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.

Ecris Moi
Tino Rossi Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Cette rose embaumée
Que de toi j′ai garde
Deja toute fanée
Dans mes doigts va mourir

Au cours morne des heures
Dans ma triste demeure
Ces pétales m'effleurent

Comme des souvenirs

Ecris moi, quelques lignes a peine
Loin de toi j′ai tant de peine
Qu'un mot me consolera
Ecoute moi sans haine
Meme si ta lettre est belle
Ecris moi, ne m'abandonne pas

Qu′il est lourd le silence
De ces nuits ou je pense
A ta chere presence
Au doux son de ta voix
Lorsqu′apres tant d'ivresse
De bonheur de tendresse
Tout mon coeur en détresse
Ne sait plus rien de toi

Ecris moi quelques mots peu m′importe
Afin que ta lettre apporte
Du soleil en mon coeur las
Je ne peux plus attendre
Sans savoir et sans comprendre
Ecris moi ne m'abandonne pas

Je ne peux plus attendre

Sans savoir et sans comprendre
Ecris moi ne m′abandonne pas

Overall Meaning

The song "Ecris Moi" by Tino Rossi tells the story of a person who is longing for someone they love who is far away. They hold a fragrant rose, a symbol of their love, that is slowly withering away in their hand. The petals remind the person of memories and moments they shared with their loved one, but now they are alone and the silence is heavy.

The person pleads with their loved one to write to them, even if it's just a few lines, as they are struggling with the pain of being separated. They want to hear about their loved one's life, to feel a connection and a sense of comfort. They cannot wait any longer without knowing and understanding what is happening in their loved one's life.

The song captures the emotions of longing, loneliness, and the power of communication to bridge distances and soothe the heart. It reflects the timeless nature of the human experience of love and separation.

Line by Line Meaning

Cette rose embaumée
This fragrant rose

Que de toi j'ai gardé
That I kept from you

Déjà toute fanée
Already all withered

Dans mes doigts va mourir
And will soon die in my hands

Au cours morne des heures
In the dull passage of hours

Dans ma triste demeure
In my sad dwelling

Ces pétales m'effleurent
These petals brush against me

Comme des souvenirs
Like memories

Ecris moi, quelques lignes à peine
Write me, just a few lines

Loin de toi j'ai tant de peine
I feel so much pain when I'm away from you

Qu'un mot me consolera
That one word will console me