'O Sole Mio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"'O Sole Mio" ("My Sun") (It's Now or Never/There's No Tomorrow)
Music by	Eduardo di Capua
Lyrics by	Giovanni Capurro
Written	1898
Language	Neapolitan
Recorded by	Charles W. Harrison Tony Martin Elvis Presley

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008)

"'O sole mio" is a globally known Neapolitan song written in 1898. It has been performed and covered by many artists, including such stalwarts of opera as Enrico Caruso, Mario Lanza, The Three Tenors, as well as rock/pop artists such Bryan Adams and Elvis Presley. The lyrics were written by Giovanni Capurro, and the melody was composed by Eduardo di Capua. Though there are versions in other languages, 'O sole mio is usually sung in the original Neapolitan language. 'O sole mio is the Neapolitan equivalent of Standard Italian Il sole mio and translates literally as "My Sun" (not "Oh My Sun").

Contents 1 Lyrics 2 English versions 3 Copyright 4 In popular culture 5 Notes 6 External links

[edit] Lyrics

Neapolitan lyrics Che bella cosa e' na jurnata 'e sole, n'aria serena doppo na tempesta! Pe' ll'aria fresca pare già na festa Che bella cosa e' na jurnata 'e sole Ma n'atu sole, cchiù bello, oje ne' 'O sole mio sta 'nfronte a te! 'O sole, 'o sole mio sta 'nfronte a te! sta 'nfronte a te! Quanno fa notte e 'o sole se ne scenne, me vene quase 'na malincunia; sotto 'a fenesta toia restarria quanno fa notte e 'o sole se ne scenne. Ma n'atu sole, cchiù bello, oje ne' 'O sole mio sta 'nfronte a te! 'O sole, 'o sole mio sta 'nfronte a te! sta 'nfronte a te!

English translation What a beautiful thing is a sunny day, The air is serene after a thunderstorm The air's so fresh that it already feels like a holiday What a beautiful thing is a sunny day But another sun, that's brighter still It's my own sun that's in your face! The sun, my own sun It's in your face! It's in your face! When night comes and the sun has gone down, I almost start feeling melancholy; I'd stay below your window When night comes and the sun has gone down. But another sun, that's brighter still It's my own sun that's in your face! The sun, my own sun It's in your face! It's in your face!

[edit] English versions

“It's Now or Never”
Single by Elvis Presley
Released	1960
Format	Vinyl Single
Genre	Pop

In 1915 Charles W. Harrison recorded the first English translation of "O Sole Mio." In 1921, William E. Booth-Clibborn wrote lyrics for a hymn using the music, titled Down From His Glory.

In 1949, U.S. singer Tony Martin recorded "There's No Tomorrow", which used the melody of "O Sole Mio." About ten years later, while stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army, Elvis Presley heard the recording, and put to tape a private version of the song. Upon his discharge, he requested that new lyrics be written especially for him, a job that was undertaken by the songwriting duo of Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold, with a demo by David Hill. "It's Now or Never" was a number-one record in numerous countries during 1960, including the U.S. and the UK, where it spent nine weeks at the top, and selling in excess of twenty million copies worldwide, his biggest international single hit ever. Its UK release was delayed for some time because of rights issues, allowing the song to build up massive advance orders and to enter the UK singles chart at number one, at the time a very rare occurrence. In early 2005, the song was re-released along with the other Presley singles, and "It's Now Or Never" again reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart.

[edit] Copyright

The song is no longer in the public domain; in October 2002 a judge in Turin declared that Alfredo Mazzucchi (1878-1972), previously considered only as a music transcriber, was actually a legitimate third author.^{[1] [2]} Since copyright in countries bound by the Berne Convention extends to 50 years after the death of the last surviving author [3], the song is protected at least in Italy until 2022.

[edit] In popular culture

Because the song is so well-known, invoking in many the beauty and romanticism of Italian culture, many hotels and restaurants have been named after it.^{[citation needed]}

• A version of the song ("Just one Cornetto...") has been used for decades on British television to advertise Cornetto ice cream. In the ads, it is usually sung by a Venetian gondolier, despite Venice being hundreds of miles from Naples.
• At the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, O Sole Mio was played when the music to the Italian national anthem could not be found.^[3]
• It has been used several times in the round called "One Song To The Tune Of Another" in I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue on BBC Radio 4.
• Ernie from Sesame Street sang this song in one skit in order to wake someone up to tell him what time it was. (It was 3:00 AM)

• An easter egg in the video game Riven shows the character of Gehn singing this tune - John Keston, who portrayed Gehn, was singing between takes.

Preceded by "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" by Brian Hyland	Billboard Hot 100 number one single ("It's Now or Never" by Elvis Presley) August 15, 1960	Succeeded by "The Twist" by Chubby Checker
Preceded by "Only The Lonely" by Roy Orbison	UK number one single ("It's Now or Never" by Elvis Presley) November 5, 1960 - December 30, 1960	Succeeded by "I Love You" by Cliff Richard & The Shadows
Preceded by "Goodies" by Ciara featuring Petey Pablo	UK number one single ("It's Now or Never" by Elvis Presley re-issue) February 5, 2005 - February 11, 2005	Succeeded by "Like Toy Soldiers" by Eminem

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Sheet music for "O Sole Mio"
• The Story behind "It's Now Or Never"