Learn Italian in Song: Tintarella di Luna

Mina & I Solitari – 1960
Our friend Aldo – formerly a DJ, now a priest and Augustinian friar – introduced me to the fun, silly music of Italy’s 1960s with a wonderful compilation disc he made for us (I Favolosi Anni 60 – “The Fabulous 60s”) that immediately became a family favorite. This is just one of the great songs he included. Tintarella (“a little color”) is a cutesy word for suntan. This was one of the first big hits for the fabulous Mina.

Tintarella Di Luna		Moon Tan

Abbronzate, tutte chiazze,		Tanned, all patches
pellirosse un po’ paonazze		Redskins, a bit red-faced
son le ragazze che prendono il sol		Are the girls who take the sun.
ma ce n’e’ una		But there’s one
che prende la luna.		Who takes the moon.

Tintarella di luna,		Moon tan
tintarella color latte		Tan the color of milk
tutta notte sopra il tetto		All night up on the roof
sopra al tetto come i gatti		Up on the roof like the cats
e se c’e’ la luna piena		And if there’s a full moon
tu diventi candida.		You become (absolutely) white
Tintarella di luna,		Moon tan
tintarella color latte		Tan the color of milk
che fa bianca la tua pelle		That makes your skin white
ti fa bella tra le belle		That makes you a beauty among beauties
e se c’e’ la luna piena		And if there’s a full moon
tu diventi candida.		You become (absolutely) white

Tin tin tin, raggi di luna		…rays of the moon
tin tin tin, baciano te		…kiss you
al mondo nessuna e’ candida come te.		In [all] the world no one is as white as you.

Tintarella di luna…

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