English title Goodbye Rome Composer(s) Renato Rascel | Published 1955 | |
Lyricist(s) Pietro Garinei
Sandro Giovannini
Carl Sigman (English) | ||
"Arrivederci Roma" (English: "Goodbye, Rome") is the title and refrain of a popular Italian song, composed by Renato Rascel, with lyrics by Pietro Garinei and Sandro Giovannini. It was published in 1955 as part of the soundtrack of the Italo-American musical film with the same title, released as Seven Hills of Rome in English. In the movie, the song is interpreted by the leading character, played by the American actor and singer Mario Lanza. Carl Sigman wrote the lyrics for the English language version of the movie.
Contents
Another version of the song, with the same melody but a new set of English lyrics by Jack Fishman, was published in 1955 with the title Arrivederci Darling. Both versions of the song, in Italian and English, enjoyed lasting and widespread success in the following years.
The lyrics
Arrivederci (or a rivederci), which literally means "until we see each other again", is a common Italian equivalent of "goodbye". The original lyrics express the nostalgia of a Roman man for the dinners and short-lived love affairs he had with foreign tourists who came to Rome. It recalls the popular legend associated with the Trevi Fountain:
The lyrics of Arrivederci Darling are not a translation:
Arrivederci Darling is my goodbye to you
If I tell your heart we'll meet tomorrow
We will never part with words of sorrow
So I'll always say goodbye this way and I'll be true. [...]
Popularity
The recording of Arrivederci Darling by United Kingdom singer Anne Shelton remained in the UK Singles Chart for 4 weeks (December 17, 1955 to January 7, 1956, peaking at #17). Another recording by Edna Savage was in the UK chart for one week (January 14, 1956, at #19).