Now, this may well be an obscure post, which may only appeal to a handful of people. Well, the song that moved me is very obscure.
Hearing a particular tune again tonight made me cry.
You know how songs take you back to a time and place?
Well this one takes me back to my mum and dad's house.
I'm 5. Maybe 8. Perhaps 13. (Ah, that period was the most innocent and carefree of my life, for so many reasons). And I remember vividly hearing this song played on repeat in our home .
Well, the needle had to be reset on the vinyl. Those were the days of vinyl, baby.
And this is the song that played, non-stop. 'Mare Mare Mare Mare', by Ada Mori (the picture of the purple record with the yellow sleeve is the exact one mum still has stored under the record player).
My parents loved this song. Especially my mum. Who would put it on and cry. I never quite understood her tears, the depth of her emotion.
Then I started listening to the lyrics, as I got much older - and understood.
And now I really understand.
The lyrics can really mean anything - lost love, missing one's homeland - and I know that the latter is what tapped into my mum's emotion.
Ada sings: "E' troppo grande l’ansia di tornare della mia dolce terra…" which translates to: "The anxiety to return to my country is too deep..."
Mum loved, still loves, Australia. It's just that... she always thought she'd go back to Italy to live - she'd left all her family behind.
I went in search of this song after my brother asked me who originally sung the song we'd seen Tina Arena sing on the latest episode of the SBS TV program 'Who Do You Think You Are'.
I Googled and searched... nothing.
All I found was Tina's version as a kid on TV show Young Talent Time (so beautifully sung by someone so young):
And then, in the comments section, I found my clue.
And there it was:
Oh... did I cry when I heard this for the first time in decades.
Suddenly, I was 5 again.
Do you have a song from your childhood that takes you right back? And what does it stir in you?
[And not forgetting the English version of this song, recorded by Australian singer Judy Stone]:
I remember the Ada Mori of the song as an 18 year old - it was minor hit here in Australia. But as the son of an Italian mother who migrated here at 13, the song meant so much to us - it is just lovely to hear it again
ReplyDeleteIsn't it SO nice to hear it again, Gary. I had it on repeat for ages when I uncovered it again. Brought so many memories back. Glad it did for you, too!
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