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.
Le Tango De Marilou
Tino Rossi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tu m'as paru si jolie
Q'un seul regard de tes yeux de velours
Fut le soleil de ma vie
Que ton sourire fut tendre et câlin
En me disant à demain
Marilou Marilou
Souvient toi du premier rendez-vousDans nos cœurs à grands coups
S'éveillaient les désirs les plus fous
Je sentis sur ta lèvre mignonne
Le frisson de l'amour qui se donne
Marilou Marilou
Qu'il fut doux le premier rendez-vous
Mais j'ai cherché vainement ton retour
Parmi les brunes jolies
De Marilou les beaux yeux de velours
Nul n'a revu mon amie
Et sans espoir je m'en vais pauvre amant
En murmurant tristement
Marilou marilou
Qu'il est loin le premier rendez-vous
Dans mon cœur malgré tout
Est gravé ton sourire si doux
Et ton nom petite âme est fidèle
Vibre en moi comme un chant qui m'appelle
Marilou marilou
Qu'il est loin le premier rendez-vous
Et je rêve à ta lèvre mignonne
Aux reflets de tes yeux de Madone
Marilou marilou
Qu'il est loin le premier rendez-vous
The lyrics to Tino Rossi's song, Le Tango De Marilou, tell the story of a young man who falls in love with a woman named Marilou while under the clear sky in Sorrento. From the moment he sees her, he is captivated by her beauty and her velvety eyes, which become the sun in his life with just one look. Marilou's tenderness and affectionate smile make the young man's heart skip a beat, and they agree to meet again the following day. The first date between the two is filled with passion and desire, and the young man feels the thrill of love on Marilou's sweet lips.
However, after this first meeting, the young man cannot find Marilou among the other lovely brunettes, and his search is in vain. He is left with only memories of her sweet smile and velvety eyes, and he continues to long for her return. In the end, the young man sadly resigns to the fact that Marilou is gone and does not return, but he continues to hold her dear in his heart.
The lyrics are a poignant reminder of the fleeting nature of love and how the memory of a brief encounter can last forever. The song's melancholic melody and lyrics speak to the universal experience of unrequited love and the bittersweet memories that it can leave behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Sous le ciel clair de Sorrente un beau jour
On a beautiful day under the clear sky of Sorrento
Tu m'as paru si jolie
You appeared so pretty to me
Q'un seul regard de tes yeux de velours
That just one look from your velvet eyes
Fut le soleil de ma vie
Was the sunshine of my life
Que ton sourire fut tendre et câlin
That your smile was sweet and affectionate
En me disant à demain
As you said goodbye until tomorrow
Marilou Marilou
Marilou, Marilou
Souvient toi du premier rendez-vous
Remember our first date
Dans nos cœurs à grands coups
In our hearts, beating fast
S'éveillaient les désirs les plus fous
The wildest desires woke up
Je sentis sur ta lèvre mignonne
I felt on your cute lips
Le frisson de l'amour qui se donne
The shiver of love that is given
Qu'il fut doux le premier rendez-vous
How sweet the first date was
Mais j'ai cherché vainement ton retour
But I looked in vain for your return
Parmi les brunes jolies
Among pretty brunettes
De Marilou les beaux yeux de velours
Marilou's beautiful velvet eyes
Nul n'a revu mon amie
No one has seen my friend again
Et sans espoir je m'en vais pauvre amant
And without hope, I go as a poor lover
En murmurant tristement
Murmuring sadly
Marilou marilou
Marilou, Marilou
Qu'il est loin le premier rendez-vous
How far away the first date is
Dans mon cœur malgré tout
In my heart, nonetheless
Est gravé ton sourire si doux
Your sweet smile is engraved
Et ton nom petite âme est fidèle
And your name, little soul, is faithful
Vibre en moi comme un chant qui m'appelle
It vibrates in me like a song calling me
Et je rêve à ta lèvre mignonne
And I dream of your cute lip
Aux reflets de tes yeux de Madone
In the reflections of your Madonna-like eyes
Marilou marilou
Marilou, Marilou
Qu'il est loin le premier rendez-vous
How far away the first date is
Contributed by Henry F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@micheldavesnes3040
Je préfère la version de Gilbert Bastien, écrite après qu'on eut retrouvé (en 1974) le cardinal Daniélou mort au domicile d'une prostituée, Michèle Santoni, dites Mimi :
Daniélou, Daniélou, souviens-toi du dernier rendez-vous,
Quand la mort t'a surpris
Tu étais dans les bras de Mimi.
C'est une sacrée vacherie de ton Seigneur,
Qui fait bien rire les libres-penseurs.
Daniélou, vieux matou, souviens-toi du dernier rendez-vous. (Refrain).
Toi qui fut un modèle jésuitique,
Le plus strict des moralisateurs,
Tu clamais sur un ton fanatique
Que Jésus seul emplissait ton cœur.
Tu prêchais l'célibat, l'abstinence,
les mérites de la continence,
Daniélou, vieux hibou, tu veux bien rigoler par en dessous.
Refrain
Je n'aimais pas ta face de corbeau,
J'abhorrais ton rire sarcastique,
Je n'aimais pas tes discours de bigot,
Dispensant le miel évangélique.
Que tu baises, vois-tu, on s'en balance,
C'est normal, même pour une éminence
C'qui nous donne du dégoût,
C'est ton hypocrisie, vieux grigou.
Refrain
Quand on parle à Rome d'une fille pulpeuse,
On dit que c'est une bouchée de cardinal.
La Mimi devait être courageuse,
Pour s'envoyer l'affreux clérical.
Tu devais bien payer aux jésuites,
On a trouvé sur toi des gros billets,
Je ne sais c'que te fit l'Aphrodite,
Mais ton cœur n'y a pas résisté.
Refrain.
@galinapungina155
The best human ever lived !!!❤❤
@jocelynemermier8967
Tellement beau... et surtout chantée avec le ❤️
@josselinribes859
Et oui j'ai été bercé part ses chansons toujours agréable de les écoute Mercie 🌹🌹❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🌹❤️❤️❤️🌹❤️❤️
@galinapungina155
No books to learn The most beautiful lanuage -FRENCH😢😢😢
@galinapungina155
Genius !!!!!!!!!❤
@mariececilelassere
Chanson merveilleuse qui me rend folle de joie et d'amour merci...Tino rossi .RIP ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ (2023/04/26)
@armellecreton2649
le chanteur que ma grand mére aimait...cette chanson m est revenu cette nuit...bisous volant a ma mémé chérie et a Tino
@carolotus8042
chanson rare.... les jeunes filles des années 1935/45 chantaient cette chanson, legereté, espoir, tristesse. Une d'entre elle me l 'a chantée souvent jusque dans les années 2000, c'était marilou .... je la chante à mes enfants.
@yvesmiquet7332
Tino Rossi a bercé mon enfance :-)
@carlosmanuelhernandez-herr7736
TINO ROSSI....UNA VOZ QUE NUNCA SE PUEDE OLVIDAR...VIVIRA ETERNAMENTE