Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)

"Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)"
Single by Domenico Modugno
LanguageItalian
Released1959
LabelFonit
ComposerDomenico Modugno
LyricistDino Verde
Eurovision Song Contest 1959 entry
Country
Artist
Language
Composer
Domenico Modugno
Lyricist
Conductor
Finals performance
Final result
6th
Final points
9
Entry chronology
◄ "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" (1958)
"Romantica" (1960) ►
"Piove"
Single by Johnny Dorelli
LanguageItalian
Released1959
LabelCGD
ComposerDomenico Modugno
LyricistDino Verde

"Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)" ("It's raining [Bye bye, baby girl]") is a song composed by Domenico Modugno with Italian lyrics by Eduardo Verde. It won first prize at the 1959 Sanremo Music Festival, where it was performed by both Modugno and Johnny Dorelli. Performed by Modugno, it represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 held in Cannes, placing sixth.

Dalida recorded a song in French as "Ciao ciao bambina", which became a big hit in France and Canada and a pop standard in the francophone world. It was used in Ralph Lauren commercial for their fall 2021 collection.

Background

Conception

"Piove" was composed by Domenico Modugno with Italian lyrics by Eduardo Verde. It is a dramatic ballad, with the singer telling his lover that he knows their relationship is about to come to a close. He asks her for one more kiss and then tells her not to turn back as she walks away from him, because he still has feelings for her.

Sanremo

On 29–31 January 1959, "Piove" performed by both Modugno and Johnny Dorelli competed in the 9th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival and won the competition. As the festival was used by Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI) to select its song and performer for the 4th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, the song became the Italian entrant for the contest, with Modugno chosen as the performer for the second year in a row.

Modugno recorded the song then in Italian as "Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)", German, Spanish, and in an Italian/English version.

Eurovision

On 11 March 1959, the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes hosted by Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française (RTF) and broadcast live throughout the continent. Modugno performed "Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)" third on the evening, following Denmark's "Uh, jeg ville ønske jeg var dig" by Birthe Wilke and preceding Monaco's "Mon ami Pierrot" by Jacques Pills. William Galassini [it] conducted the event's live orchestra in the performance of the Italian entry.

At the close of voting, the song had received 9 points, placing sixth in a field of eleven. It was succeeded as Italian representative at the 1960 contest by "Romantica" by Renato Rascel.

Charts

Weekly charts

Modugno's version

Chart (1959) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)1
Italy (Musica e dischi) 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 100) 1
UK Singles (Official Charts)29
US Billboard Hot 10097
West Germany (GfK)12

Other versions

Dalida cover

"Ciao ciao bambina"
Cover of EP
Song by Dalida
from the album Le disque d'or de Dalida
LanguageFrench
ReleasedApril 1959 (1959-04)
Recorded25 February 1959
StudioHoche
Genre
Length2:53
LabelBarclay
ComposerDomenico Modugno
Lyricists

Dalida covered "Ciao ciao bambina" in Italian and was the first one to record a French version. The Italian version remained unreleased until a posthoumus album Italia mia in 1991. The French version was first issued on EP in 1959 and was the leading track of her album Le disque d'or de Dalida the same year.

Weekly charts

Chart (1959) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)1
Canada (BAnQ) 5
France (Bourse des chansons) 2

Other recordings

See also

References

  1. ↑ Montaigne, Pierre (11 March 1959). "Onze vedettes, onze refrains, onze nations sont engagés dans le Grand Prix Eurovision 1959 de la chanson européenne". L'Espoir de Nice et du Sud-Est. p. 4. ISSN 1166-9012.
  2. ↑ "Festival di Sanremo del 1954" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 3 November 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  3. ↑ Ralph Lauren - Découvrez la collection #Fall21 | Facebook, retrieved 2021-09-16
  4. 1 2 "Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina) - lyrics". The Diggiloo Thrush.
  5. ↑ Eddy Anselmi. Festival di Sanremo: almanacco illustrato della canzone italiana. Panini Comics, 2009. ISBN 8863462291.
  6. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest 1959". Eurovision Song Contest. 11 March 1959. RTF / EBU.
  7. ↑ "Official Eurovision Song Contest 1959 scoreboard". Eurovision Song Contest.
  8. ↑ "Domenico Modugno – Piove (Ciao Ciao Bambina)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  9. ↑ "Domenico Modugno – Piove (Ciao Ciao Bambina)" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  10. ↑ "Singoli - I numeri uno (1959 - 2006)" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  11. ↑ "DOMENICO MODUGNO - PIOVE (CIAO CIAO BAMBINA)". Dutch Charts.
  12. ↑ "Domenico Modugno Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  13. ↑ "Domenico Modugno Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  14. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts (West Germany)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name.
  15. ↑ "Dalida – Ciao ciao bambina" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  16. ↑ "Canada Charts" (PDF). Bibnum2.banq.qc.ca.
  17. ↑ "La Bourse des Chansons (French sheet music charts 1955-1961)". 27 January 2014.
  18. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 619.