Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites
Encyclopedia
Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites is a studio album
recorded by U. S.
Entertainer Connie Francis
.
The album consists of traditional
Italian
and Neapolitan
songs (e. g. Santa Lucia
) as well as then-current contemporay songs like Volare (Nel blu dipinto di blu)
or Piove
which both had risen to international fame after being Italy's entries to the Eurovision Song Contests
of 1958
and 1959
.
Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites was recorded following a suggestion from Francis' father, George Franconero, sr., who played an active part in directing Francis' career. He had realized that Francis' would have to make a timely transition from the youth-oriented Rock 'n' Roll music
to adult contemporary music
if she wanted to pursue a successful longterm career in music.
To make the album appealing to both Italian immigrants as well as listeners not familiar with Romanic languages
, Francis sang most of the songs bilingual in either Italian
/English
or Neapolitan
/English. Only Volare and Piove are sung entirely in Italian whilst Torna a Surriento is sung entirely in Neapolitan. Francis, who didn't learn to speak Italian and Neapolitan fluently until 1962, received assistance from a Berlitz teacher to achieve the correct pronunciation of the lyrics' Italian and Neapolitan lines.
The album was recorded between August 22 and 27, 1959, at E.M.I.'s famous Abbey Road Studios
in London under the musical direction of Tony Osborne
and was released in November 1959. Soon afterwards it entered the album charts where it remained for 81 weeks, peaking at # 4. It remains to this day as Francis' most successful album release.
Following the success of Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites, Francis recorded seven more albums of "Favorites" between 1960 and 1964, including Jewish
, German
and Irish
Favorites, among others.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
recorded by U. S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Entertainer Connie Francis
Connie Francis
Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
.
The album consists of traditional
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Neapolitan
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
songs (e. g. Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia is a traditional Neapolitan song. It was transcribed by Teodoro Cottrau and published by the Cottrau firm, as a "barcarolla", at Naples in 1849. Cottrau translated it from Napuletano into Italian during the first stage of the Risorgimento, the first Neapolitan song to be given Italian...
) as well as then-current contemporay songs like Volare (Nel blu dipinto di blu)
Volare (song)
"Nel blu dipinto di blu" , popularly known as "Volare" , is Domenico Modugno's signature song....
or Piove
Piove (Ciao, Ciao Bambina)
"Piove " is an Italian song written by Domenico Modugno and Eduardo Verde. It won first prize at the 1959 Sanremo Music Festival, where it was performed twice, once by Modugno and once by Johnny Dorelli...
which both had risen to international fame after being Italy's entries to the Eurovision Song Contests
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
of 1958
Eurovision Song Contest 1958
The Eurovision Song Contest 1958 was the third Eurovision Song Contest. The convention that the winning country from a year hosted the following year's contest was introduced in this year. France's win was their first. It was the last time to date that the United Kingdom did not enter the contest...
and 1959
Eurovision Song Contest 1959
The Eurovision Song Contest 1959 was the fourth Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in Cannes, following the French victory the previous year....
.
Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites was recorded following a suggestion from Francis' father, George Franconero, sr., who played an active part in directing Francis' career. He had realized that Francis' would have to make a timely transition from the youth-oriented Rock 'n' Roll music
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
to adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
if she wanted to pursue a successful longterm career in music.
To make the album appealing to both Italian immigrants as well as listeners not familiar with Romanic languages
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
, Francis sang most of the songs bilingual in either Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
/English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
or Neapolitan
Neapolitan language
Neapolitan is the language of the city and region of Naples , and Campania. On October 14, 2008 a law by the Region of Campania stated that the Neapolitan language had to be protected....
/English. Only Volare and Piove are sung entirely in Italian whilst Torna a Surriento is sung entirely in Neapolitan. Francis, who didn't learn to speak Italian and Neapolitan fluently until 1962, received assistance from a Berlitz teacher to achieve the correct pronunciation of the lyrics' Italian and Neapolitan lines.
The album was recorded between August 22 and 27, 1959, at E.M.I.'s famous Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
in London under the musical direction of Tony Osborne
Tony Osborne
Anthony "Tony" Osborne was an American professional wrestler who wrestled under the name "Tough" Tony Borne.-Professional wrestling career:...
and was released in November 1959. Soon afterwards it entered the album charts where it remained for 81 weeks, peaking at # 4. It remains to this day as Francis' most successful album release.
Following the success of Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites, Francis recorded seven more albums of "Favorites" between 1960 and 1964, including Jewish
Connie Francis Sings Jewish Favorites
Connie Francis sings Jewish Favorites is a studio album of Jewish Songs recorded by U. S. Entertainer Connie Francis.After the success of her 1959 album Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites , Francis decided to release more albums which appealed to immigrants in the United States.In July 1960,...
, German
Connie Francis Sings German Favorites
Connie Francis sings German Favorites is a studio album of German songs recorded by U. S. Entertainer Connie Francis.Unlike the other installments in Francis' series of "Favorites"-albums, Connie Francis sings German Favorites does not focus on the traditional songs of a certain country or ethnical...
and Irish
Connie Francis Sings Irish Favorites
Connie Francis sings Irish Favorites is a studio album recorded by U. S. Entertainer Connie Francis.After the success of her 1959 album Connie Francis sings Italian Favorites , Francis decided to release more albums which appealed to immigrants in the United States...
Favorites, among others.
Side A
| # | Title | Songwriter | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Comm' e bella a stagione" | Gigi Pisano, Rodolfo Falvo, George Brown | 1.51 |
| 2. | "Anema e core" Anema e core (song) "Anema e core" is a popular song.The music was written by Salvatore d'Esposito. The original Italian lyrics were written by Domenico Titomanlio.-The original Neapolitan version:It was first introduced in 1950, sung by the tenor Tito Schipa.... |
Salvatore d'Esposito, Domenico Titomalino, Curtis Mann, Harry Akst Harry Akst Harry Akst was an American songwriter, who started out his career as a pianist in vaudeville accompanying singers such as Nora Bayes, Frank Fay and Al Jolson.-Life and career:Akst was born in New York, United States.... |
3.03 |
| 3. | "Arrivederci Roma Arrivederci Roma "Arrivederci Roma" is the title and refrain of a popular Italian song, composed by Renato Rascel, with lyrics by Pietro Garinei and Sandro Giovannini. It was published in 1955 as part of the soundtrack of the Italo-American musical film with the same title, released as Seven Hills of Rome in... " |
Renato Rascel Renato Rascel Renato Ranucci, in art Renato Rascel was an Italian film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1942 and 1972... , Pietro Garinei Pietro Garinei Pietro Garinei was an Italian playwright, actor, and songwriter.-Biography:Garinei was born at Trieste and graduated in pharmacy... , Sandro Giovannini, Carl Sigman Carl Sigman Carl Sigman was an American songwriter.-Biography:Born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, Sigman graduated from law school and passed his Bar exams to practice in the state of New York... |
2.56 |
| 4. | "Solo tu (You alone)" You Alone (Solo Tu) "You Alone " is a popular song.The music was written by Robert Allen, the lyrics by Al Stillman. The song was published in 1953.The best-known recordings were made by Perry Como, who recorded the song twice, in 1953 and in 1961.... |
Robert Allen Robert Allen (musicwriter) Robert Allen Deitcher was a pianist and an arranger and writer of music for popular songs.He was born in Troy, New York and had 4 children: a son, Gordon, and 3 daughters, Pamela, Diana, Katie.... , Al Stillman Al Stillman Al Stillman was an American lyricist.-Biography:Stillman was born in New York City. His name was originally Albert Silverman, but changed it to that of a well-known New York banking family. He was Jewish. He attended New York University. After graduation, he contributed to Franklin P... |
2.57 |
| 5. | "Volare" Volare (song) "Nel blu dipinto di blu" , popularly known as "Volare" , is Domenico Modugno's signature song.... |
Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno was an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, and later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu "... , Franco Migliacci Franco Migliacci Franco Migliacci is a lyricist, producer, and actor. He is also known as Francesco Migliacci.- Biography :... |
3.19 |
| 6. | "Non dimenticar" Non Dimenticar "Non Dimenticar" is a popular song with music by P. G. Redi , the original Italian lyrics by Michele Galdieri, with English lyrics by Shelley Dobbins... |
Gino Redi, Michele Galdieri, Shelly Dobbins | 3.16 |
| 7. | "Toward the End of the Day (Alla fine dell' di)" | Jeffrey Stillman | 3.16 |
Side B
| # | Title | Songwriter | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Piove" Piove (Ciao, Ciao Bambina) "Piove " is an Italian song written by Domenico Modugno and Eduardo Verde. It won first prize at the 1959 Sanremo Music Festival, where it was performed twice, once by Modugno and once by Johnny Dorelli... |
Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno was an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, and later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu "... |
2.52 |
| 2. | "Mama" | Bruno Cherubini, Harold Barlow Harold Barlow Harold Everard Monteagle Barlow FRS was a British engineer.He was born in Islington, London, the son of Leonard Barlow, an electrical engineer. He entered University College, London where, apart from the WWII years , he spent most of his working life... , Phil Brito |
3.55 |
| 3. | "Do You Love Me Like You Kiss Me (Scapricciatiello)" | Pacifico Vento, Ferdinando Albano | 2.39 |
| 4. | "I Have But One Heart (O' Marenariello)" I Have But One Heart "I Have But One Heart" is a popular song composed by Johnny Farrow, with lyrics by Marty Symes. The song was published in 1945. The recording by Vic Damone, his first release, reached #7 on the Billboard chart.... |
Gennaro Ottaviano, Salvatore Gambardella, Johnny Farrow, Marty Symes Marty Symes Marty Symes was an American lyricist.Symes was born in Brooklyn New York in 1904. His first significant collaborator was composer Jerry Livingston. In 1932 they wrote "Darkness on the Delta", which became a hit for Mildred Bailey. The next year the Casa Loma Orchestra recorded their "Under the... |
3.33 |
| 5. | "'O sole mio (There's No Tomorrow)" | Eduardo di Capua, Giovanni Capurro | 2.56 |
| 6. | "Santa Lucia Santa Lucia Santa Lucia is a traditional Neapolitan song. It was transcribed by Teodoro Cottrau and published by the Cottrau firm, as a "barcarolla", at Naples in 1849. Cottrau translated it from Napuletano into Italian during the first stage of the Risorgimento, the first Neapolitan song to be given Italian... " |
traditional Tradition A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings... , transcription by Teodoro Cottrau |
3.12 |
| 7. | "Torna a Surriento (Come back to Sorrento)" Torna a Surriento “Torna a Surriento” is a Neapolitan song said to have been composed in 1902 by Ernesto De Curtis to words by his brother, Giambattista. The song was copyrighted officially in 1905; it has since become wildly popular, and has been sung by performers as diverse as Beniamino Gigli, Elvis Presley,... |
Ernesto De Curtis Ernesto De Curtis Ernesto De Curtis was an Italian composer.Born in Naples, the son of Giuseppe De Curtis and Elisabetta Minnon, he was a great-grandson of composer Saverio Mercadante and the brother of poet Giambattista De Curtis, with whom he wrote the song "Torna a Surriento"... , Giambattista De Curtis Giambattista De Curtis Giambattista de Curtis was an Italian painter and poet remembered today for his song lyrics.-Biography:Born into a noble family in Naples, de Curtis was the firstborn of the fresco painter Giuseppe de Curtis and his wife, Elisabetta Minnon, and was a great-grandson of composer Saverio Mercadante... |
2.49 |
Not included songs from the sessions
| # | Title | Songwriter | Length | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Volare Volare (song) "Nel blu dipinto di blu" , popularly known as "Volare" , is Domenico Modugno's signature song.... " |
Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno Domenico Modugno was an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, and later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu "... , Franco Migliacci Franco Migliacci Franco Migliacci is a lyricist, producer, and actor. He is also known as Francesco Migliacci.- Biography :... |
unknown | alternate version with different arrangement and tempo, unreleased to this day |