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.
Complainte Corse
Tino Rossi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In casa mé cantà u rossignolu
Ma so dighjà culore di dolu
U rossignolu un po campà
In core mé cantà una malaccela
In core mé esperanzà un ci n'hè piu
Adiu la me bella ghjuventuPaese caru a ti adiu
Comu lascià sti locchi tanti amati
Muntagnie care et machjoni fiuriti
Dove so l'acceli e banditi
Cumpagni arditi persi per me
Comu lascià stu mare luminosu
In la to sciuma amara vogliu andà
Per batte i scogli senza mai chetà
Da té mi vene l'amore e si ne và
The lyrics of Tino Rossi's "Complainte Corse" convey a deep sense of nostalgia and longing for a lost love and homeland. The singer speaks of being born in a house that was filled with the love of songbirds and melodies, but now all that remains is sadness and sorrow. The nightingale that used to sing so beautifully now struggles to survive, just like the singer who is struggling to keep his love alive.
The chorus speaks of a broken heart and the loss of hope for a future with his beloved. The singer says goodbye to his youth and his dear country, leaving behind mountains, meadows, and flowers that were once so dear to him. He grieves the loss of his bold and daring companions who were lost for his sake, as well as the luminous sea that he must leave behind.
In the end, the singer admits that he still loves his homeland and the memories it holds, but he cannot stay. His love, like the nightingale's song or the waves of the sea, comes and goes, and he must follow it no matter where it leads.
Line by Line Meaning
In casà mé nasci un bell'amore
I was born in a beautiful love nest
In casa mé cantà u rossignolu
The nightingale sang in my house
Ma so dighjà culore di dolu
But I already feel gloomy
U rossignolu un po campà
The nightingale lived a little
In core mé cantà una malaccela
My heart sings a lament
In core mé esperanzà un ci n'hè piu
In my heart, hope is dwindling
Adiu la me bella ghjuventu
Farewell, my beautiful youth
Paese caru a ti adiu
Dear land, goodbye to you
Comu lascià sti locchi tanti amati
How to leave these beloved places
Muntagnie care et machjoni fiuriti
Beloved mountains and flowered paths
Dove so l'acceli e banditi
Where love and bandits are found
Cumpagni arditi persi per me
Brave companions lost for me
Comu lascià stu mare luminosu
How to leave this bright sea
In la to sciuma amara vogliu andà
I want to go where the bitter foam is
Per batte i scogli senza mai chetà
To battle the rocks without ever giving up
Da té mi vene l'amore e si ne và
From you, love comes and goes
Writer(s): roger lucchesi, c giovoni
Contributed by Emily O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@nazionecorsa5204
In casa mè nasci un bell'amore
In casa mè canta u rossignolu
Ma so dighjà culore di dolu
U rossignolu un po campà
In core mè cantu una malaccela
In core mè sperenza un ci n'hè piu
Adiu la me bella ghjuventù
Paese caru a tè, adiu
Adiu
Comu lascià sti locchi tanti amati
Muntagnie care è machjoni fiuriti
Dove so l'acceli è banditi
Cumpagni arditi persi per me
Comu lascià stu mare luminosu
In la to sciuma amara vogliu andà
Per batte i scogli senza mai chetà
Da tè mi vene l'amore e si ne và
@jeanneb4192
Just going through all the comments and saw yours... I know it's from 3 years ago but hopefully you get my answer to your question. I did the best I could with the translation
of the whole corsican lyrics:
In my house a beautiful love is born
In my house a nightingale sings
But it has already a color of grief
The nightingale lives a short life
In my heart sings a struggle
In my heart hope is no more
Good bye my beautiful youth
Dear country to you goodbye
How to leave these places I love so much
Dear mountains and flowers which start blooming
Where are the birds and bandits
Brave companion lost for me
How to leave this bright sea
In your bitter surf I want to go
To beat the rocks without ever stopping
From you love is coming to me and goes away
@franckyocan4760
Tino 🙏😘🙏 intemporel
A jamais dans mon , nos coeurs 🙏😘🙏
😘🙏🙏🙏 Reposez en Paix 🙏🎼🎸🔥🙏😘
@jean-paulmazzoni6094
Emouvante chanson;du moins dans sa partie corse.La tristesse de l'éxilé,du déraçiné,de l'éloignement,de la nostalgie de sa terre natale,de la séparation familiale.Ces sentiments sont communs à tous les hommes qui vont rarement s'installer ailleurs pour le plaisir.....A part les "glorieux" éva dés fiscaux,qui eux n'ont pas de patrie.
@raymondlelezec2597
la plus belle voix du monde merci mon Tino
@AnnSoph63
BIIIIIIS ! On en redemande. Merci à l'unique Tino et à Roger Lucchesi.
@TheSylton
Corse a jamais une chanson de mon enfance j'entends toujours mon grand-père me la chanter J'ai fait le tour du monde mais quand je suis revenu chez moi j'ai réalisé que j'avais perdu mon temps et estompé la beauté sublimée de mon île
@sylvie01945
Merci TINO ROSSI !!! C'EST TROP TROP BEAU !!!!! MERCI LA CORSE !!!!
@jean-philippeferrandis9331
La chanson que nous chantait ma mère, Albertine Mosconi, récemment décédée de sa belle mort
La plus belle complainte Corse
Pace e Salute de Conca
@Batnoob2a
Je suis corse et je suis content de l’être !!
@colombatiberi8462
moi aussi JE SUIS CORSE ET J'EN SUIS FIERE!!!!!!
@samirkhalilsamir6007
Je n'ai jamais été en Corse. Je suis du Caire. Mais dans mon enfance j'ai chanté ce chant (même partiellement en corse) et 60 ans plus tard je m'en souviens encore. Merci Tino Rossi qui par sa voix chaude et pronfonde m'a fait aimé ce pays, et sa dimension spirituelle! Samir Khalil