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
Partir
Salvatore Adamo Lyrics
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Il avait un joli nom, dans ma tête, il chante encore
Il s'appelait "Evasion", j'étais déjà à son bord
Mais, arrivé sur le pont, les chiens gris de la raison
M'attendaient, les crocs dehors
Partir, partir, changer d'être et renaître
Partir, partir loin des villes, sur une île
Mais hélas, chaque matin me ramène sur la rive
Pourtant, c'est plus fort que moi, chaque nuit, je récidive
Dès que mon passé s'endort, je lui fausse compagnie
Je m'enfuis à travers rêves mais dès que le jour se lève
Je suis repris par la vie
Partir, partir, changer d'être et renaître
Partir, partir loin des villes, sur une île
Moi, je préfère les p'tits bateaux qui se perdent solitaires
Aux géants qui vont sur l'eau, emportant la Terre entière
Toi qui m'aimes et me comprends, aide-moi et pars devant
Va, montre-moi le chemin, je te rejoindrai demain
Quand je serai goéland
Partir, partir, changer d'être et renaître
Partir, partir loin des villes, sur une île
Partir, partir, changer d'être et renaître.
The lyrics of Salvatore Adamo's song "Partir" tell the story of a longing for escape and a desire for personal transformation. The singer describes seeing a sailboat on the horizon while they remain on the shore. The sailboat is named "Evasion" (Escape), and even though the singer is already on board, they are met with the gray hounds of reason who await them on the deck with their fangs bared. This symbolizes the conflict between the desire to break free and the rationality that holds them back.
The chorus expresses the yearning to depart, to change one's being and be reborn. The singer longs to leave the cities behind and find solace on an island. However, each morning, they are inevitably brought back to reality, unable to resist the pull of their familiar surroundings. Despite this, every night they repeat the cycle, escaping their past and fleeing through dreams. But as soon as daylight breaks, they are once again caught up in the grip of life.
In the second verse, the singer expresses a preference for small boats that get lost in solitude rather than the giant ships that carry the weight of the world. They ask their loved one for help and guidance, urging them to go ahead and show them the way. They promise to follow once they become a seagull. This suggests that the singer dreams of becoming free like a seagull, able to soar above the constraints of their ordinary life.
Overall, "Partir" explores the longing for escape, the struggle between reason and desire, and the dichotomy between a yearning for freedom and the inevitable ties that bind us to reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Un voilier à l'horizon, moi, je reste sur le port
A sailboat on the horizon, while I stay on the shore
Il avait un joli nom, dans ma tête, il chante encore
It had a lovely name, in my head, it still sings
Il s'appelait 'Evasion', j'étais déjà à son bord
It was called 'Escape', I was already on board
Mais, arrivé sur le pont, les chiens gris de la raison M'attendaient, les crocs dehors
But as I arrived on the deck, the gray dogs of reason awaited me, baring their fangs
Partir, partir, changer d'être et renaître
To leave, to leave, to change being and be reborn
Partir, partir loin des villes, sur une île
To leave, to leave far from the cities, to an island
Mais hélas, chaque matin me ramène sur la rive
But alas, every morning brings me back to the shore
Pourtant, c'est plus fort que moi, chaque nuit, je récidive
Yet, it's stronger than me, every night, I relapse
Dès que mon passé s'endort, je lui fausse compagnie
As soon as my past falls asleep, I leave it behind
Je m'enfuis à travers rêves mais dès que le jour se lève Je suis repris par la vie
I escape through dreams, but as soon as the day breaks, I'm caught up by life
Moi, je préfère les p'tits bateaux qui se perdent solitaires
As for me, I prefer the little boats that get lost alone
Aux géants qui vont sur l'eau, emportant la Terre entière
To the giants that sail on the water, carrying the whole Earth
Toi qui m'aimes et me comprends, aide-moi et pars devant
You, who love and understand me, help me and go ahead
Va, montre-moi le chemin, je te rejoindrai demain Quand je serai goéland
Go, show me the way, I'll join you tomorrow when I become a seagull
Partir, partir, changer d'être et renaître
To leave, to leave, to change being and be reborn
Partir, partir loin des villes, sur une île
To leave, to leave far from the cities, to an island
Partir, partir, changer d'être et renaître
To leave, to leave, to change being and be reborn
Lyrics © BALANDRAS EDITIONS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind