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

Libertà
Salvatore Adamo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tu, tu mia avventura mia sventura
Tu mia passione grande e pura
Tu sempre tu, tu libertà
Tu che amo tu che maledico
Tu che mi tratti da nemico
Che mi rifiuti le tue braccia, libertà
Tu la straniera distante e fiera, libertà
Tu troppo bella tu la ribelle, libertà

Tu che vieni e vai da me
Tu che fuggi e sai perché

Tu non vuoi che ti si costringa
E non sopporti che si finga
Tu nelle mie notti unica stella
Di solitudine sorella
Tu solo tu, tu libertà
Tu che bruci in me come una piaga
Che ridi in faccia di chi ti paga
Tu sempre tu, tu libertà
Tu tanto vera sempre sincera, libertà
Vesti di sole per chi ti vuole, libertà

Ti fai dolce ma, pero quando tu vorrai lo so
Via col vento partirai e niente mi lascerai

Ti fai dolce ma, pero quando tu vorrai lo so
Via col vento partirai e niente mi lascerai

Overall Meaning

The song Libertà by Salvatore Adamo speaks of a love-hate relationship with freedom. The lyrics describe freedom as a mistress who brings both great passion and immense suffering. The singer refers to liberty as the foreigner - distant and aloof, too beautiful and too rebellious. It is a force that cannot be contained or constrained. The singer loves and curses freedom, acknowledging that it burns within him like a wound. Despite his love-hate for liberty, he cannot help but be drawn to it, as it is a part of him that cannot be separated.

The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a complicated relationship with the concept of freedom. The singer recognizes that true freedom is being able to come and go as one pleases, and not be constrained or controlled by others. He also acknowledges that it comes with a price, as it often means being alone and facing the uncertainty of where it will take you. The singer's reference to liberty as a "mistress" suggests that it is a forbidden love, one that is both irresistible and dangerous. The lyrics convey a complex range of emotions and ideas about the nature of freedom and how it impacts one's life and choices.

Line by Line Meaning

Tu, tu mia avventura mia sventura
You, my adventure, my misfortune

Tu mia passione grande e pura
You, my great and pure passion

Tu sempre tu, tu libertà
You always you, you freedom

Tu che amo tu che maledico
You whom I love and curse

Tu che mi tratti da nemico
You who treat me like an enemy

Che mi rifiuti le tue braccia, libertà
Who refuses me your embrace, freedom

Tu la straniera distante e fiera, libertà
You, the distant and proud stranger, freedom

Tu troppo bella tu la ribelle, libertà
You, too beautiful, the rebel, freedom

Tu che vieni e vai da me
You who come and go from me

Tu che fuggi e sai perché
You who flee and know why

Tu non vuoi che ti si costringa
You do not want to be constrained