Al di là

"Al di là"
Eurovision Song Contest 1961 entry
Country	Italy
Artist(s)	Betty Curtis
Language	Italian
Composer(s)	Carlo Donida
Lyricist(s)	Mogol
Conductor	Gianfranco Intra
Finals performance
Final result	5th
Final points	12
Entry chronology
◄ "Romantica" (1960)
"Addio, addio" (1962) ►

"Al di là" (English translation: "Beyond") is a popular Italian song. "Al di là" was one of Betty Curtis' biggest hits in Italy. The song was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1961, performed in Italian by Curtis at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, on March 18, 1961 after Curtis had won the 1961 edition of the Sanremo Festival on February 2, 1961 (from 1958 to 1966, the winner of the Sanremo Festival would automatically represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest).

Internationally, the song is generally connected with Italian-American singer Connie Francis. Francis recorded the song on October 1, 1962 (two All-Italian versions) and on November 3, 1962 (bilingual version Italian/English). Both All-Italian versions became huge hits in South America and Mexico; and the bilingual version became one of Francis' best selling Italian-flavored recordings in Asia, Europe and the U. S. It remains a favourite in Francis' live concert repertoire to this day, and the bilingual studio version is frequently featured on Greatest Hits compilations.

The song is a ballad, in which the singer tells her lover that she had never believed that it was possible to say what she is about to say. She then explains her feelings for him, saying that he is beyond a series of things, including "the most precious good" and "the borders of the world".

Covers

• Emilio Pericoli is the artist most associated with the song. He sang "Al Di La" in the popular 1962 film Rome Adventure, starring Troy Donahue and Suzanne Plechette, and his single that year on Warner Bros. Records reached number six on Billboard's pop chart and number three on the easy-listening chart.. Pericoli's version ranked #48 on Billboard's 1962 Year-End chart.

• The song, performed in a nightclub by Emilio Pericoli, was featured in the American film Rome Adventure (1962). It is available on YouTube.com.

• The Ray Charles Singers scored a 1964 hit, peaking at #29 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart with their cover of the song.

• Al Martino, who would later play singer Johnny Fontaine in the 1974 film The Godfather, recorded "Al Di La" in Italian on his 1963 album, The Italian Voices of Al Martino album (Capitol Records).

Lyrics

• "Al Di La" was written by Carlo Donida. In the film Rome Adventure, Troy Donahue's character interprets the title as meaning "Beyond the Beyond."

In case you're singing along, here are the lyrics: "Al di là del bene più prezioso, ci sei tu. Al di là del sogno più ambizioso, ci sei tu. Al di là delle cose più belle. Al di là delle stelle, ci sei tu. Al di là, ci sei tu per me, per me, soltanto per me. Al di là del mare più profondo, ci sei tu. Al di là dei limiti del mondo, ci sei tu. Al di là della volta infinita, al di là della vita. Ci sei tu, al di la, ci sei tu per me." Their English translation is roughly: "Al di la means you are far above me, very far Al di la, as distant as the lovely evening star Where you walk flowers bloom When you smile all the gloom turns to sunshine And my heart opens wide When you're gone it fades inside and seems to have died Al di la, I wondered as I drifted where you were Al di la, the fog around me lifted, there you were In the kiss that I gave was the love I had saved for a lifetime Then I knew all of you was completely mine."