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"’O sole mio" (Template:IPA-nap) is a globally known Neapolitan song written in 1898. Its lyrics were written by Giovanni Capurro and the music was composed by Eduardo di Capua and Alfredo Mazzucchi (1878–1972). There are other versions of "’O sole mio" but it is usually sung in the original Neapolitan language. ’O sole mio is the Neapolitan equivalent of standard Italian Il mio sole and translates literally as "my sunshine".

Lyrics

Recordings

"’O sole mio" has been performed and covered by many artists, including Enrico Caruso, Rosa Ponselle and her sister Carmela, Beniamino Gigli, and Mario Lanza. Sergio Franchi recorded this song on his 1962 RCA Victor Red Seal debut album, Romantic Italian Songs. Luciano Pavarotti won the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance for his rendition of "’O sole mio".

Copyright

In October 2002, Maria Alvau, a judge in Turin, ruled that Alfredo Mazzucchi (1878–1972), previously considered to be only a music transcriber, was actually a legitimate co-composer. At the time of the decision, the melody of the song was consequently not in the public domain—as had previously been supposed—in any countries where copyright in a musical work lasts until more than 30 years after the death of any of its composers. In countries where copyright lasts for 70 years after any of the composers' deaths, the melody will remain under copyright until 2042.

English versions

In 1915, Charles W. Harrison recorded the first English translation of "’O sole mio". In 1921, William E. Booth-Clibborn wrote lyrics for a hymn using the music, entitled "Down from His Glory."

In 1949 U.S. singer Tony Martin recorded "There's No Tomorrow" with lyrics by Al Hoffman, Leo Corday, and Leon Carr, which used the melody of "’O sole mio". About ten years later, while stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army, Elvis Presley heard the recording and put to tape a private version of the song. Upon his discharge, he requested that new lyrics be written especially for him, a job that was undertaken by the songwriting duo of Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold, with a demo by David Hill. The rewritten version was entitled "It's Now or Never" and was a worldwide hit for Presley. When performing it in concert in the mid-1970s, Elvis would explain the origin of "It's Now Or Never" and have singer Sherrill Nielsen perform a few lines of the original Italian version before commencing with his version.

Bing Crosby included the song in a medley on his album 101 Gang Songs (1961).

In popular culture

• At the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, "’O sole mio" was played when the music to the Italian national anthem could not be found.
• A version of the song ("Just One Cornetto ...") supposedly performed by Renato Pagliari (although this is disputed by Pagliari's son, Remo) was used for a decade on British television to advertise Cornetto ice cream. In the ads, it is usually sung by a Venetian gondolier, despite the fact that Venice is hundreds of kilometres from Naples.

Notes

1. ^ Del Bosch, Paquito (2006), 'O SOLE MIO — Storia della canzone più famosa del mondo, Rome: Donzelli editore, pp. 54–57, 115–118 {{citation}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help) Template:It icon
   ^ Santangelo, Gaetano (11 October 2002), "'O Sole mio ha un nuovo papà", Amadeus Template:It icon
2. How To Pronounce "’O sole mio"
3. Matthews, Jeff, "Texts & Audio to Neapolitan Songs", Naples: Life, Death & Miracles, retrieved January 10, 2018
4. de Fabio, Umberto, "'O sole mio", Napoletanita, retrieved January 12, 2018
5. ’O sole mio: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
6. Phillips-Matz, Mary Jane (1997). Rosa Ponselle: American Diva. University Press of New England. p. 107. ISBN 9781555533175.
7. "Sergio Franchi — Romantic Italian Songs", Discogs, retrieved January 12, 2018
8. Tricomi, Antonio (9 October 2002), "'O Sole mio spunta un giallo", La Repubblica Template:It icon
9. D'Errico, Enzo (9 October 2002), "Il grande affare di «' O sole mio»", Corriere della Sera, p. 38, archived from the original on 8 July 2012 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help) Template:It icon
10. Barnes and Noble: di Capua artist biography (Accessed July 6, 2006)
11. J Newton (2009-08-10). "Tributes to Renato – a singing sensation". This Is Sutton Coldfield. Retrieved 2010-09-12.

External links

• Sheet music for "’O sole mio"

• 1898 songs
• Neapolitan songs
• Compositions by Eduardo di Capua
• Songs with lyrics by Giovanni Capurro