This is a comprehensive list of the songs recorded by Sergio Franchi. It begins with the songs he recorded on the Durium label in Italy and in the UK (1959-1961), and continues with the songs he recorded in the United States beginning in 1962.
Most of these thirty-one (1959-1961) songs were recorded in the Italian language: the exception is the third song, which was recorded in both Italian and English/Italian versions. "Il nostro concerto" and "Amore Mio" were both originally recorded by Franchi in Italian, but English/Italian versions were recorded by him on the Durium (UK) label. Franchi's recordings of "Amore Mio" and "I tuoi occhi verde" were hit singles in Italy. The songs in this section were primarily recordings for the popular Italian market (includes four Christmas carols) during Franchi's return to Italy from South Africa; it includes selections from the Sanremo Music Festival during 1960 and 1961. Songs titles include likely English translations.
Christmas carols:
Regarding his repertoire, Sergio Franchi stated that he had a "four-pronged approach", [2] but that included some of his operatic arias which were very popular as encores with his concert audiences. A true operatic crossover artist (with its genre-busting complexities), Franchi recorded two studio albums devoted to opera (The Dream Duet and The Great Moments From Die Fledermaus, both with Anna Moffo). He also recorded three other operatic arias: two solo arias ("E lucevan le stelle," "Vesti la giubba" and "My heart at Thy Sweet Voice" dueting with Julie Andrews).. although he thought he performed many more. Songs from opera, operettas, and many of the classic Neapolitan songs are usually classified by genre as Opera. For the purposes of this list of songs, Sergio Franchi's recordings will be placed into the four categories that he used in organizing his repertoire.
The following seventy-five songs were originally written by Italian composers and lyricists. Franchi's dedication to the genre is evidenced by the fact that almost all of his studio albums contain one or more Neapolitan and/or Italian songs. Three of his studio albums (Romantic Italian Songs,Our Man from Italy, & La Dolce Italy) contained all Italian selections.
This category contains eighty-three songs; but not the largest category when considering the one-hundred-six Italian and Neapolitan songs recorded by Franchi in both Italy and America. Five of his studio albums were dedicated to show tunes (Broadway - I Love You!, The Dream Duet with Anna Moffo, Original Cast Album of Do I Hear a Waltz?, the collaboration album Great Moments from Die Fledermaus, & The Songs of Richard Rodgers.)
Note: Nominated Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song [3]
This song list contains seventy-three songs recorded in a variety of styles (including Country/Western, American folk songs, and some International favorites). "Appasionada" and "Midnight in Paris" were recorded on a single in London with Wally Stott in 1962 and are believed to be two of the songs presented for Sergio Franchi's 1962 audition with RCA Victor.
Domenico Modugno was an Italian singer, actor and, later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel blu dipinto di blu", for which he received the first Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. He is considered the first Italian cantautore.
Anna Moffo was an American opera singer, television personality, and actress. One of the leading lyric-coloratura sopranos of her generation, she possessed a warm and radiant voice of considerable range and agility. Noted for her physical beauty, she was nicknamed "La Bellissima".
Mina Anna Maria Mazzini or Mina Anna Quaini, known mononymously as Mina, is an Italian singer and actress. She was a staple of television variety shows and a dominant figure in Italian pop music from the 1960s to the mid-1970s, known for her three-octave vocal range, the agility of her soprano voice, and her image as an emancipated woman.
Sergio Franchi was an Italian-American tenor and actor who enjoyed success in the United States and internationally after gaining notice in Britain in the early 1960s. In 1962, RCA Victor signed him to a seven-year contract and in October of that year Franchi appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and performed at Carnegie Hall. Sol Hurok managed Franchi's initial American concert tour.
Massimo Ranieri is an Italian singer, actor, television presenter and theatre director.
Giuseppe Faiella, professionally known as Peppino di Capri, is an Italian popular music singer, songwriter and pianist, successful in Italy and Europe. His international hits include "St. Tropez Twist", "Daniela", "Torna piccina", "Roberta", "Melancolie", "Freva", "L'ultimo romantico", "Un grande amore e niente più", "Non lo faccio più", "Nun è peccato", and "Champagne".
"Dio, come ti amo" is a song recorded by both Italian singers Domenico Modugno and Gigliola Cinquetti, composed and written by Modugno himself. The song won the Sanremo Music Festival 1966 and represented Italy –performed by Modugno– in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966, held in Luxembourg.
"Tu scendi dalle stelle" is a Christmas carol from Italy, written in 1744 in Bovino by Saint Alphonses Liguori in the musical style of a pastorale. Though found in numerous arrangements and commonly sung, it is traditionally associated with the zampogna, or large-format Italian bagpipe.
Fiorella Mannoia is an Italian singer, songwriter and actress.
"Some Day" is a song, with music by Rudolf Friml and words by Brian Hooker, originally published in 1925. It was included in Friml's operetta The Vagabond King, sung by Carolyn Thomson in the role of Katherine de Vaucelles.
'O surdato 'nnammurato is a famous song written in the Neapolitan language. The song is used as the anthem of S.S.C. Napoli.
"I'll See You Again" is a song by the English songwriter Sir Noël Coward.
Amedeo Minghi is an Italian singer-songwriter, composer and producer.
Marino Marini was an Italian musician who achieved international success in the 1950s and 1960s.
Faustino (Fausto) Leali is an Italian singer.
Aurelio Fierro was an Italian actor and singer, specialising in songs in the Neapolitan dialect.
The discography of Sergio Franchi, the Italian-American tenor (1926–1990), consists of a total of thirty-five albums: Two live albums, and thirty-three studio albums. The studio albums are further identified as collaborations, and nine are compilation albums. The Live category included an LP album (1965) and a CD album of selected songs extracted from Franchi's twenty-four Live TV appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. This discography also includes thirty single and EP albums recorded or released in various venues.
The following is Sergio Franchi's comprehensive filmography. Regarding his acting roles; these include two musical comedy performance DVDs, several comedy skits, and the 1983 Tony Awards film. Also included is his 1969 dramatic role as Tufa in The Secret of Santa Vittoria—a film that won the 1970 Golden Globe Award for "Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy." All of the sections are listed with earliest dates first. In addition to his extensive television performances, there is a section on television commercials, and a section on archived films.
"Quando m'innamoro" is a 1968 Italian song written by Daniele Pace, Mario Panzeri and Roberto Livraghi and sung with a double performance by Anna Identici and by The Sandpipers at the 1968 Sanremo Music Festival, in which it came 6th.
The Festival della Canzone Napoletana, commonly known as the Festival di Napoli, is a Neapolitan song contest. The first edition was held in 1952 and the last in 2004. From 1952 to 1970 the show was broadcast on RAI and from 1998 to 2004, in a differently spirited version, by Rete 4.
