Nel blu dipinto di blu - In the Blue, Painted Blue

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. Volare, ho ho. Cantare, ho ho ho ho. 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, ho ho. Cantare, ho ho ho ho. Nel blu dipinto di blu, felice di stare lassù. Ma tutti i sogni nell'alba svaniscon perché quando tramonta la luna li porta con se. Ma io continuo a sognare negli occhi tuoi belli che sono blu come un cielo trapunto di stelle. Volare, ho ho. Cantare, ho ho ho ho. Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu. Felice di stare quaggiù. E continuo volare felice, più in alto el 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,ho ho. Cantare, ho ho ho ho. Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu, felice di stare quaggiù. Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu, felice di stare quaggiù con te. "Nel blu dipinto di blu" © 1958 Domenico Modugno and Franco Migliacci There are conflicting stories on the origins of the lyrics of "Nel blu dipinto di blu." In one telling, Franco Migliacci was inspired by two paintings of Chagall - "Le coq rouge" and "Le peintre et la modelle." After some wine, while waiting for Modugno to arrive to go to the beach together, Migliacci began writing about a man who painted himself blue and could fly. In another version, Migliacci says the song was written during a very dark period of his life when he was feeling intensely homesick and the lyrics were actually in reaction to a nightmare. The song almost didn't make the final 20 at the 1958 Sanremo Music Festival, but its win marked a turning point in contemporary Italian pop music - Modugno's outstretched arms in the chorus and the exuberance of his vocals were precursors to the age of the "urlatori" (shouters) and the more unrestrained young singer/songwriters who were about to blossom on the Italian scene, fruit of the Economic Miracle of postwar Italy.

I think that a dream like that will never return, I painted my hands and my face blue. Then suddenly I was kidnapped by the wind and I began to fly in the infinite sky. Flying, oh, oh. Singing, 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 higher still. While the world, slowly, disappeared in the distance down there, a sweet music played only for me. Flying, oh, oh. Singing, oh, oh, oh, oh. In the blue painted blue, happy to be up there. But all the dreams at dawn disappear, because when the moon sets, it brings them with it. But I keep on dreaming in your beautiful eyes that are blue like a sky speckled with stars. Flying, oh, oh. Singing, oh, oh, oh, oh. In the blue, painted blue, happy to be down here. And I keep on flying happy, higher than the sun, and higher still. While the world, slowly, disappearing in your blue eyes, your voice is a sweet music that plays for me. Flying, oh, oh. Singing, 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 with you. English translation © 2023 Dennis Criteser "Nel blu dipinto di blu" became an international smash hit - it reached number 1 on the US charts for five weeks and was awarded Song of the Year and Record of the Year at the 1st Annual Grammy Awards in 1959.