Tino Rossi (April 29, 1907 - September 26, 1983) was a singer and film acto… Read Full Bio ↴Tino Rossi (April 29, 1907 - September 26, 1983) was a singer and film actor.

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.

Coeurs Solitaires
Tino Rossi Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Vous, les amants du bonheur
Songez à ceux
Qui n′ont jamais
Le droit d'aimer

Trop de cœurs solitaires
S′en vont sur Terre
Sans la douceur d'aimer

Ils ont tant d'amour à donner
Pourquoi sont-ils abandonnés?
Ils voient fuir leur jeunesse
Sans qu′apparaisse
Un matin de printemps
Et par le Monde, il est pourtant
Un autre cœur qui les attend

C′est si merveilleux
Au bout du jour
De se retrouver chez soi
Et de vivre à deux
Le même amour
D'unir ses chagrins, ses joies

Tant de cœurs solitaires
Se désespèrent
Sans le bonheur d′aimer
Ils n'ont jamais entrelacé
Leurs prénoms pour l′éternité

C'est si merveilleux
Au bout du jour
De se retrouver chez soi
Et de vivre à deux
Le même amour

D′unir ses chagrins, ses joies

Tant de cœurs solitaires
Vendraient sur Terre
La moitié de leurs jours
Pour enfin connaître à leur tour
La douceur d'un chagrin d'amour

Vous, les amants du bonheur
Songez à ceux
Qui n′ont jamais
Le droit d′aimer

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Tino Rossi's song "Coeurs Solitaires" speak of the pain and loneliness experienced by those who are unable to experience love. The song calls out to those who are fortunate enough to be in love and reminds them to keep in mind those who are not so lucky. The first stanza asks those in love to think of those who are not allowed to love, implying that societal or cultural constraints prevent some individuals from experiencing love. The second stanza speaks of the many lonely hearts on Earth who are deprived of the sweetness of love. They have so much love to give, but they are abandoned and left alone, watching their youth slipping away without the hope of finding love. Perhaps inspired by the hopefulness of spring, the lyrics suggest that there is always someone out there waiting for those with lonely hearts. And the last stanza talks about the beauty of coming home to your love, of sharing your joys and sorrows with someone who understands you. The song concludes with a plea to those in love to remember and think of those who are unable to experience love.

Overall, the song's lyrics speak of the human need for love and companionship. It touches on the pain experienced by those who are denied love for various reasons, such as societal or cultural norms, and reminds us of the importance of empathy and compassion towards those who have not been as fortunate.

Line by Line Meaning

Vous, les amants du bonheur
Addressing those who are in a happy relationship

Songez à ceux
Think of those people who

Qui n′ont jamais
Who have never

Le droit d'aimer
Had the right to love

Trop de cœurs solitaires
Too many lonely hearts

S′en vont sur Terre
Live on this planet

Sans la douceur d'aimer
Without experiencing the sweetness of love

Ils ont tant d'amour à donner
They have so much love to give

Pourquoi sont-ils abandonnés?
Why are they left behind?

Ils voient fuir leur jeunesse
They watch their youth slip away

Sans qu′apparaisse
Without the appearance of