Nel blu dipinto di blu - In the Blueness, Painted in Blue

By Robertoit | Songs and art from Italy | 14 Apr 2020

"Nel blu, dipinto di blu", popularly known as "Volare", is a song recorded by Italian singer-songwriter Domenico Modugno. Written by Franco Migliacci and Domenico Modugno, it was released as a single on 1 February 1958. Winning the eighth Sanremo Music Festival, the song was chosen as the Italian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest in 1958, where it won third place out of ten songs in total. The combined sales of all the versions of the song exceed 22 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most popular Eurovision songs of all time and the most successful Sanremo Music Festival song ever.

A new fun way to learn the Italian language: the best songs accompanied by the text in Italian and translated into English.

Italian Text

Penso che un sogno così
non ritorni mai più,
mi dipingevo le mani
e la faccia di blu.
Poi d'improvviso venivo
dal vento rapito
e incominciavo a volare
nel cielo infinito.

Volare, ho ho.
Cantare, ho ho ho ho.
Nel blu dipinto di blu,
felice di stare lassù.
E volavo, volavo
felice, più in alto del sole
ed ancora più su.
Mentre il mondo, pian piano,
spariva lontano laggiù
una musica dolce suonava
soltanto per me.

Volare, ho ho.
Cantare, ho ho ho ho.
Nel blu dipinto di blu,
felice di stare lassù.

Ma tutti i sogni
nell'alba svaniscon perché
quando tramonta la luna
li porta con se.
Ma io continuo a sognare
negli occhi tuoi belli
che sono blu come un cielo
trapunto di stelle.

Volare, ho ho.
Cantare, ho ho ho ho.
Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu.
Felice di stare quaggiù.
E continuo a volare felice,
più in alto del sole
ed ancora più su.
Mentre il mondo,
pian piano, scompare
negli occhi tuoi blu
la tua voce è una musica dolce
che suona per me.

Volare,ho ho.
Cantare, ho ho ho ho.
Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu,
felice di stare quaggiù.
Nel blu degli occhi tuoi blu,
felice di stare quaggiù
con te.

English Text

I think that a dream like this won't come back anymore. I was painting my hands and my face blue. Then suddenly I was being enraptured by the wind. And I was beginning to fly in the endless sky. To fly, oh, oh! To sing, oh, oh, oh, oh! In the blueness, painted in blue. Happy, to be up there. And I was flying, was flying happily, higher than the sun and still higher. While the world slowly, slowly was disappearing far away down there a sweet music was playing just for me. To fly, oh, oh! To sing, oh, oh, oh, oh! In the blueness, painted in blue. Happy, to be up there. But all the dreams, at dawn, disappear because, when the moon sets, it takes them away. But I continue to dream in your beautiful eyes that are blue like a star-studded sky. To fly, oh, oh! To sing, oh, oh, oh, oh! In the blueness of your blue eyes. Happy, to be down here. And I continue to fly happily, higher than the sun and still higher. While the world slowly, slowly disappears in your blue eyes your voice is a sweet music playing for me. To fly, oh, oh! To sing, oh, oh, oh, oh! In the blueness of your blue eyes. Happy, to be down here. In the blueness of your blue eyes. Happy, to be down here, with you.

Domenico Modugno

Domenico Modugno (9 January 1928 – 6 August 1994) was an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, guitarist. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel blu dipinto di blu", for which he received Grammy Awards for Record and Song of the Year. He is considered the first Italian cantautore.