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.
La Fete A Maman
Tino Rossi Lyrics
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Bahia se déchaîne dans la joie
Quel éclat ! Vêtus de mille couleurs
Les Indiens et les planteurs
Font voler chansons et rires
C'est la fête du tabac
Chacun boit au pied des grands papayas
Le tafia quand la soif est apaiséeLa vie semble bariolée
Et les filles endiablées
Lampions et pétards
Bongos et guitares
Le Brésil accourt vers l'amour
Habillée de soie voici Marianna
Prête à s'élancer pour danser
Oh ! Si ! Oh ! Non !
Senior attention vous froissez mon jupon
Oh ! Si ! Oh !non !
Senior dites-moi votre nom
Ah ! Ah ! Comme c'est bon
De danser l'baião
En fermant les yeux
Sous la lune bleue
Ah ! Ah ! Comme c'est bon
De danser l'baião
Dans un rythme fou
Joue à joue
C'est la fête du tabac
Marianna dans le bal a fait son choix
Et déjà sous un arc-en-ciel de fleurs
De lampions et de bonheur
Ebloui son cœur chavire
C'est la fête du tabac
Et voilà un garçon prend dans ses bras
D'un petit rio chantant
Il lui a dit doucement
Que tu es jolie Marianna chérie
Je voudrais toujours ton amour
Les yeux éperdus elle a répondu
Depuis très longtemps je t'attends
Oh ! Si ! Oh ! Non !
Ils ont échangé leur premier doux baiser
Oh ! Si ! Oh ! Non !
Et le jour les a fiancé
Oh ! Si ! Oh ! Non !
Ils ont échangé leur premier doux baiser
Oh ! Si ! Oh ! Non !
Et le jour les a marié
In Tino Rossi's song, La Fete Du Tabac, he describes a lively scene of celebration, as Bahia lets loose in exultation at the tobacco festival. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the festival-goers, dressed in a kaleidoscope of colors, with the Indians and planters singing and laughing, surrounded by lanterns and fireworks. The partygoers drink tafia, a drink made from distilled sugarcane juice, at the foot of the tall papaya trees as they take in the colorful spectacle. Amidst this vibrant ambiance, Marianna appears in her exquisite silk dress, ready to dance, but wary of an older man who nearly steps on her gown. Eventually, she picks a young man to dance with, and they fall in love under a starry sky, by the silver waves of a small river. Their romance blossoms, and they exchange their first gentle kisses, eventually getting engaged and married as the sun shines on their happiness.
The lyrics of La Fete Du Tabac are a testament to life’s simple pleasures, celebrating the joy of living and the passionate spirit of being alive. It captures the idea that we should live life to the fullest, not missing a single moment of the beauty and excitement that it has to offer. The song transports us to the tropical paradise of Brazil, immersing us in the lively beats of the baião dance, and inspiring us to embrace the wild abandon of the joyous tobacco festival.
Line by Line Meaning
C'est la fête du tabac
The celebration of tobacco
Bahia se déchaîne dans la joie
Bahia is bursting with joy
Quel éclat ! Vêtus de mille couleurs
What radiance! Clad in a thousand colors
Les Indiens et les planteurs
The natives and the planters
Font voler chansons et rires
Make songs and laughter soar
C'est la fête du tabac
The celebration of tobacco
Chacun boit au pied des grands papayas
Everyone drinks at the feet of the large papayas
Le tafia quand la soif est apaisée
The tafia when thirst is quenched
La vie semble bariolée
Life seems variegated
Et les filles endiablées
And the devilish girls
Lampions et pétards
Lanterns and fireworks
Bongos et guitares
Bongos and guitars
Le Brésil accourt vers l'amour
Brazil rushes towards love
Habillée de soie voici Marianna
Clad in silk, here is Marianna
Prête à s'élancer pour danser
Ready to leap to dance
Oh ! Si ! Oh ! Non !
Oh! Yes! Oh! No!
Senior attention vous froissez mon jupon
Sir, be careful, you're wrinkling my skirt
Ah ! Ah ! Comme c'est bon
Ah! Ah! How good it is
De danser l'baião
To dance the baiao
En fermant les yeux
With eyes closed
Sous la lune bleue
Under the blue moon
Dans un rythme fou
In a wild rhythm
Joue à joue
Cheek to cheek
Marianna dans le bal a fait son choix
Marianna has made her choice at the dance
Et déjà sous un arc-en-ciel de fleurs
And already under a rainbow of flowers
De lampions et de bonheur
With lanterns and happiness
Ebloui son cœur chavire
Blinded, her heart is moved
C'est la fête du tabac
The celebration of tobacco
Et voilà un garçon prend dans ses bras
And there, a boy takes her in his arms
Marianna au bord des vagues d'argent
Marianna at the edge of the silver waves
D'un petit rio chantant
Of a little singing river
Il lui a dit doucement
He softly said to her
Que tu es jolie Marianna chérie
You are beautiful, dear Marianna
Je voudrais toujours ton amour
I would always want your love
Les yeux éperdus elle a répondu
With eyes bewildered, she replied
Depuis très longtemps je t'attends
I have been waiting for you for a very long time
Et le jour les a fiancé
And the day they got engaged
Ils ont échangé leur premier doux baiser
They exchanged their first sweet kiss
Oh ! Si ! Oh ! Non !
Oh! Yes! Oh! No!
Et le jour les a marié
And the day they got married
Ils ont échangé leur premier doux baiser
They exchanged their first sweet kiss
Oh ! Si ! Oh ! Non !
Oh! Yes! Oh! No!
Lyrics © BEUSCHER ARPEGE
Written by: RENE DENONCIN, HUBERT ITHIER (HUBERT CHAMBET), GINO GOMEZ (JACK LEDRU), Gino (Jack Ledru) Gomez, Hubert (Hubert Chambet) Ithier
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind