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.

Mélancolie
Tino Rossi Lyrics

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Les arbres pleurent c’est l’automne
Sous le ciel gris du monde aigri
Leurs larmes rousses tourbillonnent
J’attends la nuit et je m’ennuie

Mélancolie
D’un jour grisâtre
Mélancolie sans feu dans l’âtre

Mes souvenirs sont trop amers
Et l’avenir une chimère
Mélancolie de couleur sombre
Mélancolie de spleen et d’ombre
Les murs sont noirs autour de moi
Je ne puis voir le ciel sans toi
Mélancolie sans un espoir
Mélancolie de te revoir.

Ton cœur volage m’abandonne
A la pâleur de ma douleur
Au refrain triste que fredonne
Et que gémit ma mélodie

Mélancolie qui prend mon être
Mélancolie de toi peut-être
Sans vis-à-vis sans un regard
Toute la vie sans crier gare
Mélancolie qui me poursuit
Mélancolie d’un jour de pluie
Le vent hurlant glace mon coeur
D’un rythme plein de rancœur

Mélancolie sans un espoir
Mélancolie de te revoir.

Overall Meaning

In the lyrics of Tino Rossi's song "Mélancolie," the imagery of autumn is used to set a melancholic tone. The reference to trees crying and the reddish tears swirling under a grey sky reflects a sense of sadness and desolation. The singer's boredom and longing for the night suggest a feeling of emptiness and dissatisfaction with the present moment. This opening verse sets the stage for a journey through the depths of melancholy and yearning.

The recurring theme of "Mélancolie" in the lyrics highlights a sense of gloom and despair that permeates the singer's existence. The absence of warmth and light, as symbolized by the lack of fire in the hearth, intensifies the feeling of bitterness and disillusionment. The juxtaposition of bitter memories and illusory futures echoes a sense of being trapped in a cycle of sadness and unfulfilled dreams. The dark, somber colors and shadows evoke a mood of melancholy and introspection, with the singer feeling isolated and unable to escape the oppressive atmosphere surrounding them.

The mention of a fickle heart abandoning the singer adds another layer of emotional turmoil to the lyrics. The pain and sorrow caused by this betrayal deepen the sense of melancholy that grips the singer's soul. The sad refrain and mournful melody underscore the pervasive sadness that consumes the singer's thoughts and emotions. The reference to a life without hope or prospects, represented by a lack of eye contact or acknowledgment, suggests a sense of powerlessness and resignation in the face of continued disappointment and solitude.

The final verses of the song express a relentless pursuit of melancholy that seems intertwined with the singer's very being. The imagery of rain, wind, and a frozen heart filled with bitterness conveys a sense of emotional numbness and desolation. The yearning to see the subject of the singer's melancholy again reflects a deep longing for connection and closure, despite the seeming impossibility of such a reunion. The repetitive refrain of "Mélancolie" at the end emphasizes the enduring nature of this feeling and the hopelessness that accompanies it, leaving the listener immersed in a world of melancholic introspection.

Line by Line Meaning

Les arbres pleurent c’est l’automne
The trees weep, it's autumn

Sous le ciel gris du monde aigri
Under the gray sky of the embittered world

Leurs larmes rousses tourbillonnent
Their reddish tears whirl

J’attends la nuit et je m’ennuie
I await the night and I am bored

Mélancolie
Melancholy

D’un jour grisâtre
Of a gray day

Mélancolie sans feu dans l’âtre
Melancholy without fire in the fireplace

Mes souvenirs sont trop amers
My memories are too bitter

Et l’avenir une chimère
And the future a chimera

Mélancolie de couleur sombre
Melancholy of dark color

Mélancolie de spleen et d’ombre
Melancholy of spleen and shadow