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.
Idylle Foraine
Tino Rossi Lyrics
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Je reviens encore pour chercher l’illusion
Car c’est ici qu’on s’est connus
Idylle Foraine aux plaisirs ingénus
Et je revois simple et naïf
L’antique manège et son piano plaintif
Le piano comme en ce temps là
Chante le refrain que voilàTournent, tournent, les chevaux de bois
Souviens toi des nos premiers émoi
Tournent, tournent, les serments d’antan :
Souviens-toi de notre beau printemps !
Ah ! Ah ! Ah ! Qu’ils étaient doux nos soirs
Ah ! Ah ! Ah ! Qu’il était grand l’espoir
Tourne, tourne jusqu’au dernier tour
Le vieux manège de mon pauvre amour !
Je cherche seul(e) au long des rues,
Le cher souvenir d’un bonheur disparu
Au tour de moi, je vois passer
Des couples heureux tendrement enlacés
Moi je reviens triste passant(e)
Près du vieux manège au piano gémissant
Le piano berçant mon chagrin
Chantera toujours ce refrain !
Tournent, tournent, les chevaux de bois
Souviens toi des nos premiers émoi
Tournent, tournent, les serments d’antan :
Souviens-toi de notre beau printemps !
Ah ! Ah ! Ah ! Qu’ils étaient doux nos soirs
Ah ! Ah ! Ah ! Qu’il était grand l’espoir
Tourne, tourne jusqu’au dernier tour
Le vieux manège de mon pauvre amour !
The lyrics of Tino Rossi's song "Idylle Foraine" talk about a nostalgic longing for a past love and the memories associated with a fairground (foraine) where the two lovers initially met. The song portrays the singer's bittersweet emotions as they revisit the fairground, searching for the illusion of their lost happiness. The fairground is depicted as a place of innocent pleasure and the start of their love story.
The singer reminisces about the antique carousel (manège) and its melancholic piano, which still plays the refrain they once knew. The carousel and its wooden horses (chevaux de bois) symbolize the fleeting nature of their early emotions and the promises made during their beautiful springtime love. The lyrics speak of the sweetness of their evenings, the grandness of their hope, and the longing for the carousel to continue turning until the very end, representing the enduring nature of their love, even if it has now become a sad memory.
As the singer roams the streets alone, they observe other happy couples embracing tenderly, reminding them of the happiness they once shared. They return to the fairground and pass by the old carousel with its lamenting piano, which serves as a constant reminder of their sorrow. The refrain continues to be the soundtrack to their heartbreak, echoing the nostalgia and longing that persist within their heart.
Overall, "Idylle Foraine" portrays the melancholic journey of a person revisiting a fairground where they first fell in love, and how they are reminded of the joy and happiness they once experienced, but now can only reminisce upon.
Line by Line Meaning
La nation sous les lampions,
In a festive atmosphere, reminiscent of a carnival celebration,
Je reviens encore pour chercher l’illusion
I return once again in search of the illusion,
Car c’est ici qu’on s’est connus
Because it is here that we met,
Idylle Foraine aux plaisirs ingénus
Fairytale romance filled with innocent pleasures,
Et je revois simple et naïf
And I see again, simple and naïve,
L’antique manège et son piano plaintif
The old carousel and its mournful piano,
Le piano comme en ce temps là
The piano, just like in those days,
Chante le refrain que voilà
Sings the refrain that goes like this,
Tournent, tournent, les chevaux de bois
Turning, turning, the wooden horses,
Souviens toi des nos premiers émoi
Remember our first emotions,
Tournent, tournent, les serments d’antan
Turning, turning, the promises of the past,
Souviens-toi de notre beau printemps !
Remember our beautiful spring!
Ah ! Ah ! Ah ! Qu’ils étaient doux nos soirs
Ah! Ah! Ah! How sweet were our evenings,
Ah ! Ah ! Ah ! Qu’il était grand l’espoir
Ah! Ah! Ah! How grand was the hope,
Tourne, tourne jusqu’au dernier tour
Turn, turn until the last round,
Le vieux manège de mon pauvre amour !
The old carousel of my poor love!
Je cherche seul(e) au long des rues,
I search alone along the streets,
Le cher souvenir d’un bonheur disparu
The dear memory of a lost happiness,
Au tour de moi, je vois passer
Around me, I see couples passing by,
Des couples heureux tendrement enlacés
Happy couples tenderly intertwined,
Moi je reviens triste passant(e)
I return, sad and wandering,
Près du vieux manège au piano gémissant
Close to the old carousel with the moaning piano,
Le piano berçant mon chagrin
The piano soothing my sorrow,
Chantera toujours ce refrain !
Will always sing this refrain!
Tournent, tournent, les chevaux de bois
Turning, turning, the wooden horses,
Souviens toi des nos premiers émoi
Remember our first emotions,
Tournent, tournent, les serments d’antan
Turning, turning, the promises of the past,
Souviens-toi de notre beau printemps !
Remember our beautiful spring!
Ah ! Ah ! Ah ! Qu’ils étaient doux nos soirs
Ah! Ah! Ah! How sweet were our evenings,
Ah ! Ah ! Ah ! Qu’il était grand l’espoir
Ah! Ah! Ah! How grand was the hope,
Tourne, tourne jusqu’au dernier tour
Turn, turn until the last round,
Le vieux manège de mon pauvre amour !
The old carousel of my poor love!
Lyrics © BEUSCHER ARPEGE
Written by: HENRI JANICOT, LUCIENNE BERNADAC, PIERRE JACOB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind