Born Constantino Rossi in Ajaccio, Corsica, France, he became a tenor of French cabaret and one of the great romantic idols of his time. Gifted with an operatic voice, a "Latin Lover" persona made him a movie star as well. Over his career, Rossi made hundreds of records and appeared in more than 25 films, the most notable of which was the 1953 production, Si Versailles m'était conté directed by Sacha Guitry. His romantic ballads had women swooning and his art-songs by Jules Massenet (1842-1912), Reynaldo Hahn (1875-1947), and other composers helped draw sold out audiences wherever he performed.
As a young man, he played guitar and sang at a variety of small venues in his hometown of Ajaccio before going on to perform in Marseilles and at resort clubs along the French Riviera. In the early 1930s he went to Paris and within a few years achieved enormous success, joining a Columbia Records roster that included the biggest stars of the day such as Lucienne Boyer, Damia, Pills et Tabet, Mireille, and Jean Sablon.
Rossi's success was greatly aided by songwriter Vincent Scotto (1876-1952), who wrote his first hits and collaborated with him for many years, composing and arranging many Rossi songs. Prior to World War II. Rossi was a major box office attraction in the French speaking world but expanded his audience to America with a 1938 visit followed up by wartime tours across the USA and Canada. In 1946, his song "Petit Papa Noël" sold more than thirty million copies worldwide. A Christmas classic for the family, the song still sells by the thousands each Yuletide season. The recipient of many musical awards, including the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque, Tino Rossi is the most popular personality to ever come from Corsica other than Napoleon Bonaparte.
In 1947 he married Lilia Vetti, a young dancer he met while making a film. They would have a son together in a marriage that lasted for a lifetime. A star of film and the operetta scene, Tino Rossi's career also evolved into the television era, appearing in a number of popular variety shows. Age, and the advent of rock and roll in the 1960s saw him take backstage with the new generation of music lovers but he remained enormously popular with a following built up over fifty years of performing.
In 1982, for his contribution to France and its culture, President François Mitterrand named Tino Rossi a Commander of the Legion of Honor. That same year Rossi gave his last public performance at the Casino de Paris, a show that popular demand turned into a three month stint.
Tino Rossi died of pancreatic cancer in 1983 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France. His body returned to his native Ajaccio for burial in the family plot at the local cemetery. His hometown named a street and the sailing harbor in his honor and at Nogent-sur-Marne, on the River Marne in Paris, there is a square named Tino Rossi Square.
Amapola
Tino Rossi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ton charme impérieux qui m\\\'obsède ;
D\\\'où vient que je vois tout resplendir
Et tout refleurir au gré de ton sourire ?...
Refrain:
Amapola l\\\'oiseau léger qui passe,
La rose et le lilas chantent ta grâceAmapola l\\\'onde où les cieux se mirent
N\\\'a pas autant d\\\'éclat que ton sourire
Le vent même t\\\'apportant le poème
Que je lui est confié, ce soir pour toi,
Amapola, Amapola, dans sa chanson te dira :
\\\" Je t\\\'aime \\\"
Le soir lorsque l\\\'ombre étend son voile
Je dis mon amour à chaque étoile
Et quand l\\\'aube annonce enfin le jour
Au ruisseau qui court je chante le coeur lourd !
Refrain
The lyrics to Tino Rossi's song Amapola express the intense feelings of love that the singer has for his significant other. He questions the source of the power that his love possesses and is enchanted by their imperious charm. The singer is in awe of the way his lover's smile can make everything around him come alive and shine with renewed beauty. The refrain compares the ethereal Amapola to the beauty and grace of the rose and lilac, saying that the beauty of Amapola's smile outshines the sparkle on the waves of the sea. The singer's emotions are so strong that he confesses his undying love to the stars at night and sings with a heavy heart in the morning, as if he can feel the passage of time slipping away.
Amapola is depicted as a bird that flies lightly over the earth, bringing beauty and grace wherever it goes. The singer compares his love to the lightness and beauty of Amapola, and the song even features a poem that he has written especially for her. Throughout the song, the singer is enraptured by the magic of his love, as if it holds some sort of mystical power over him. The lyrics are full of romantic and poetic imagery, depicting the beauty and wonder of love.
Line by Line Meaning
D'où vient le pouvoir que tu possèdes,
Where does the power you possess come from,
Ton charme impérieux qui m'obsède ;
Your imperious charm that obsesses me;
D'où vient que je vois tout resplendir
Where does it come from that I see everything shining
Et tout refleurir au gré de ton sourire ?...
And everything flowering again at the mercy of your smile?...
Amapola l'oiseau léger qui passe,
Amapola, the light bird that passes by,
La rose et le lilas chantent ta grâce
The rose and lilac sing your grace
Amapola l'onde où les cieux se mirent
Amapola, the wave where the skies are mirrored
N'a pas autant d'éclat que ton sourire
Does not have as much shine as your smile
Le vent même t'apportant le poème
Even the wind bringing you the poem
Que je lui est confié, ce soir pour toi,
That I entrusted to him, tonight for you,
Amapola, Amapola, dans sa chanson te dira :
Amapola, Amapola, in his song will tell you:
" Je t'aime "
"I love you"
Le soir lorsque l'ombre étend son voile
In the evening when the shadow extends its veil
Je dis mon amour à chaque étoile
I tell my love to every star
Et quand l'aube annonce enfin le jour
And when dawn finally announces the day
Au ruisseau qui court je chante le coeur lourd !
To the running stream, I sing with a heavy heart!
Lyrics © SEMI, Tratore, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Albert Gamse, Joseph Lacalle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bertiepinchera3940
Lyrics:
Amapola
L´oiseau léger qui passe,
La rose et le lilas
Chantent ta grâce,
Amapola
L´onde où les cieux se mirent
N´a pas autant d´éclat que ton sourire.
Le vent même
T´apportant le poème
Que je lui ai confié ce soir pour toi,
Amapola,
Amapola,
Dans sa chanson te dira;
" Je t´aime!
Je t´aime! "
D´où vient le pouvoir que tu possèdes,
Ton charme impérieux qui m´obsède;
je vois tout resplendir
Et tout refleurir
Au gré de ton sourire?
Amapola
L´oiseau léger qui passe,
La rose et le lilas
Chantent ta grâce,
Amapola
L´onde où les cieux se mirent
N´a pas autant d´éclat que ton sourire.
Le vent même
T´apportant le poème
Que je lui ai confié ce soir pour toi,
Amapola,
Amapola,
Dans sa chanson te dira;
Je t´aime!
@stewartgellatly8073
A song without Tino Rossi singing it is not worth listening to.
@nicoleenglish6709
C'était la chanson de ma maman et je l'écoute toujours avec émotion. Un jour, j'étais en vacances à Cuba avec mes deux soeurs et lors d'une visite à la Havane, alors que nous marchions dans les rues, une vieille cubaine nous a suivi tout en nous chantant Ammapola. C'était comme si ma mère était avec nous. Quel souvenir !
@анатолийБаталов-й5ц
Le surpris!
@sylvierocklin1603
super de retrouver ce titre de Mr Tino Rossi merci à vous
@songsmith31a
Some songs seem timeless, don't they? Able to cross boundaries of time and place.
This s one of them. Delightful.
@BytomGirl
I completely agree, there is another version, recorded about 60 years later (not sure what year this one is ) and also lovely.
Love this singer, he also has a beautiful voice and sings many classics and other styles in many languages.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX-pCcQ9ncE
@jerryfawcett7444
So nice to hear Amapola sung at a rhythmic danceable tempo instead of a slower ballad. Rossi superb!
@jacquelinechandelier2501
Superbe toujours agréable a ecouter merci
@41arca
Bellissima interpretazione di Amapola Ho scoperto Tino Rossi da poco su internet,
@fpisa32
No body sings this song better than Tito Schipa