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.
Oh mon papa
Tino Rossi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh! Mon Papa que j'aimais son sourire
Oh! Mon Papa je trouvais au fond de ses yeux
Toutes les joies que les enfants désirent
Il me prenait sur ses genoux, ah! quel bonheur
Il me parlait et m'amusait des heures
Oh! Mon Papa, si beau, si doux, si merveilleux
Il comprenait la moindre de mes peinesEt il calmait mes larmes dans un seul baiser
Lui si gentil qu'il me manque aujourd'hui
Oh! Mon Papa, si beau, si doux, si merveilleux
Il comprenait la moindre de mes peines
Et il calmait mes larmes dans un seul baiser
Lui si gentil qu'il me manque aujourd'hui.
Oh! Mon Papa.
The lyrics to Tino Rossi's song Oh mon papa convey a deep sense of love and admiration for a father who is described as being beautiful, sweet, and generous. The singer reminisces about the father's smile and how it brought joy to their life. The father understood the child's pains and was able to calm their tears with just a single kiss. The singer reflects on the good times they had with their father, sitting on his lap, talking and laughing for hours. The song expresses a sense of loss and longing for the father who is no longer there, and who is greatly missed.
The song taps into a universal feeling of nostalgia and longing for a childhood that has passed. It's a reminder of the profound impact of a father's love and how that love shapes us and stays with us long after they are gone. The song is a tribute to fathers everywhere and a celebration of the bond between father and child. It teaches us to appreciate the little moments of happiness that we share with our fathers and to cherish those memories forever.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! Mon Papa
The singer expresses their admiration and love for their father.
si beau, si doux, si généreux
The singer describes their father as handsome, kind, and generous.
Oh! Mon Papa que j'aimais son sourire
The singer loved their father's smile.
Je trouvais au fond de ses yeux toutes les joies que les enfants désirent
The artist saw all the happiness they could ever want in their father's eyes.
Il me prenait sur ses genoux, ah! quel bonheur
The artist fondly remembers the joy of sitting on their father's lap.
Il me parlait et m'amusait des heures
Their father would spend hours talking and playing with them.
si beau, si doux, si merveilleux
The singer reiterates how incredibly kind and wonderful their father was.
Il comprenait la moindre de mes peines et il calmait mes larmes dans un seul baiser
Their father had a deep understanding of their emotions and would comfort them with just a kiss.
Lui si gentil qu'il me manque aujourd'hui
The artist deeply misses their kind and gentle father.
Writer(s): Erik Charell, Pierre Desfoux, Paul Burkhard, Robert Gilbert, Jurg Amstein, Jean Marie-Joseph Boyer
Contributed by Ethan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@rodicarodica2282
h! Mon papa
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Lyrics
oh ! mon papa, si beau, si doux, si généreux
oh ! mon papa que j'aimais son sourire
oh ! mon papa je trouvais au fond de ses yeux
toutes les joies que les enfants désirent
il me prenait sur ses genoux, ah ! quel bonheur
il me parlait et m'amusait des heures
oh ! mon papa, si beau, si doux, si merveilleux
il comprenait la moindre de mes peines
et il calmait mes larmes dans un seul baiser
lui si gentil qu'il me manque aujourd'hui
oh ! mon papa, si beau, si doux, si merveilleux
il comprenait la moindre de mes peines
et il calmait mes larmes dans un seul baiser
lui si gentil qu'il me manque aujourd'hui.
@marylinethomas2947
C'était une musique que je jouais avec mon papa. Lui à la trompette et moi au synthé
Que de beaux souvenirs...
Il est décédé le 20 mars 2018,
Juste 1 semaine après son anniversaire que nous n'avons pas pu lui souhaiter car il été hospitalisé
Il avait 82 ans. Il a, enfin, retrouvé ses 2 frères comme il le voulait, surtout le plus jeune qui est décédé 5 ans avant lui et dont il ne s'est jamais remis de sa mort. Il trouvait ça tellement injuste. Il a été le dernier à partir après ses 2 copains d'armée...
Cette chanson, je l'écoute souvent en pensant à lui qui me manque tant.
On faisait et on aimait tellement de choses tous les deux... La musique, les animaux, le jardin, les pompiers...et même les papiers de l'entreprise familiale parfois
Dès que j'en avait l'occasion, j'étais avec lui
Quand
@jeanclaudedaval543
C'était tout mon père, exactement ça.
Il me manque, j'ai pu entendre cette chanson depuis mon enfance et quand je l'écoute j'ai des larmes qui coulent,,a 76 ans. Merci a Tino pour cette superbe chanson.
@henriettebron4621
Henriette........cette chanson est magnifique 🎉tino..quand j entend t'as chansons je pense à mon papa ❤que j'aimais tant qu'elle est trop belles cette chanson !!!j'ai les larmes aux yeux, qu'elle joie et du bonheur d'écouter cette chanson merci tino Rossi pour tout les chansons qui ont bercé mon adolescente. ❤❤❤❤AMICALEMENT HENRIETTE 17 10 50 repose en paix avec les anges 👼 👼 👼 👼 ❤❤
@henriettebron4621
Henriette.......tino Rossi qu,'elle belles chansons....j'ai 73annee et je pense beaucoup à mon papa !!tue sera toujours dans mon cœur ❤ quand j'entends tino chanter cette chanson...tu ne peux retenir tes larmes j'ai tellement de souvenirs avec mon papa ❤je ne t'oublierais jamais papa🌹tino Rossi tue sera toujours dans mon cœur ❤ tue nous apporte beaucoup de bonheur avec tes sublime chansons 👍👍repose en paix tino avec les anges 👼 🌟 👼 AMICALEMENT HENRIETTE 17 10 50 MERCI BEAUCOUP POUR CES magnifiques chansons de tino Rossi ❤
@mamelollyfaye6610
Tino Rossi me rappelle mon cher Papa disparu Que son âme repose en paix
Lui qui aimait tant Tino!
Et qui nous enivrant de ses belles et douces chansons tous les jours sur Dieu fait.
Metci infiniment !
@Candybelle22
Pour toi mon p'tit papa qui aimait beaucoup Tino ROSSI... Tu resteras toujours dans mon coeur. Je t'aime
@emmanuel_buffet
Mon père n'est plus la depuis quelques jours.. ma mère m'a demandé de chercher cette chanson !!! elle est sublime, saupoudré du talent de Tino Rossi, je tombe en larmes sur mon bureau... magnifique la trompette...
@DenisCleyet-Merle
A toi mon papa que j,aimerai toujours
@Jean-pierreConstantin
Je viens de découvrir super et pourtant je n'ai pas connu mon père
@DanielCollet-y3l
Pour mon papa qui est parti au paradis amicalement Daniel Collet ❤❤😮
@jeaninevacle4263
L'amour s'en vient l'amour va c'est comme cela avec Fredo