be lost in the city, but he still has his music ("dans mes disques, tu resteras le néon"), which serves as a symbol of hope and inspiration.
Line by Line Meaning
Le néon, le néon, le nez en l'air, l'air d'un...
The neon lights are above me, and I'm staring upwards with a dreamy expression.
Qu'on se le dise, entre pantins, gare à la crise, gare à l'instinct
Let it be known, among the puppets, beware of the crisis, beware of instinct.
Car plus ça monte et plus j'ai honte
Because the higher I climb, the more ashamed I am.
Plus je me rends compte que je ne suis pas grand
The more I realize that I am not important.
Pas grand, pas grand
Not great, not great.
Et ça m'énerve, j'perds mon latin, j'perds ma verve et je m'éteins
And it annoys me, I lose my composure, I lose my enthusiasm, and I fade away.
Centième étage, centième cage, centième orage, je serre les dents
On the hundredth floor, in the hundredth cage, in the hundredth storm, I grit my teeth.
Enfin sur terre et solitaire, dans les rues, j'erre au gré du vent
Finally on the ground and alone, I wander the streets at the mercy of the wind.
Je cherche une âme au cœur du soir, je ne réclame qu'un peu d'espoir
I search for a soul in the heart of the evening, I only ask for a little hope.
Broadway la blonde dans la nuit gronde
Broadway, the blonde woman, growls in the night.
Et c'est la ronde des morts-vivants
And it's the dance of the undead.
Dans ce dédale, je perds la foi et un vandale s'éveille en moi
In this labyrinth, I lose my faith and a vandal awakens within me.
Le bruit me saoule, je suis Samson, les murs s'écroulent sur ma prison
The noise overwhelms me, I am Samson, and the walls crumble on my prison.
Amérique, à mes risques, à mes disques, je te devais
America, at my own risk, through my records, I owed you.
J'ai pris le risque, tant pis pour toi
I took the risk, too bad for you.
Car dans mes disques, tu resteras le néon, le néon.
Because in my records, you will remain the neon, the neon.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SALVATORE ADAMO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@morletpatrice3735
J'adore cette chanson comme beaucoup d'autre de ce grand chanteur
@countrychess
L' ellipse avec " l' Air d' un ..." 👍 😉
@manuelaalmeidaalmeida5200
Boa tarde ...os anos passaram para todos nós, mas nunca as suas músicas, Gros bisou <3
@lunietaresende1960
É ADAMO-AMADO extravasando.
Obrigada.
@marieriere2532
une chanson d'hier , d'aujourd'hui et de demain. Comme son compositeur qui restera présente au fil du temps....
@luciledufly4337
Grand artiste et simple, j adore. bon anniversaire Adamo.
@RicardoLopez-ft8do
Me encanta este tema
@alfonsasgrinevicius7477
Hi , pals ! I first listened to this tune somewhere in ~ 1970 , in a a village amidst marshes and quagmires of eastern Lithuania . Fifty ! years after ----- the same catching melody , the same groove and bliss .Unbelievable ! Linkėjimai kauniečiams .
@marcovadivia4497
IDOLO
@alejandrovidal6523
Lo máximo