Al di là
 "Al di là" | |
|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest 1961 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artist(s) | |
| Language | |
| Composer(s) | Carlo Donida |
| Lyricist(s) | |
| Conductor | Gianfranco Intra |
| Finals performance | |
| Final result | 5th |
| Final points | 12 |
| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "Romantica" (1960) | |
| "Addio, addio" (1962) ► | |
| "Al di là" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| A-side | "I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter" |
"Al di là" (English translation: "Beyond") is a song written by Italian composer Carlo Donida and lyricist Mogol, and recorded by Betty Curtis. The English lyrics were written by Ervin Drake. The song was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1961, performed in Italian by Curtis at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, on 18 March 1961, after Curtis had won the 1961 edition of the Sanremo Music Festival on 2 February 1961, which served as the Italian national selection from 1958 to 1966.
It was also recorded by Italian-American singer Connie Francis in Italian in 1962, and she re-recorded it in a bilingual version later during the same year.
Composer Donida is best known in America for writing "Uno Die Tanta," or "I (Who Have Nothing)". English lyricist Drake also wrote the lyrics for such songs as "Quando, quando, quando" and "Good Morning Heartache", and both the music and lyrics for "It Was a Very Good Year".
Covers
- In the United States, Emilio Pericoli is the artist most associated with the song. He sang "Al di là" in a nightclub, with a small combo, in the popular 1962 film Rome Adventure, starring Troy Donahue and Suzanne Pleshette, and his single that year on Warner Bros. Records reached number six on Billboard's pop chart and number three on the easy-listening chart.[1] Pericoli's version ranked #48 on Billboard's 1962 Year-End chart.[2] The film segment is available on YouTube.com. Pericoli's album version of the song is not the same as in the film. It is much slower and recorded with a full orchestra. (In the film, Donahue's character interprets the song's title as meaning "Beyond the Beyond".)
- Al Hirt released a version on his 1963 album, Honey in the Horn.[3]
- Jerry Vale released a version on his 1963 album, Arrivederci, Roma.[4]
- The Ray Charles Singers scored a 1964 hit, peaking at #29 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart with their cover of the song.
- Al Martino, who would later play the fictional crooner Johnny Fontaine in the 1972 film The Godfather, recorded "Al di là" in Italian on his 1963 The Italian Voices of Al Martino album (Capitol Records).
- Sergio Franchi is another Italian-American singer associated with this popular song. He recorded on his 1968 RCA Victor album, Wine and Song.[5] Franchi also sang the song on the December 26, 1964 broadcast of The Hollywood Palace.[6]
Other notable recording include Milva (1961),[7] Ace Cannon - Sweet and Tough (1966),[8] Jerry Adriani (1996).[7]
Charts
| Artist | Year | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ITA [9] |
US [10] | ||
| Betty Curtis | 1961 | 11 | — |
| Luciano Tajoli | 3 | — | |
| Emilio Pericoli | 2 | 6 | |
| Tony Dallara | 32 | — | |
| Connie Francis | 1962 | — | 90 |
| The Ray Charles Singers | 1964 | — | 29 |
References
- ^ [1] Template:Wayback
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ Al Hirt, Honey in the Horn
- ^ Jerry Vale, Arrivederci, Roma
- ^ http://www.discogs.com Sergio Franchi
- ^ http://www.tv.com The Hollywood Palace
- ^ a b Al di là SecondHandSongs
- ^ "Al di la". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
- ^ "Tutti i successi del 1961" (in Italian). HitParadeItalia.it. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- ^ Peak positions for the song in the US:
- For Connie Francis' version: "Connie Francis - Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
- For The Ray Charles Singers' version: "The Ray Charles Singers Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 15 August 2013.