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
Les Amours De Journaux
Salvatore Adamo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me montrant de dos
Avec la future Bardot
Je me suis dit pas mal
Et c'est bien normal
J'écrivis au journal
Et on s'est rencontré
Et presque marié
Dieu qu'on était heureux
Les yeux dans les yeux
Sous les mêmes feux
Je suis le forçat
Des amours de journaux
À ce rythme là
J'y laisserai ma peau
Mais quatre mois plus tard
Dans les mêmes canards
On l'a vit dans un bar
Aux bras d'un gigolo
Un gars de Rio
Qu'était même pas beau
Dieu j'aime pas qu'on me roule
Ça me met les nerfs en boule
Il faut que le sang coule
Mais c'est bon que l'on le sache
Alors avant que je me fâche
J'ai attendu les flashs
Je suis le forçat
Des amours de journaux
À ce rythme là
J'y laisserai ma peau
Mon coeur s'est écorché
Sur le coeur de pierre
De cette cruelle enfant
C'est vrai je l'ai cherchée
Je suis trop sincère
Et pas assez méfiant
Mais depuis ce matin
Dans les petits potins
Je tenais par la main
Une autre fille plus belle
Le devoir m'appelle
Je suis à vous mam'selle
Je suis le forçat
Des amours de journaux
À ce rythme là
J'y laisserai ma peau.
The lyrics of Salvatore Adamo's Les Amours De Journaux describe a man who became enamored with a photo of himself and Brigitte Bardot taken from behind. He wrote to the newspaper and met with the woman in the photo, and they fell in love and nearly got married. However, four months later, the man saw a photo of Bardot in the same newspapers, in a bar with a gigolo from Rio. The man was enraged, but before he could act, he met another woman, and the cycle of falling in love based on newspaper photos started again.
The song speaks to the concept of romantic escapism, where individuals look towards media outlets to fulfill their romantic needs. The man in the song is the "forçat des amours de journaux," or the slave of love in newspapers. He is addicted to the thrill of falling in love and feels a sense of satisfaction from the attention he receives in the media.
Despite its cheerful melody, Les Amours De Journaux reflects on the dangers of relying on media outlets to define one's romantic life instead of having genuine human connections. The song's lyrics ultimately suggest that it is more important to be wary of the dangers of media infatuation and seek out genuine love and human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Quand j'ai vu la photo
When I saw the photo
Me montrant de dos
Showing my back
Avec la future Bardot
With the future Bardot
Je me suis dit pas mal
I said not bad
Et c'est bien normal
And it's quite normal
J'écrivis au journal
I wrote to the newspaper
Et on s'est rencontré
And we met
Et l'on s'est aimé
And we loved each other
Et presque marié
And almost got married
Dieu qu'on était heureux
God, we were happy
Les yeux dans les yeux
Eyes to eyes
Sous les mêmes feux
Under the same light
Je suis le forçat
I am the prisoner
Des amours de journaux
Of the newspaper affairs
À ce rythme là
At this rate
J'y laisserai ma peau
I will leave my skin there
Mais quatre mois plus tard
But four months later
Dans les mêmes canards
In the same newspapers
On l'a vit dans un bar
We saw her in a bar
Aux bras d'un gigolo
In the arms of a gigolo
Un gars de Rio
A guy from Rio
Qu'était même pas beau
Who wasn't even handsome
Dieu j'aime pas qu'on me roule
God, I don't like to be fooled
Ça me met les nerfs en boule
It gets me all worked up
Il faut que le sang coule
Blood must flow
Mais c'est bon que l'on le sache
But it's good that we know
Alors avant que je me fâche
So before I get angry
J'ai attendu les flashs
I waited for the flashes
Mon coeur s'est écorché
My heart got scratched
Sur le coeur de pierre
On the heart of stone
De cette cruelle enfant
Of this cruel child
C'est vrai je l'ai cherchée
It's true, I looked for her
Je suis trop sincère
I am too sincere
Et pas assez méfiant
And not cautious enough
Mais depuis ce matin
But since this morning
Dans les petits potins
In the small gossips
Je tenais par la main
I was holding hands with
Une autre fille plus belle
Another girl, more beautiful
Le devoir m'appelle
Duty calls me
Je suis à vous mam'selle
I am yours, miss
Contributed by Muhammad F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Loïc Delgado
Je ne me lasse pas de découvrir les chefs-d'œuvre du maître Adamo !
eden Fleur
Très bonne chanson, c'est dit avec tellement d'humour !