Summary
"Gondolier" is a song by the French singer Dalida, first released on EP in December 1957. It was her second major hit after "Bambino". Reaching No. 1 on both the La Bourse des Chansons chart and the Music Hall chart in France, it was the title song for Dalida's 1958 album Gondolier.[1] The song also reached No. 1 on the Belgian and Canadian charts.[2]
| "Gondolier" | |
|---|---|
 Cover of EP | |
| Song by Dalida | |
| Released | December 1957 |
| Recorded | December 9, 1957 |
| Studio | Hoche |
| Genre | |
| Length | 2:55 |
| Label | Barclay |
| Composer(s) | Pete DeAngelis |
| Lyricist(s) | Jean Broussolle |
Description edit
The song's melody was composed by Peter De Angelis with lyrics by Jean Broussolle.[3] It was released as promotional single on February 22, 1957,[4] but it received no promotion because of the prolonged success of "Bambino".[4]
As the song did not reach its audience, De Angelis and his colleague Bob Marucci[5] wrote the English language version which gained success in the US and UK in mid 1957.[6] During an interview in 1958, Dalida said, "I heard on radio Petula Clark singing it in English, and I like it very much so I decided to use the song for my Christmas special show."
On the end of 1957, Dalida used "Gondolier" as the title song of a French TV Christmas special, in which she was the main attraction. The song was issued on EP the next day and it gained instant success.[4] It entered the charts at #1 in the first week of January 1958, and eventually spent 53 weeks in the top 20, until the last week of December 1958.[7] It spent 9 weeks as #1 in January and February and again reached #1 for 10 weeks during the summer, earning Dalida her third gold disc.[8]
Eventually, it became the most sold record of 1958,[7] so promotions through TV and concert performances made the song a pop standard in France and one of Dalida's signature tracks.[9]
Cover versions edit
"Gondolier" was covered by many artists.
In English, the song has been recorded by several artists under the title With all my Heart, including:
- Jodie Sands recorded the first version in English, released in April or May 1957. It reached #1 in the Belgian chart and was her only major hit in the United States (reaching #15 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart in 1957).
- Petula Clark released it in June or July 1957 in Belgium and the United Kingdom (it reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart), which was before she became known in the US.[10]
- Bing Crosby in 1958[11]
- Dawn Robertson in 1977 made a disco remix on maxi single.
- Dave King in 1957.[12]
- Betty Curtis "Con tutto il cuore" in 1958
- Eve Boswell in 1957.[13]
- Judy Scott[14]
Charts edit
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[15] | 1 |
| Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)[15] | 1 |
| Canada[16] | 1 |
| France (Bourse des chansons)[17] | 1 |
| France (Music Hall Charts)[18] | 1 |
References edit
- ^ "Dalida Accompagnée Par Raymond Lefèvre Et Son Orchestre* – Gondolier". Discogs. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
- ^ "Gondolier 1958 Charts, #1 July August". Pinterest.
- ^ "GONDOLIER 1957". Dalida.
- ^ a b c "1956 - 1961". Dalida (in French). Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
- ^ "Peter De Angelis - Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ "Peter DeAngelis". Philadelphia Music Alliance.
- ^ a b "Flashback Top 50 : qui était n°1 en juin 1958?" [Flashback Top 50 : who was No. 1in June 1958?]. Charts in France (in French).
- ^ "Récompenses / Événements". Dalida.
- ^ Lanctôt, Jacques (June 17, 2017). "Dalida, l'histoire de sa vie". Journal de Montreal.
- ^ "European Record Charts". Petula Clark. Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". International Club Crosby. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ "Record Details - Dave King". 45cat. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ "Record Details - Eve Boswell". 45cat. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
- ^ "Discography for Festival Records - OZ - original numbering system - part 2". Global Dog Productions.
- ^ a b Hung, Steffen. "lescharts.com - Dalida - Gondolier". Les Charts. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
- ^ "Canada Charts" (PDF) – via Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
- ^ "Charts "Bourse des chansons" from journal "Le figaro", 1958". Pinterest.
- ^ "Charts from journal "Music Hall", 1958". Pinterest.
Bibliography edit
External links edit
- Dalida official website "Discography" section