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.
Méditerranée
Tino Rossi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sous le soleil qui fait mûrir les ritournelles,
Dans tous les coins on se croirait au Paradis
Près d'une mer toujours plus bleue, toujours plus belle
Et pour qu'elle ait dans sa beauté plus de douceur
Mille jardins lui font comme un collier de fleurs...
{Refrain:}
Méditerranée
Aux rivages sans nuages
Au ciel enchanté
Méditerranée
C'est une fée qui t'a donné
Ton décor et ta beauté
Mé-di-terranée!
Au clair de lune, entendez-vous dans le lointain,
Comme un écho qui, sur les vagues, s'achemine?
Entendez-vous le gai refrain des tambourins
Accompagné du trémolo des mandolines?
C'est la chanson qui vient bercer, toutes les nuits,
Les amoureux du monde entier qu'elle a séduits.
{Refrain}
The lyrics of Tino Rossi’s song Méditerranée talk about the beauty of the Mediterranean region. The song describes how the sun and the climate of the region make everything come to life, and how the sea always looks more beautiful, a deeper blue. The natural beauty is so impressive that it feels like paradise. In addition, there are thousands of gardens, like a necklace of flowers, that enhance the splendor of the Mediterranean Sea.
The refrain of the song Méditerranée talks about the islands of gold, the shores without clouds, and the enchanted sky that make the Mediterranean a fairy tale place. The song creates a picture of a romantic place where people can feel the breeze and hear the waves. Especially the melody of the tambourins and the mandolines, which reflects the sound of the sea while playing on the shore, can touch everyone's heart.
Overall, the lyrics of Tino Rossi's Méditerranée, beautifully captured the breathtaking beauty of the region, the romance that can be found there, and the songs that reside within.
Line by Line Meaning
Sous le climat qui fait chanter tout le Midi,
Under the climate that makes the Midi region sing,
Sous le soleil qui fait mûrir les ritournelles,
Under the sun that ripens the tunes,
Dans tous les coins on se croirait au Paradis
In every corner, one might believe they're in Paradise
Près d'une mer toujours plus bleue, toujours plus belle
Near a sea that's always bluer, always more beautiful
Et pour qu'elle ait dans sa beauté plus de douceur
So that the sea has more sweetness in its beauty
Mille jardins lui font comme un collier de fleurs...
A thousand gardens give it a necklace of flowers...
{Refrain:}
Chorus
Méditerranée
Mediterranean
Aux îles d'or ensoleillées
To the sunny golden islands
Aux rivages sans nuages
To the shores with no clouds
Au ciel enchanté
To the enchanted sky
Méditerranée
Mediterranean
C'est une fée qui t'a donné
A fairy has given you
Ton décor et ta beauté
Your decor and your beauty
Mé-di-terranée!
Mediterranean!
Au clair de lune, entendez-vous dans le lointain,
In the moonlight, can you hear in the distance,
Comme un écho qui, sur les vagues, s'achemine?
Like an echo traveling over the waves?
Entendez-vous le gai refrain des tambourins
Can you hear the cheerful refrain of the tambourines
Accompagné du trémolo des mandolines?
Accompanied by the tremolo of the mandolins?
C'est la chanson qui vient bercer, toutes les nuits,
It's the song that comes to lull, every night,
Les amoureux du monde entier qu'elle a séduits.
The lovers from all around the world that it has charmed.
{Refrain}
Chorus
Contributed by Jack H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@stephanevincent1014
merci pour cette belle chanson,j'aime cette version😉
@tramonicarmen206
Ce sont. Les plus belles chansons du monde a enfance et ma jeunesse merci pour ces bons souvenirs👏👏👏👏👏
@pierrelarrere6855
Vive la France...QUOI!..l'idole de mon père et de ma maman décédé à la même année que cette chanson.....
@NOMdeZEUS7624
Une voix un titre inoubliable, merci.
@sylvierocklin1603
j'aime tant Tino
@ronanbarradas
Vim por causa da Obsolescência Programada dos Nossos Sentimentos, a HQ
@simonepascal7807
ETERNEL TINO. toi aussi avec ta voix de velours, t'as tant donné de bonheur à plusieurs générations. MERCI.
@claudeacquaviva5336
Très jolie chanson de Francis Lopez , interprété par notre grand Tino.
@jeanpierremartinez9808
Toute mon enfance : Tino Rossi , Line Renault etc ....!!Merveilleux souvenirs !
@mariemorin6231
Merci infiniment pour ce partage. Que de souvenirs dans mon enfance où je pouvais l'entendre à la maison à l'extérieur car mes ainés étaient fan de Tino ROSSI. Chapeau à ce chanteur et Vive la Méditerrannée.