Superstar Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has captivated audiences since winning the “newcomers” competition at the Sanremo Music Festival in 1994. He’s a standout on his own but is also a popular duet partner. Here are 10 of his best solo and collaborative hits.
‘Con Te Partiro’
We had to start with this 1995 song, written by Francesco Sartori and Lucio Quarantotto. You might just know it better in its English version, “Time to Say Goodbye,” which Bocelli recorded with soprano Sarah Brightman in 1996. It became one of the bestselling singles of all time. The British publication Music Week praised the song’s “beautiful, soaring melody that gives it true ‘Nessun Dorma’ potential.”
‘Il Mare Calmo Della Sera’
Written specifically for Bocelli, this is the song that put him on the map at the Sanremo Music Festival. Before gaining that acclaim, he recorded the song (translated as “The Calm Evening Sea”) with Luciano Pavarotti, who became a close friend. Bocelli sang it at the great tenor’s funeral in 2007.
’Vivo per Lei’
The song, whose title translates to “I Live for Her,” provided Bocelli with multiple occasions to duet with many women, in many languages: Giorgia Todrani in Italian, Marta Sánchez in Spanish, Hélène Ségara in French, Judy Weiss in German, Sandy Leah Lima in Portuguese and Bonnie Tyler in English (retitled “Live for Love”). Here he is with Todrani, recorded in 1995.
‘The Prayer’
This duet with Celine Dion was originally recorded in two versions for the 1998 animated feature film Quest for Camelot, in English by Dion and in Italian by Bocelli. Billboard’s Chuck Taylor called the Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated duet "a breathtaking, ultra-lush song, and the tour de force combination of Dion and Bocelli [which] will send a half-dozen chills up your spine.” See if you agree.
‘Canto Della Terra’
Sartori and Quarantotto, responsible for Bocelli’s biggest hit, composed this 1999 song that Bocelli sang both as a solo and as a duet with Brightman.
’Somos Novios’
Bocelli recorded this 1968 song by Mexico’s Armando Manzanero (translated to “We’re a Couple”) variously with Christina Aguilera, Katherine McPhee and Japan’s Rimi Natsukawa. But he also performed it often as a solo, as he did here in 2001 at Lake Las Vegas.
’Because We Believe’
Bocelli wrote this song with David Foster for the closing ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Bocelli wrote the original, called “Ama Credi E Vai,” in Italian; Foster’s songwriting daughter, Amy, penned the English lyrics. The song enjoyed popularity on both American Idol and The Voice. Here are Bocelli and Foster at a concert in Las Vegas.
‘Quizas, Quizas, Quizas’
A song that was first a hit in the 1940s (and includes versions by Desi Arnaz, Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole) was recorded by Bocelli and Jennifer Lopez in 2013. It translates variously as “Perhaps” and “Who Knows?”
’E Piu Ti Penso’
Bocelli recorded this ballad (“The More I Think of You”) with pop star Ariana Grande in 2015, marking her first appearance on the classical charts. It was co-written by Ennio Morricone for Sergio Leone’s 1984 movie Once Upon a Time in America.
’Fall on Me’
Bocelli’s son, Matteo, joined him on this song, first recorded in 2018. A music video of the song was released for the soundtrack of the movie The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, and the father-son duo played piano and sang the song on Dancing With the Stars.
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