Con te partirò

"Con te partirò"
One of artworks for European release, also used for Japanese mini CD release under different pressing
Single by Andrea Bocelli
from the album Bocelli
B-side"Vivere"
Released21 February 1995
GenreOperatic pop
Length4:09
LabelPolydor
Composer(s)Francesco Sartori
Lyricist(s)Lucio Quarantotto
Andrea Bocelli singles chronology
"Il mare calmo della sera"
(1995) 		"Con te partirò"
(1995) 		"Macchine da guerra"
(1995)
Music video
"Con te partirò" by Andrea Bocelli on YouTube

"Con te partirò" (Italian: [kon ˈte ppartiˈrɔ]; "With You I Shall Depart"), also known as "Por ti Volare", is an Italian song written by Francesco Sartori (music) and Lucio Quarantotto (lyrics). It was first performed by Andrea Bocelli at the 1995 Sanremo Music Festival and recorded on his album of the same year, Bocelli. The single was first released as an A-side single with "Vivere" in 1995, topping the charts, first in France, where it became one of the best-selling singles of all-time, and then in Belgium, breaking the all-time record sales there.

A second version of the song, sung partly in English, released in 1996 as "Time to Say Goodbye", paired Bocelli with British soprano Sarah Brightman, and achieved even greater success, topping charts all across Europe, including Germany, where it became the biggest-selling single in history. Brightman and Bocelli produced a version with Brightman singing in German and Bocelli in Italian, with this version being available on the CD Time to Say Goodbye.[1][2] That version alone has now sold more than 12 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.[3]

Background

[edit]

The song's original single release by Polydor Records was not commercially successful in Italy, and received little radio airplay there. Elsewhere it was a massive hit. In France and Switzerland, the single topped the charts for six weeks, earning a triple Gold sales award. In Belgium, it became the biggest hit of all-time, spending 12 weeks at No. 1.[4]

Critical reception

[edit]

Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote about the song, "The Benelux triumph of poppy tenor Andrea Bocelli continues with this excellent seasonal anthem, which wisely leaves the singer’s classically trained voice in the spotlight. The orchestral arrangements take a back seat, as they should in Bocelli's case."[5] After Sarah Brightman released her version, Larry Flick from Billboard stated that she "has one of the truly glorious voices in musical theater". He described the song as a "lushly orchestral piece".[6] British magazine Music Week rated the duet version five out of five, picking it as Single of the Week. They added, "Mostly sung in Italian, it has a beautiful, soaring melody that gives it true Nessun Dorma potential."[7]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications and sales for "Con te partirò"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[20] Platinum 50,000*
France — 900,000[21]
Italy (FIMI)[22] Gold 25,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] Silver 200,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Duet version

[edit]
"Time to Say Goodbye"
Artwork for European release
Single by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli
from the album Romanza, The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere,
Fly and Time to Say Goodbye / Timeless
Released15 November 1996 (1996-11-15)
GenreOperatic pop
LabelEast West
Composer(s)Francesco Sartori
Lyricist(s)Lucio Quarantotto
Producer(s)Frank Peterson
Andrea Bocelli singles chronology
"Vivo por ella"
(1996) 		"Time to Say Goodbye"
(1996) 		"Ich lebe für sie"
(1997)
Live video
"Time to Say Goodbye" (live, 2007) by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman on YouTube
Sarah Brightman singles chronology
"Heaven Is Here"
(1995) 		"Time to Say Goodbye"
(1996) 		"Just Show Me How to Love You"
(1997)

In Germany, East West Records, in conjunction with Polydor, marketed a lyrically changed version of "Con te partirò", retitled "Time to Say Goodbye", as the theme song for the final match of boxer Henry Maske (then the light-heavyweight champion of the International Boxing Federation), having seen previous success when Vangelis's "Conquest of Paradise" was also promoted via Maske's fights. "Time to Say Goodbye" was also turned into a duet with Sarah Brightman, who had performed "A Question of Honour" for one of Maske's previous fights. German producer Frank Peterson, who has worked with Brightman since 1991, opted to give the song an English title rather than the German title "Mit dir werde ich fortgehen".[24] Recording of the song took place at Peterson's Nemo Studio, in Hamburg.[25]

The match took place on 23 November 1996, pitting Maske against American Virgil Hill, and drew a television broadcast audience of over 21 million. Bocelli and Brightman performed the song to open the match, and it was used again during Maske's exit, poignantly, as Hill had won the match by split decision. It was the only loss of Maske's career.[24]

By December, the "Time to Say Goodbye" single, released on 15 November 1996 through East West, had reached number one on the German singles chart, with sales estimated at 40,000–60,000 per day and projected for at least one million by the end of the year. Both singers' albums also received a boost in sales. Airplay on German radio stations such as Norddeutscher Rundfunk was well received by listeners.[24] By February of the following year, the single had broken the all-time sales record in Germany with 1.65 million sales,[26] and would eventually get certified 11x Gold for selling over 2,750,000 copies.[27]

"Time to Say Goodbye" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart upon its release there in May 1997, and was certified gold.[28] It remained in the top 30 for another two months, helped by steady radio airplay on BBC Radio 2, which was overtaking Radio 1 in popularity with an MOR-orientated playlist.[29]

The duet was included on Brightman's 1997 album Timeless, re-titled as Time to Say Goodbye in the U.S. with the song itself moved to the start of the album.[25] Brightman has also recorded a solo version, which was released on the duet single as well as later albums including Classics and Diva: The Singles Collection. A live version was released on The Harem World Tour: Live from Las Vegas CD as well as her various tour DVDs. Bocelli and Brightman have performed the duet together publicly several times including Bocelli's "Statue of Liberty concert" held in New York City, and "Live in Tuscany" concerts.[30][31]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications and sales

[edit]
Certifications and sales for Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli's version
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[54] Platinum 50,000*
Brazil — 50,000[55]
Germany (BVMI)[27] 11× Gold 3,000,000[56]
Japan (RIAJ)[57]
Sarah Brightman solo version 		Gold 100,000*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[58] 2× Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[59] Platinum 600,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Release dates for "Con te partirò"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Germany 15 November 1996 (1996-11-15) CD East West [38]
United Kingdom 12 May 1997 (1997-05-12)
  • CD
  • cassette
  • Coalition
  • East West
 [60]

Donna Summer version

[edit]
"I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)"
Single by Donna Summer
Released1999
GenreHouse
Length3:58
LabelEpic
Composer(s)Francesco Sartori
Lyricist(s)Lucio Quarantotto
Producer(s)Hex Hector
Donna Summer singles chronology
"Whenever There Is Love"
(1996) 		"I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)"
(1999) 		"Love Is the Healer"
(1999)
Music video
"I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)" by Donna Summer on YouTube

"I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)", is a dance version performed by American singer Donna Summer, which went to number one on the US dance chart.[61] Her version also peaked at number two on the Spanish singles charts and number three on the Spanish Radio chart.[62] As of 1999, it has sold over 221,000 units in the United States.[63]

Critical reception

[edit]

Chuck Taylor from Billboard wrote that the song is a "deliciously grand interpretation of the smash Andrea Bocelli/Sarah Brightman ballad "Time To Say Goodbye"-replete with romantic new lyrics. Summer is in peak vocal form, alternating between technically sharp note-scaling and warmly soulful vamping." He also added that she is "complemented by clubland hero Hex Hector's well-measured production, which couples melodramatic faux-classical string flourishes with time-sensitive dance beats."[64]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)" by Donna Summer
Chart (1999) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[65] 97
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[66] 6
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[67] 59
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[68] 2
UK Singles (OCC)[69] 44
US Billboard Hot 100[70] 79
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[71] 1

Other cover versions

[edit]

Since its release, the song has spawned numerous other versions and been performed by numerous other singers. Notable alternative versions include "Por ti volaré", a Spanish version with significantly modified lyrics.

Sampling

[edit]

The song has been sampled or interpolated in the following:

  • In 2008, Danish pop duo The Loft released their single "Kiss You Goodbye" based on "Con te partirò" / "Time to Say Goodbye" and containing samples from the original.
  • In 2009, Twenty One Pilots sampled and featured the song throughout their similarly named "Time to Say Goodbye".[81]
  • Jason Derulo and David Guetta sampled "Time to Say Goodbye" on their 2018 single "Goodbye" featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William. The song is included on David Guetta's seventh studio album, 7.
  • In May 2019, an unreleased song titled "Livin' So Italian" by Kanye West and Jay-Z surfaced on the Internet, and featured a sample of Andrea Bocelli's "Con te partirò". The track was originally meant to appear on their 2011 collaborative album Watch the Throne, but never made the final tracklist due to them being unable to clear the sample.

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Andrea Bocelli - Decca Records". Decca Records. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011.
  2. ^ "Andrea Bocelli Biography". Archived from the original on 8 February 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  3. ^ "Angel records".
  4. ^ Con Te Partiro Archived 2 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine at abmusica.com
  5. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 49. 7 December 1996. p. 10. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  6. ^ Flick, Larry (27 September 1997). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 39. p. 93. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 3 May 1997. p. 25. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
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  14. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  15. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1996" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
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  17. ^ a b "1997 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 52. 27 December 1996. p. 7. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 1997" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
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