Al Martino and VOLARE Together Go Disco:

**remicks** · January 30th, 2009, 03:34 AM

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About VOLARE :

wiki :

"Nel blu dipinto di blu" ("In the blue painted blue"), popularly known as "Volare" (Italian for the infinitive form of the verb "to fly"), is Domenico Modugno's signature song .

--- It is the only song ever by an Italian artist to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

---Domenico Modugno's recording of this song was the first Grammy winner for Record of the Year (1958).

--- It is also the only foreign-language recording (sung entirely in Italian) to take this top honor.

Written by Domenico Modugno (music and lyrics) and Franco Migliacci (lyrics), "Nel blu dipinto di blu" was presented by Domenico Modugno and Johnny Dorelli at the 1958 Sanremo Music Festival, winning the contest and achieving instant popularity. It was then chosen to represent Italy in the 1958 Eurovision Song Contest and came third.
The song is a ballad in a dramatic chanson style, in which Modugno describes the feeling he has (which he likens to flying) when with his lover.

The song charted ( Hot 100) four times:

Domenico Modugno - #1 -five weeks -1958
Dean Martin - #12- same year- 1958
Bobby Rydell- #4 -two years later- 1960
lays dormant fifteen years
Al Martino - #33- 1975

About Al Martino:

wiki:
In the U.S., Martino had eleven top 40 hits in the Billboard pop singles chart in the 1960s and 1970s, with 1963's "I Love You Because" (#3) and 1964's "I Love You More and More Every Day" (#9) both reaching the Top Ten. He also sang the title song for the film, Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), and is credited in the end titles of the film.

One of the most successful Martino hits was "Spanish Eyes", achieving several gold and platinum discs for sales. Recorded in 1965, the song reached number 5 on the UK Singles Chart when re-issued in 1973. Even today, this classic by composer Bert Kaempfert (his original title for the song was "Moon Over Naples") is among the 50 most-played songs worldwide.

Along with its crooner, Al Martino, "Volare", has a rebirth in the mid-seventies with a more uptempo ( as in disco !) interpretation. In 1976, this version did well world wide : reaching number one on the Italian and Flemish charts, and making the Top Ten in Spain ,The Netherlands , and France, as well as in many other European countries.

Martino's new version reached # 33 on Billboard's HOT 100 in December of '75 having found favor on the dance floors in the months leading up to :icon_cool::

markydefad:

THE DISCO COMPILATION CONSENSUS: THE JOURNEY DOWN THE CHART CONTINUES: #251 - 300 (10/26/74 - 12/27/75)

251) * SMILE - Simon Said
(Atco) B= 11; C= 10; Total points = 21* still on the chart
1 week (thus far) on the chart (12/27/75): Peak: #21

252) VOLARE - Al Martino
(Capitol) C= 6; F= 6; G= 8; Total points = 20
6 weeks on the chart (10/11; 10/25; 11/8 - 12/13/75); Peak: #30

253) HYPERTENSION - Calendar
(Pi Kappa) C= 1; D= 18; Total points = 19
4 weeks on the chart (5/17 - 5/24; 6/14; 7/5/75); Peak: #31

VOLARE flying high disco style .... by Al Martino :

Al Martino Volare

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**drlove** · January 30th, 2009, 10:02 AM

Thanks, Remicks, for posting all that Volare trivia. The disco version of "Volare" helped Al Martino become an unlikely disco artist at the age of 48. His heyday was certainly the '60s, but from the '70s, I'll always remember him best from his key supporting role in The Godfather (1972) as the wedding-scene crooner who seeks the Godfather's intervention to help him land a movie role. His mid-70s comeback hit that helped pave the way for the later success of "Volare" was his 1974 half-sung-in-English / half-sung-in-Italian non-disco hit "To The Door Of The Sun", which became a surprise top 20 hit in the U.S. in early '75.

YouTube - AL MARTINO - "To The Door Of The Sun" (1974)

**remicks** · February 3rd, 2009, 11:42 PM

Originally Written by drlove

Thanks, Remicks, for posting all that Volare trivia. The disco version of "Volare" helped Al Martino become an unlikely disco artist at the age of 48. His heyday was certainly the '60s, but from the '70s, I'll always remember him best from his key supporting role in The Godfather (1972) as the wedding-scene crooner who seeks the Godfather's intervention to help him land a movie role. His mid-70s comeback hit that helped pave the way for the later success of "Volare" was his 1974 half-sung-in-English / half-sung-in-Italian non-disco hit "To The Door Of The Sun", which became a surprise top 20 hit in the U.S. in early '75.

YouTube - AL MARTINO - "To The Door Of The Sun" (1974)

You're welcome ! Thanks for the added info. TO THE DOOR OF THE SUN didn't break around my neck of the woods . Never heard it before.

Al Martino remained a friend to disco.

In 1979 he released:

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