La Vita

Music written by B. Canfora. Original Italian words by A. Amurri and the English lyrics by Norman Newell.

Released 1968 on an Italian Single and on the Italian album La Vita. Available on CD digitally remastered on the collection Bassey - The EMI/UA Years 1959 - 1979.

For this song the lyrics of the original Italian song "La Vita" were partially rewritten in English by Norman Newell. In the next step he penned English words for the remaining Italian parts of the song and the result was This Is My Life.

In the spring of 1968 Shirley Bassey sang La Vita live at the San Remo Festival in Italy. Shirley Bassey had selected this song to win the festival with. Among the other contestants were Dionne Warwick and Louis Armstrong. Shirley Bassey received the greatest crowd ovation of any performer with her impassioned rendition of "La Vita", but unfortunately she couldn't get into the the finals, because of a long outstanding bias against non-Italian contestants, or maybe because of the dialect she has. Read more about all contestants and votings of the Festival di Sanremo at Hit Parade Italia. Although she failed to win the festival, the Italian public fell in love with this Welsh diva. Read comments about in the sleevenotes to Live At Carnegie Hall and All By Myself.

A single with "This Is My Life" had been released in Italy then and to remember the public about the festival it has the note "XVIII Festival Di Sanremo" on the cover though it contains the English version (UA 3130, B-side: "Without A Word").
 

Lyrics:

Funny how a lonely day, can make a person say:

What good is my life

Funny how a breaking heart, can make me start to say:

What good is my life

Funny how I often seem, to think I'll find another dream

In my life

Till I look around and see, this great big world is part of me

And my life

Ah, la vita
Più bello della vita non c'è niente
E forse tanta gente non lo sa, non lo sa, non lo sa

Ah, la vita
Che cosa di più bello esiste al mondo
E non ce ne accorgiamo quasi mai, quasi mai, quasi mai

Sometime when I feel afraid, I think of what a mess I've made

Of my life

Crying over my mistakes, forgetting all the breaks I've had

In my life

I was put on earth to be, a part of this great world is me

And my life

Guess I'll just add up the score, and count the things I'm grateful for

In my life

Ah, la vita
Più bello della vita non c'è niente
E forse tanta gente non lo sa, non lo sa, non lo sa

Ah, la vita
Che cosa di più bello esiste al mondo
E non ce ne accorgiamo quasi mai, quasi mai, quasi mai

Ah, la vita
Che cosa di più bello esiste al mondo
E non ce ne accorgiamo quasi mai, quasi mai, quasi mai

Ah, la vita
Ah, la vita
Ah, la vita
(transcribed by Roman <scribbler@gmx.net> supported by Francesco <fkdibella@tin.it>)