Music Blog

Flying … or … Volare

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for Song Lyric Sunday. This week Jim Adams has asked his
readers to choose a song they remember from their childhood.

Music has always been a huge part of my life since my days growing up in The Bronx. Every self-respecting Italian family has a finished basement … one wide open room with a kitchen, eating area, a space for family activities, a TV area, a bathroom and closed-off workshop. Our television was one of those big console units which also included a radio and stereo with a storage cabinet and looked something like this:

When my sister and I listened to our music, my mother would either be cooking or in her sewing area and Dad would be at the kitchen table working on a crossword puzzle. He claimed he didn’t like our music but he never actually left the room when it was on. However, on Saturday afternoons my father commandeered the radio so he could listen to his favorite Italian show called “Pasquale C.O.D.” I remember it being just like WMCA … the station I listed … only in Italian. Pasquale was the DJ who’d talk about everything from food to politics and play the top hits from Italy and the US.

In 1958 there was a song we heard often and it became a family favorite; it got to be so popular, it wasn’t just limited to Dad’s Italian station. People all around the world could hear Domenico Modugno singing his hit “Nel blu, dipinto di blu“, more commonly known as “Volare”. Modugno composed the music and, along with Franco Migliacci, wrote the lyrics. The single was released on February 1, 1958.

The song spent five non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in August and September 1958, and subsequently became Billboard’s #1 single for the year. In 1959, at the 1st Annual Grammy Awards, Modugno’s recording became the first ever Grammy winner for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. For more info about “Volare”, you can click HERE.

Here is “Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Volare)” by Domenico Modugno. This one’s for you, Dad.

LYRICS

I think a dream like this will never come back
Penso che un sogno così non ritorni mai più

I painted my hands and face blue
Mi dipingevo le mani e la faccia di blu

Then suddenly I was kidnapped by the wind
Poi d’improvviso venivo dal vento rapito

And I began to fly in the infinite sky
E incominciavo a volare nel cielo infinito

Flying oh, oh
Volare oh, oh

Singing oh, oh
Cantare oh, oh

In the blue painted blue
Nel blu dipinto di blu

Happy to be up there
Felice di stare lassù

And I flew, I flew happily higher than the sun
E volavo, volavo felice più in alto del sole

And even higher
Ed ancora più su

While the world slowly disappeared far away down there
Mentre il mondo pian piano spariva lontano laggiù

Sweet music played just for me
Una musica dolce suonava soltanto per me

Flying oh, oh
Volare oh, oh

Singing oh, oh
Cantare oh, oh

In the blue painted blue
Nel blu dipinto di blu

Happy to be up there
Felice di stare lassù

But all dreams fade away in the dawn
Ma tutti i sogni nell’alba svaniscon perché

When the moon sets, it takes them with it
Quando tramonta la luna li porta con sé

But I continue to dream in your beautiful eyes
Ma io continuo a sognare negli occhi tuoi belli

Which are blue like a sky studded with stars
Che sono blu come un cielo trapunto di stelle

Flying oh, oh
Volare oh, oh

Singing oh, oh
Cantare oh, oh

In the blue of your blue eyes
Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu

Happy to be down here
Felice di stare quaggiù

And I continue to fly happily higher than the sun
E continuo a volare felice più in alto del sole

And even higher
Ed ancora più su

While the world slowly disappears in your blue eyes
Mentre il mondo pian piano scompare negli occhi tuoi blu

Your voice is sweet music that plays for me
La tua voce è una musica dolce che suona per me

Flying oh, oh
Volare oh, oh

Singing oh, oh
Cantare oh, oh

In the blue of your blue eyes
Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu

Happy to be down here
Felice di stare quaggiù

In the blue of your blue eyes
Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu

Happy to be down here
Felice di stare quaggiù

With you
Con te

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Domenico Modugno/Franco Migliacci
Nel blu, dipinto di blu lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Peermusic Publishing

There were more than 100 different recordings of “Volare” worldwide but my favorite from 1960 was the version by Italian-American pop singer Bobby Rydell (Ridarelli). Even my dad thought he sounded pretty good! His recording reached #4 on the Hot 100 during the summer of 1960, #22 in the UK and #3 in Canada. Here is Bobby Rydell’s version.

Of course, we couldn’t go flying without the wonderful Il Volo (flight) and their rendition of “Volare”. These young vocal sensations came on the scene long after my father passed away; I wonder what he’d think of them. Here is Il Volo.

Childhood Music Hits

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week. Be sure to click the link and check out Jim’s site.


Thanks for stopping by. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2024

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and is not for use by anyone without permission. NAR©2017-present.

45 thoughts on “Flying … or … Volare”

    1. Thanks, Barbara. Bobby Rydell was always a favorite, with those dimples and contagious energy. He was quite the showman and he could really sing, too! He was the first of the Philly group to pass away two years ago and James Darren died just two weeks ago. 🙏🏼

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    1. Always happy to introduce a friend to great music, especially tunes that hold many memories for me. I’m glad you enjoyed Domenico Modugno!

      Before we got our console TV, my parents had a radio in a huge piece of furniture. Funny to think that such a monstrosity which took up so much room housed but a small radio. The speakers must have been incredible! 😂

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  15. Nancy thank you so much for sharing this song today. I too remember it as a child. I loved all three versions you shared, especially ll Volo. It is wonderful these old songs are kept alive by today’s young singers. Also everything sounds better in Italian ☺️💕

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    1. Well, I have to agree with your last line, Christine! I love being Italian for many reasons and the beautiful language is definitely one of them.

      Il Volo, I think, is a fantastic group, each member sharing their talents equally. I have watched and listened to them since they started as teenagers; they have come a long way. Still, there will always be a special place in my heart for the original by Domenico Modugno.

      Thanks so much for your great comments! ♡

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  17. Wow, this brings back some memories! We had just got a TV when he sang this at the Eurovision Song Contest – I wasn’t yet 5 but was allowed to stay up and watch until I fell asleep (the show has the same effect on me nowadays). I’ve heard countless versions of this down the years, and still like it.

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    1. Wonderful to read your comments, Clive. I thought about featuring the Beatles today (for obvious reasons) but the more I thought about it I knew I had to go with Volare and my memories of my Dad. It’s a song that holds a special place in my heart and I will never get tired of hearing it! 😊

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    1. It’s been many years, Ivor, but I can still remember the thrill when that TV console unit was delivered to our house! Prior to that, we listened to records on my Dad’s old victrola or my little record player. I remember my parents also had a huge piece of furniture which contained nothing but a radio. It was a beauty! And, of course, we had our beloved transistor radios! Thanks for a great comment, dear Ivor!

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