Italian Song

[metaphoricdreamer]

Can anyone translate 'Italian Song' by Jon and Vangelis into English? It features Jon's angelic voice at its best. Does it exalt Man's relationship to God or Woman?

I'll bet Flo can! Or perhaps White Knight, if he ever comes back and visits us. Where are you White Knight? We miss you!

Anyway metaphoricdreamer, I love your name. I want to welcome you to the site. I love the song you are speaking of even though I have no clue what Jon is saying. Stay tuned, someone might be able to help us out!

[Yes Oz]

Whiteknight is our man.....but like you say he hasn't appearred lately. Maybe he hibernates during those COLD norhtern Italian winters.

[Flo]

I'm afraid I can't translate what Jon says on Italian Song. I've always liked the song very much but found it difficult to identify the language used. I suppose it is Italian from the title (!!) but can't even confirm since the vocal sound is not very clear. Anyway my field of translation is only French-Spanish-English.

[Yes Oz]

That is very intresting Flo.....I've been know to speak a very strange dialect of Japaneses when under the influence of "Gunniness". Just maybe Jon was full of the "black fluid" when he recorded this and it just happen to sound really great.

I'm only joking. I love this song very much and don't think for one minute that Jon has the sort of "bad" habits I have.

ITALIAN SONG *
Oh ma la oh oh me giova oh,
pe dolae già po va po;
e sha me co oh me gioma ah,
pæ dü le pa tus dac.

E la fongo oh te de van,
pe a su mon ah tu na.

Oh de salai tu ghe,
mani tünai oh ye.

Oh nià pa eh eh padè pa nar,
oh da ne pe se do oh;
e cha la co na cha me pa de,
sar male giac ef ma. [interlude]

E ma pa co oh te do la ah,
cas do le pa ta..
.. pa.


* It is neither wordpainting, nor pseudolatin, but just an invented language based on sounds.
The transcription is in phonetic Italian.

I just found this. Looks like it does not translate after all.

[Flo]

That's great Yessiree ! Where did you find that ? Now I understand better why I didn't even get a word of those strange lyrics. Jon played a joke on us trying to make us believe he was singing in Italian.

[RobAdams]

Mock foreign languages in song lyrics might be a good thread in itself. Brings to mind a few songs :

1) SOLAR PRESTIGE A GAMMON - Elton John
This one always makes me laugh. It sounds like it must be about something important, but it's just gibberish. (From 'Caribou')

2) THEME FROM MANHOLE - Grace Slick
From Grace's 1974 solo album MANHOLE, the very long title track has some quite convincing mock Spanish lyrics.

3) NEVER ARGUE WITH A GERMAN IF YOU'RE TIRED OR EUROPEAN SONG- Jefferson Airplane
From the 1971 album 'Bark', Grace Slick wrote this song with bogus German lyrics.

4) GET BACK -The Beatles
An outtake in my personal collection features a rehearsal of Get Back which has Paul McCartney pretending to sing first in German, then in French. A rather funny recording.

Originally posted by Flo
That's great Yessiree ! Where did you find that ? Now I understand better why I didn't even get a word of those strange lyrics. Jon played a joke on us trying to make us believe he was singing in Italian.

Hi Flo, I did a google search of: Jon Anderson Vangelis Private Collection Lyrics and it just popped up.

I like the song a lot. After I put it on I find myself humming it all day.

And i-and-i, you are such a vast resource on music. I think you must know and remember everything. How do you do that?!

[metaphoricdreamer]

Originally posted by yessiree
ITALIAN SONG *
Oh ma la oh oh me giova oh,
pe dolae già po va po;
e sha me co oh me gioma ah,
pæ dü le pa tus dac.

E la fongo oh te de van,
pe a su mon ah tu na.

Oh de salai tu ghe,
mani tünai oh ye.

Oh nià pa eh eh padè pa nar,
oh da ne pe se do oh;
e cha la co na cha me pa de,
sar male giac ef ma. [interlude]

E ma pa co oh te do la ah,
cas do le pa ta..
.. pa.


* It is neither wordpainting, nor pseudolatin, but just an invented language based on sounds.
The transcription is in phonetic Italian.

I just found this. Looks like it does not translate after all.


Thanks yessiree!

Jon is so very expressive in his 'sound painting' it's obvious it was created out of great love. I wonder what his inspiration was? My mate 'hears' a romantic serenade. I 'hear' divine reverence. What do you 'hear' or feel? Well Jon?

The song is fairly new to me metaphoricdreamer so I don't think I have a full handle on it yet but I'm working on it. It's a labor of love, I can tell you that! What I have sensed so far though is a sense of the eternal. A stabilizing and powerful force with eternal overtones. That's what I have so far. It is soooo lovely! That Jon, he's the Man!

[metaphoricdreamer]

When I listen to the song now, I envision Jon beholding Michelangelo's profound masterpieces of the Sistine Chapel......
his voice--his gift from God, and the song with its depth of emotion seems to suit it very well.

Very nice metaphoricdreamer!

[WhiteKnight]

Hello all,

I'm sorry to be gone so long. It's been a really really busy time both at work and in my "free" time. Believe me. I'll be back and frequently posting as soon as this is all over... or gets better.

About "italian song", I think the answer was already given, anyway: I confirm that this is not italian. There's about *no* word at all that I can identify. Nor it is spanish, or any other latin language. It's just Jon pretending to sing italian, exactly as, in the ending of "To Be Over", he pretends to sing in some ancient asian idiom.


Be well all :)
WK

Busy guy, that White Knight... saving all the damsels in distress, huh? Your presence is missed. Do come back soon!