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Softly, as I Leave You (song)

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"Piano"
Song
LanguageItalian
English titleSoftly, as I Leave You
Composer(s)Tony De Vita (music)
Lyricist(s)Giorgio Calabrese (Italian lyrics)
Hal Shaper (English lyrics)
"Softly, as I Leave You"
Single by Matt Monro
B-side"Is There Anything I Can Do"
Released1962
GenreTraditional pop
Length3:25
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)Giorgio Calabrese, Hal Shaper, Tony De Vita
Matt Monro singles chronology
"Gonna Build a Mountain"
(1961)
"Softly, as I Leave You"
(1962)
"When Love Comes Along"
(1962)
"Softly, as I Leave You"
Single by Frank Sinatra
from the album Softly, as I Leave You
B-side"Then Suddenly Love"
Released1964
GenreTraditional pop
Length2:50
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)Giorgio Calabrese, Hal Shaper, Tony De Vita
Frank Sinatra singles chronology
"My Kind of Town"
(1964)
"Softly, as I Leave You"
(1964)
"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"
(1964)

"Softly, as I Leave You" is a popular Italian song, originally titled Piano, composed by Tony De Vita with Italian lyrics by Giorgio Calabrese, translated into English by Hal Shaper.

It was originally an Italian success by Mina, entitled "Piano" ("Softly"). Mina published a recording of the song first as a single in 1960 and later as well on an EP and on three LPs.

The English songwriter Hal Shaper noticed the song and in November 1961 wrote English lyrics to the melody, calling it "Softly, as I Leave You." The best-known versions are those by Matt Monro (No. 10 on the UK's Record Retailer chart in 1962)[1] and Frank Sinatra (No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Easy Listening chart in 1964).[2] The Sinatra family announced Frank's death on May 14, 1998 by placing an announcement on their website that was accompanied by a recording of the singer's version of the song.[citation needed]

When he performed the song live in Las Vegas, Elvis Presley prefaced with a story about the origins of the song. Presley said the song originated when a man was dying and his wife was sitting by his bedside. As she began to doze off, he felt himself beginning to die and he wrote the words to the song on a notepad. However, Presley insiders claim that his explanation for the song was merely an example of Presley's flair for storytelling, so his explanation is most likely apocryphal. Presley said he heard the story "from some people in Florida." Elvis doesn't actually sing this song; he speaks the words while his backing tenor Sherrill Nielsen sings it. Presley's one recorded version of this song was a bootleg made by a fan in the Las Vegas Hilton show on 13 December 1975. RCA was able to release it commercially in March 1978[3] and it now appears on the boxed set Walk A Mile In My Shoes: The Essential 70's Masters.

Cover versions

References

  1. ^ "Matt Monro - Full Official Chart History". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  2. ^ "Frank Sinatra Songs • Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. 8 September 1929. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  3. ^ "Elvis Presley - Unchained Melody". 45cat.com. Retrieved 19 February 2020.