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Nearly everyone can sing along to the chorus of the Italian song “Volare.” It’s a happy tune whose popularity has spanned generations. Recorded by Domenico Modugno in 1958, the song became the first winner of the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Grammy Award for Song of the Year, and it is the only foreign-language recording to achieve this honor

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Did you know that in Italian “Volare” (the song’s popular name) means “to fly”?  You might also know that this well-known, well-loved Italian song often goes by the name “Nel blu dipinto di blu” (it’s official title).  And you might have an idea that this means ‘in the blue painted blue’… but, you may wonder, just ‘what the cabbage’ (“che cavolo?” or what the heck?) does THAT mean?

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Well, Volare essentially is a song that recounts a man’s dream… in which he is floating (or flying) high above the Earth, in the blue sky, with his hands and face painted blue (“nel blu dipinto di blu” = in the blue, painted blue).  It’s kind of fantastical and whimsical, as many dreams are.  The song then tells of how when the moon goes down it takes dreams along with it … and that’s when the song becomes a love song…

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…the dreamer goes on to say that even if he’s no longer “up in the blue painted blue”, and that probably another dream such as this will never come along again (“un sogno cosi non ritorni mai piu”), he’s just as happy here on the ground lost in the blue of his baby’s eyes. Ah “l’amore, i sogni”! (Ah love, ah dreams!)

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Domenico Modugno at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1958

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LYRICS IN ITALIANO

~Verso 1~

Penso che un sogno così non ritorni mai più,

mi dipingevo le mani e la faccia di blu.

Poi d’improvviso venivo dal vento rapito,

e incominciavo a volare nel cielo infinito.

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Volare, oh oh,

cantare, oh oh oh oh.

Nel blu dipinto di blu,

felice di stare lassù.

E volavo volavo felice

più in alto del sole ed ancora più su

mentre il mondo pian piano spariva

lontano laggiù.

Una musica dolce suonava soltanto per me.

Volare, oh oh

cantare, oh oh oh oh.

Nel blu dipinto di blu

felice di stare lassù.

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~Verso 2~

Ma tutti i sogni nell’alba svaniscon perchè

quando tramonta la luna li porta con sè.

Ma io continuo a sognare negli occhi tuoi belli

che sono blu come un cielo trapunto di stelle…

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Volare, oh oh

cantare, oh oh oh oh.

Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu

felice di stare quaggiù.

E continuo a volare felice

più in alto del sole ed ancora più su

mentre il mondo pian piano scompare

negli occhi tuoi blu

La tua voce è una musica dolce che suona per me…

Volare, oh oh

cantare, oh oh oh oh.

Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu

felice di stare quaggiù.

Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu

felice di stare quaggiù.

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LYRICS IN ENLISH

~Verse 1~

I think that a dream like this will never return,
I painted my hands and face blue.
Then suddenly I was swept away (abducted) by the wind,
and started to fly in the endless (infinite) sky.

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Volare, oh oh,
sing, oh oh oh oh.
In the blue painted blue,
happy to be up there.
And I flew, I flew happy
higher than the sun and even higher
As the world slowly, slowly disappeared
far away down there.
A sweet music played only for me.
Volare, oh oh
sing, oh oh oh oh.
In the blue painted blue
happy to be up there.

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~Verse 2~

But all dreams vanish because
when the moon sets it takes them along with it.
But I keep on dreaming in your beautiful eyes
That are blue like a sky dotted (quilted) with stars …

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Volare, oh oh
sing, oh oh oh oh.
In the blue of your blue eyes
happy to be down here there.
I continue to fly happy
higher than the sun and even higher
as the world slowly disappears
in your blue eyes
Your voice is a sweet music playing for me …
Volare, oh oh
sing, oh oh oh oh.
In the blue of your blue eyes
happy to be down here.
In the blue of your blue eyes
happy to be down here.

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Got any favorite Italian love songs?

Please do share ‘em – add a comment below!

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This week’s detto italiano (Italian saying) is “Hai voluto la bicicletta? Adesso pedala!” In English this translates to: “You wanted the bicycle? Now pedal!” It refers to a situation where someone was dreaming of or striving for some goal or outcome, and once obtained s/he finds her/himself dealing with all it entails – good, bad, overwhelming, or challenging as it may be.

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[Note:  English translations follow passages in Italian.]

Nel caso di una persona che desidera viaggiare spesso e poi comincia di avere l’opportunita di fare tale, ma ora si lamenta di patire il jet lag e che le linee aeree l’hanno smarrito i bagagli, (In the case of someone who desires to travel frequently, and when s/he begins to have the opportunity to do that, complains of suffering from jet lag and the airlines losing their luggage) a friend might say to that person, “Hai voluto la bicicletta? Adesso pedala!  You wanted to travel, this comes with the territory!

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AUDIO CLIP – LISTEN & PRACTICE YOUR PRONUNCIATION

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Another example might be someone like me — who wanted to do this little movie thing, and it turned out to be a really big movie thing. I just wanted a place to show Italian movies and invite others to see them also.  Then I find a place, and it goes so well I need a bigger place. Scramble, scramble to find one, and I learn lots in a really short amount of time… about renting spaces and promoting (pause for breath).  Mind you, I’m not complaining, perchè ho voluto la bicicletta — adesso pedalo!  (I wanted the bike [aka a place to show movies and invite people], now I pedal! [do what it takes to make it happen.])

Italian Movie Nights

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The closest English expression is, “You’ve made your bed. Now lie in it.”, meaning you made a decision, or you created a situation, and now you must accept its consequences. Or, said more colloquially, you wanted what you wanted, you got it, and now you have to take everything that comes with it. (Hai voluto ciò che hai voluto, ora devi accettare tutto che esso ne coinvolge.)

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Altri esempi di casi in cui questo detto si potrebbe usare: (Other examples of cases in which this expression could be used)

• Qualcuno che ha voluto la grande carriera e ora si sta lamentando di dover lavorare troppo. (Someone who wanted a big career and is now complaining about being overworked.)
• Qualcuno che ha voluto mettere su una grande famiglia e ora si sta lamentando di non avere mai del tempo libero. (Someone who wanted a big family and is now complaining about never having any free time.)
• Qualcuno che ha voluto la casa grande e ora si trova inondato di troppi lavori di casa, di giardino ed un grande pagamento del mutuo. (Someone who wanted a big house and now finds themselves with too much housework, yard work, and big mortgage bills.)

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Doing a bit of digging, I found a Russian proverb with the same essential sense:  “Ti e` piaciuto scendere in slittino? Ora lo deve tirare su!” (Did you like going down on the sled?  Now you have to pull it up!)

To me, it seems like as much a piece of sage advice as a common-sense observation that appears across various cultures. If you want something because it’s enjoyable, in order to have it, you also have to accept the part that’s a little more like work, or less desirable.

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How about you, can you think of any situations in which you could practice saying “Hai voluto la bicicletta?  Adesso pedala!” I’d love to hear about them below.

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