The Great Gigi L’amoroso (Gigi el amoroso)

Music piece by:
Jacqueline Misrahi, Lana Sebastian and Paul Sebastian. Popularised by Dalida in various languages: Italian ('Gigi L’amoroso'), Spanish ('Gigi el amoroso'), French ('Gigi l'amour'), English ('The Great Gigi l’amoroso'), German ('Gigi der Geliebte') and Japanese ('Ai suru Jiji').
Testimony by:
Eduardo René Cuevas
Experience in:
Regimiento de Infantería Reforzada Nº 3, Los Ángeles (nowadays Regimiento de Infantería Nº 17), October - November 1973

This song was used while the Military Intelligence Service (SIM) subjected me to cruel torture at a clandestine torture centre in the southern Chilean city of Los Ángeles.


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Published on: 21 March 2015


Maybe someday you'll come
to the village I'm from
right by the bay of beautiful Napoli
where each Saturday night
as the vino takes flight
we sing and dance and love of life is free
Giorgio plays the guitar
Sandro the mandolin
and me I dance and bang on the tambourine
but when Gigi appears
the hurrahs and the cheers
come from the crowd as he begins to sing.

And in between each song
they shout and sing out strong
we love you
Gigi l'Amoroso
the greatest Italian lover
since man discovered fire
Gigi l'Amoroso
if you only knew what you make us do
with your songs of desire
for each and every one his favourite song
Volare, Come Prima, O Sole Mio.

Everyone loved Gigi
the baker's wife would leave her shop
just to hear him sing
the notary's wife who was a saint blessed him
and made the sign of the cross every time
he opened his mouth,
and the widow, the young one
tore her wigs to shreds and put on fancy lace
and on and on, everyone loved Gigi
even me, even me, but
came a lady one day
rich as all USA
who told him Hollywood wasn't very far
Oh! he liked what he heard
and believed every word
like Valentino he'd become a star
we were all at the boat
with a lump in our throat
to wish him well and show him how much we cared
everyone in the crowd were all openly proud
he'd made it now beyond the village square
and when he said Goodbye
we all began to cry.

We love you
Gigi l'Amoroso
the greatest Italian lover since man discovered fire
Gigi l'Amoroso
if you only knew what you make us do
with your songs of desire
arrivederci, Gigi, much success
the tears you see are tears of happiness.

Gigi...
we stayed 'till the boat was out of sight
and we all returned to the village, but
it wasn't the same after he left
everything seemed different
the baker's wife refused to light the oven
the notary's wife, wouldn't even talk to her husband
she just kept counting her beads
and the widow, the young one, cried
and went into mourning for a second time
and me...

Many days have gone by
Oh the years how they fly
the fountain even cried we all missed him so
not a word, not a sign
my heart measured the time
Oh Gigi, Gigi why did you have to go?
Our performance went on
but the spirit was gone
each song we sang was only a memory
at the end of our show
as the silence would grow
each night I'd hear his haunting melody
if you only knew
what you make us do
with your songs of desire
Gigi...

Gigi?
Is that you in the shadow?
It is you Gigi
come closer!
Oh let me look at you
You are crying? But why are you crying?
Oh! l'American!
Now I understand
what do they know except rock and roll
and "baby, baby, baby"
That's not for you
you are Giuseppe, Fabrizio, Luca Santini
and you are Napoletano!
Listen Gigi, listen... that's Giorgio playing
and that, that's Sandro's mandolin
wait, Gigi, wait!
I'll get my tambourine
wait, you can't leave like that!
this is your home!
listen... you hear them Gigi?
The whole town is coming!
they want you to sing Gigi!
to sing for them
they love you Gigi, everybody loves you
sing Gigi! Canta! Bravo! Bravo!
Carmella, Carmella Carmella lo sai
che è arrivato Gigi Cesarina
Cesarina scendi è arrivato Gigi da Hollywood!
Ma se te lo dico io che è arrivato scendi no
Guaglione, guaglione guaglione corri va a dire
a zio Gennaro Che è arrivato
lo zio Gigi dall'America Bravo!

To each and every one his favourite song
Volare, Come Prima, O Sole Mio
we love you Gigi l'Amoroso
the greatest Italian lover since man discovered fire
Gigi l'Amoroso.

If you only knew what you make us do
with your songs of desire
to each and every one his favourite song
Volare, Come Prima, O Sole Mio
we love you Gigi l'Amoroso...

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