A friend told me that she learned Italian via song lyrics. My Italian husband, as a teenager, wanted to learn English so he could understand the lyrics to Jesus Christ Superstar. So, to aid in your Italian studies, I present side-by-side translations of some popular (with me, at least) Italian songs.
See my Amazon Italian music store if you’d like to honor these artists by buying their music.
These translation do not attempt to be elegant – they are intentionally very literal, to help you learn, and therefore do not do full justice to the linguistic beauties of the songs in the original.
Index of Songs
Aggiungi un Posto a Tavola – An Italian Musical – full list of translated songs from the show on this page
7000 Caffè
A Casa d’Irene
Acqua Azzurra, Acqua Chiara
Amo Tutte le Signore
Anche Per Te
Anna
Azzurro
Balla Linda
Cent’Anni di Meno
Centro di Gravità Permanente
Certi Momenti
Chitarra, Suona Piu’ Piano
Com’é Profondo il Mare
Come Mai
Con il Nastro Rosa
Dieci Ragazze per Me
Domani 21/04/09
Donne
Due su Due
E la Barca Tornò Sola
E Penso a Te
Emozioni
Eri Piccola Cosi’
First Me, Second Me
Fossi Figo
Gianna
Gli Ostacoli del Cuore
Guarda Come Dondolo
I Bambini Fanno Ooh
I Giardini di Marzo
I Watussi
Il Ballo del Mattone
Il Campo Delle Lucciole
Il Mio Canto Libero
Il Pescatore
Il Ragazzo della via Gluck
Il Solito Sesso
Io Con La Ragazza Mia, Tu Con La Ragazza Tua
La Pulce d’Acqua
L’Emozione non ha Voce
L’Italiano
L’Ultimo Bacio
La Canzone del Sole
La Casetta in Canada
La Coppia Piu’ Bella del Mondo
La Terra dei Cachi
La Vasca
Largo al Factotum della Citta’
Le Ragazze
Libera Nos Domine
Lui
Mi Piaci
Parco Sempione
Parole Parole
Pensieri e Parole
Peperone
Questo Piccolo Grande Amore
Sandokan
Sentimento, Pentimento
Sono Una Donna, Non Sono Una Santa
Sparring Partner
Stessa Spiaggia, Stesso Mare
Tanti Auguri
Ti Voglio Bene
Tintarella di Luna
Tu Come Stai
Tu Vuo’ Fa’ L’Americano
Tuo Bacio é Come Un Rock
Uguale a Lei
Una Donna per Amico
Una Su Un Milione
USA for Italy
Via Con Me
Voglio Volere
Volare
Tagged as:
Italian culture,
Italian language,
Italian pop,
Italian songs,
living in Italy
{ 117 comments… read them below or add one }
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Hi! I want to add a bit of a translation (the only missing phrase, actually) to the song “Parco Sempione”!
Anca si go vutant’ann = Even though i’m 80 years old
(I’m from Milano!)
looking for the words to giovanna e angiolino, sung by roby santini its a little nauty. can be seen on you tube
Great Site=D
Just one thing^^ In the Azzurro Lyics there’s a bit missing.
After “risorse” there’s a .. “senza di te” or something like that before “e allora”^^
Hi!
I love the song “Come stai” from Zero Assoluto.
Please translate more of their songs!!! For instance “Mezz’ora” or “40 Metri Quedri”
Thank you!
Please can you upload the lyrics from the Battisti song…Mi Ritorni Menti..Keep up the great work.
thanks! i went to amazon and ordered Italian Hits: La Piu Bella Musica. i have wasted so much time in trying to take italian classes only to be frustrated into leaving by repeated ” the eraser is on the desk” and endless verb conjugations. your site supplies what i need to learn. i have 2 italian grandchildren so would like some young songs, if you can
I’m here again routing foe something by Gaber, and this time i even have a title for you: “La risposta al Ragazzo della via Gluck”… yes, it is what the title says as between Celentano and Gaber there was a sometimes friendly, sometimes not rivalry.
Ciao!
In la “terra dei cachi” you translated this “una lacrima sul visto” like that, but even if it is a pun on the “Una lacrima sul viso” by Bobby Solo here we have visto, not viso, and visto is permit to enter a state, visa if i’m not wrong (being ironic on italy immigration issues).
Ciao
This is a very useful website. If I could only make one suggestion: For Adriano Celentano’s song “l’emozione non ha voce”, in two stanza’s you write the word “compagna” and you translate it as the word “countryside”. However, you are inadvertedly translating the word “campangna” to mean “countryside”. The word instead should be translated to mean “friend”.
Deirdre thanks again for your good work.Today I’m asking you for a big favor, now I need to know if you’re aware of any website in Italy where i could find lyrics of songs by Gigliola Cinquetti(do you know her?) I have many of her hits and I need to understand them, and I think that only you could help me.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Ricardo
Hi man!!!
great stuff….i’ve been for ‘questo piccolo grande amore”for a long long time n thnx 2 u i got it!!i just want to point out dat derz 2 mistake s i fink if u could correct dat….it’s “di essere NUDI instead of soli” and “più ansiose di cose proibite” instead of “le scarpe bagnate”….
Thnx again n this site rocks:))
LOVE your site, and I found great entertainment there! I’m looking for the Italian (and English translation) lyrics for my grandmother’s favorite song… “Per un Bacio d’Amore”. The English version that’s about has nothing at all to do with the Italian words, which I can barely make out. I only know the first line, which grandma would sing at the top of her lungs, when I was a child. “Per un bacio d’amore, o bella bruna!”
I found this entertaining, since I started to study Italian to understand the lyrics in Zucchero Forniciari’s music. It is a rather wonderful way to learn a language. So much more natural than the way I learned Spanish: conjugations and verb drills, vocabulary, etc.
Thanks for the translations.
I would like to get the English translation for the song Giovanna e Angiolino.
Thanks,
Neil
i came from the north end of boston . at the time in the 50s and 60s it was all italian. our parents were yold by the schools not to speak italian in the house. now i am trying to learn at 58 it ain’t easy. i have a cd called mob hits 1 most of the songs are half and half english and italian. if you could do some or a few translations . i would very greatfull. thank you in advavce dominic a federico revere mass.
If you can give me titles and perhaps YouTube references, I’ll see what I can do.
Fan of Giuseppe Castiglia. “Una notte al telephono” & “Catania”.
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