Arrivederci Roma

"Arrivederci Roma" ("Goodbye Rome") ("Arrivederci Darling")
Music by	Renato Rascel
Lyrics by	Pietro Garinei Sandro Giovannini Carl Sigman (English)
Published	1955

"Arrivederci Roma" (English: "Goodbye, Rome") 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 English. In the movie, the song is interpreted by the leading character, played by the American actor and singer Mario Lanza. The lyrics for the English language version of the movie were written by Carl Sigman.

Another version of the song, with the same melody but a new set of English lyrics by Jack Fishman, was published in 1955 with the title Arrivederci Darling. Both versions of the song, in Italian and English, enjoyed lasting and widespread success in the following years.

The lyrics

Arrivederci (or a rivederci), which literally means "until we see each other again", is a common Italian equivalent of "goodbye". The original lyrics express the nostalgia of a Roman man for the dinners and short-lived love affairs he had with foreign tourists who came to Rome. It recalls the popular legend associated with the Trevi Fountain:

	T'invidio turista che arrivi,		"I envy you, tourist, you come,
	t'imbevi de fori e de scavi		you feast on forums and ruins,
	poi tutto d'un colpo te trovi		then suddenly you discover
	fontana de Trevi ch'è tutta pe' te!		the fountain of Trevi, which is there all for you.
	Ce sta 'na leggenda romana		There's a Roman legend
	legata a 'sta vecchia fontana		attached to this old fountain
	per cui se ce butti un soldino		by which if you throw in a penny
	costringi er destino a fatte tornà		then you'll bind Fate to make you come back.
	...		...
	Arrivederci Roma, Goodbye, Au Revoir...		"Goodbye Rome, Goodbye, Au Revoir...
	Mentre l'inglesina s'allontana		While the English girl departs
	un ragazzinetto s'avvicina		a little kid comes by
	va nella fontana, pesca un soldo, se ne va!		goes into the fountain, picks a penny, goes away!
	Arrivederci Roma!		Goodbye Rome!"

The lyrics of Arrivederci Darling are not a translation:

Arrivederci Darling is my goodbye to you
If I tell your heart we'll meet tomorrow
We will never part with words of sorrow
So I'll always say goodbye this way and I'll be true. [...]

Popularity

The recording of Arrivederci Darling by United Kingdom singer Anne Shelton remained in the UK Singles Chart for 4 weeks (December 17, 1955 to January 7, 1956, peaking at #17) . Another recording by Edna Savage was in the UK chart for one week (January 14, 1956, at #19) .

Recorded versions

"Arrivederci Roma"

• 101 Strings Orchestra
• Claudio Villa
• Connie Francis
• Dean Martin
• Sergio Franchi - Our Man From Italy (1963)
• Edmundo Ros
• Emilio Pericoli
• Guy Lombardo
• James Last
• Jerry Vale
• Julius LaRosa
• Lester Lanin
• Mantovani
• Mario Lanza
• Nat King Cole
• Percy Faith
• Perry Como
• Renato Rascel
• Richard Clayderman
• Roger Williams
• The Ames Brothers
• Vic Damone
• Willis "Gator" Jackson

"Arrivederci Darling"

• Anne Shelton (1955)
• Edna Savage (1955)
• Francisco Cavez and his orchestra (1956)
• Jo Stafford (1955)
• Lys Assia & The Johnston Brothers (1955)
• Three Suns (1955)