Volare: An Analysis Of Domenico Modugno

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Domenico Modugno was one of the greatest italian composers and singer of the 50's, 60's

and 70's, he also recorded in spanish and became very popular throughout his lifetime.

Modugno’s song Volare, was selected as the Italian entry to the well known Eurovision Song

Contest in 1958. This award winning song portrays a man infatuated with his lover flying across the sky. Part of the song lyrics translated means, "I think that a dream like that will never return; I painted my hands and my face blue, then was suddenly swept up by the wind and started to fly in the infinite sky." This illustrates for the listener, the freedom he experiences while flying in the sky. We both agree that the song touches our soul with its excellent imagery. Volare reflects the time period in which it was written with its romantic flare. This song is unlike the music we listen to today because it has a complete different sound. Volare would not appeal to our generation today,

but may appeal to older generations who grew up with more similar music. Due to the fact that the song lyrics are in Italian, some Americans may find the song irrelevant, while others may find it as a source of enjoyment. The song is successful because of its catchy and likable tune. Subsequently to the making of the song many other artists have produced their own version of this popular song. Some of these artists include, Bobby Rydell, Dean Martin, Al Martino, David Bowie, Cliff Richard, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Dalida, Gipsy Kings and Barry White. On May 4th, 1959 Volare won record of the year and album of the year during the first Grammy Awards. Volare was the only foreign language recording to achieve this award. ...

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...alian by David Bowie. Although the song was featured in this movie, it was not on the movie’s playlist. The song was recorded by singer Vitamin C for The Lizzie McGuire Movie Soundtrack and can also be heard in the film while Lizzie and Paolo are roaming Rome, as well as in cento passi while the family is arriving to a celebration. Volare was also featured in Dancing with the Stars. The sixth season of Dancing with the Stars featured Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas dancing to the Gipsy Kings version of the song. A version was used by fans of Arsenal to serenade the midfielder Patrick Vieira, and Manchester United fans have created versions for cult heroes Diego Forlán and Nemanja Vidić, as well as a parody of Arsenal's song for Vieira, mocking the midfielder's error in the 1999 FA Cup Semi-Final replay which led to Ryan Giggs' famous extra-time winner.

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