J'attendrai

For the Dalida album, see J'attendrai (album).

"J'attendrai" (French for "I will wait"[1]) is a popular French song first recorded by Rina Ketty in 1938. It became the big French song during World War II; a counterpart to Lale Andersen's "Lili Marleen" in Germany and Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again" in Britain.

"J'attendrai" is a French version of the Italian song "Tornerai" (Italian for "You Will Return"[2]) ISWC: T-005.001.119-2 composed by Dino Olivieri (music) and Nino Rastelli (lyrics) in 1936, said to be inspired from the Humming Chorus of Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly. It was first recorded in 1937 by both Carlo Buti and Trio Lescano (accompanied by the Italian jazz quartet Quartetto Jazz Funaro),[3][4]), and become a hit in Italy.

The French lyrics were written by Louis Poterat,[5] and "J'attendrai" became an instant success. Rina Ketty's version was followed the same year by one of Belgian chanteuse Anne Clercy, and both Tino Rossi and Jean Sablon recorded it in 1939. When France was occupied in 1940, it quickly became the big French war song, with the love song's title being interpreted as meaning waiting for peace and/or liberation.

The French version of this Italian song became so well known across Europe that it was often called "J'attendrai" even when recorded instrumentally, such the two versions recorded by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli in 1938, or referred to as the original source when sung in other languages, such as Richard Tauber's British "Au revoir" (1945, with lyrics by Bruce Sievier) and Bing Crosby's and Hildegarde's American "I’ll Be Yours" (both 1945 with lyrics by Anna Sosenko). The Crosby version was recorded on December 18, 1945, for Decca Records with Camarata and His Orchestra.[6]

There were also German versions ("Komm zurück", lyrics by Ralph Maria Siegel), sung by both Rudi Schuricke and Horst Winter on recordings made in 1939.[4] The song became known in Denmark as "Kun for dig" (1939, lyrics by Victor Skaarup); in Norway as "Kun for deg" (1939); in Sweden as "Blott för dig'" (1940, lyrics by Tor Bergström); in Poland as "Czekam cię" (recorded in 1939 by Mieczysław Fogg with lyrics by Andrzej Włast); in Czechoslovakia as "Věřím vám" (recorded by both Rudolf Antonín Dvorský and Oldřich Kovář with lyrics by Karel Kozel); and in Lithuania as "Ak, sugrįžk" (with lyrics by Adelė Lenartavičienė).

  1. ^ "LEO Dict: declination table of attendre". Dict.leo.org. Retrieved 26 January 2022.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "LEO Dict: declination table of tornare". Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  3. ^ Ricordando i Trii Vocali: Quartetto Jazz Funaro (Italian only), Triivocali.weebly.com, Retrieved 2015-06-24
  4. ^ a b "Tornerai / J'Attendrai / Komm zurück / Věřím vám / I'll Be Yours". Songbook1.wordpress.com. 28 August 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Rina Ketty: profile". Lechatnoir.free.fr. Retrieved 26 January 2022.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved September 11, 2017.