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
Matilda
Salvatore Adamo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A me, l'amore e il cha cha cha
Lo incontrata qualche tempo fa in un locale per celebrità
Cosi, per casualità
Io ero seduto al bar con lo smoking bianco
Lei si scelse lo sgabello al mio fianco
Ed io da gran signore ascoltando il mio cuore
Io le propongo un drink con piacere un cocktail
Matilda mi aspetta ed io sto qua a servire le celebrità
Barman, ma Matilda non sa
Tra qualche mese o meno chi lo sa mi pago il biglietto per Panama
E poi, addio banalità
Mi vedo già sullo yacht con lo smoking bianco
Matilda che ride capelli al vento
Gabbia nell'orizzonte una tequila sul ponte di fronte alle luci del porto
Da cameriere a padrone ci si sta benone esitavo avevo torto
Eccomi Matilda a Panama e più bello che al cinema
Che yacht, a bordo sono già,
Ciao Matilda amore come mai col grembiule bianco che ci fai,
La cameriera?
Dolce vita bye bye, no indietro sciagurata sei tutta squattrinata
E io credevo in tè, ah mio Dio che colpo al cuore non mi parlare d'amore
The song "Matilda" by Salvatore Adamo tells the story of a man who fell in love with a woman he met by chance in a celebrity club. They shared a drink and fell in love, with him adoring her effortless beauty and her laughing at his jokes as they cruised on a white sailboat in Panama. However, he later finds out that she was just a waitress at the club, and she ended up leaving him for a richer man. The song is a sad and nostalgic lament for a love that could have been great but was ultimately doomed by the reality of social status.
The lyrics of the song are full of romantic imagery and symbolism, such as the white sailboat, the tequila on the pontoon, and the smoking white jacket. The song has a wistful tone, with the singer reflecting on the loss of a great love that he never fully had. The chorus is particularly poignant, with the repeated line "Matilda mi aspetta", meaning "Matilda is waiting for me", underscoring the sense of missed opportunities and regret.
Line by Line Meaning
Matilda mi aspetta a Panama sul veliero bianco di papà
Matilda is waiting for me in Panama on dad's white sailboat.
A me, l'amore e il cha cha cha
It's all about love and cha cha cha for me.
Lo incontrata qualche tempo fa in un locale per celebrità
I met her some time ago at a celebrity venue.
Cosi, per casualità
It was just by chance.
Io ero seduto al bar con lo smoking bianco
I was sitting at the bar with my white tuxedo.
Lei si scelse lo sgabello al mio fianco
She chose the stool next to me.
Ed io da gran signore ascoltando il mio cuore
And as a gentleman, I listened to my heart.
Io le propongo un drink con piacere un cocktail
I offered her a drink, a cocktail with pleasure.
Cosi verso le tre nasce un amore, cin cin
And so, around three o'clock, love was born, cheers.
Matilda mi aspetta ed io sto qua a servire le celebrità
Matilda is waiting for me, and I'm here serving celebrities.
Barman, ma Matilda non sa
Oh, bartender, Matilda doesn't know.
Tra qualche mese o meno chi lo sa mi pago il biglietto per Panama
Who knows, maybe in a few months, I'll pay for a ticket to go to Panama.
E poi, addio banalità
And then, goodbye to banality.
Mi vedo già sullo yacht con lo smoking bianco
I can already picture myself on a yacht with my white tuxedo.
Matilda che ride capelli al vento
Matilda laughing, her hair in the wind.
Gabbia nell'orizzonte una tequila sul ponte di fronte alle luci del porto
A Tequila on the deck, looking at the horizon and port lights.
Da cameriere a padrone ci si sta benone esitavo avevo torto
From waiter to owner, it's nice. I hesitated, I was wrong.
Eccomi Matilda a Panama e più bello che al cinema
Here I am, Matilda, in Panama, and it's more beautiful than in the movies.
Che yacht, a bordo sono già,
What a yacht, I'm already on board.
Ciao Matilda amore come mai col grembiule bianco che ci fai,
Hi, Matilda, my love, what are you doing with a white apron?
La cameriera?
A waitress?
Dolce vita bye bye, no indietro sciagurata sei tutta squattrinata
Goodbye sweet life, no going back, you're broke.
E io credevo in tè, ah mio Dio che colpo al cuore non mi parlare d'amore
And I believed in you, oh my God, what a blow to the heart. Don't talk to me about love.
Contributed by Ava S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@fabianyanez1452
Cima
@annag441
Matilda era una bugiarda???