"Non Dimenticar" ("Do Not Forget") is the Italian construction for the informal imperative, "non" + infinitive. Originally titled "T'ho voluto bene" ("I loved you so much"), it is a popular

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

with music by P. G. Redi (

Gino Redi Gino Redi (26 November 1908 – 27 September 1962) was an Italian composer. He was sometimes credited as P.G. Redi. Biography Born Luigi Pulci in Rome, after graduating in composition at the Conservatory of Parma, Redi moved to Milan where he ...

, a.k.a. Luigi Pulci), the original

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

lyrics by Michele Galdieri, with English lyrics by Shelley Dobbins. The song was written for the

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

film ''

Anna Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna of East Anglia, King (died c.654) * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th c ...

'' (directed by

Alberto Lattuada Mario Alberto Lattuada (; 13 November 1914 – 3 July 2005) was an Italian film director. Career Lattuada was born in Vaprio d'Adda, the son of composer Felice Lattuada. He was initially interested in literature, becoming, while still a studen ...

). While actress

Silvana Mangano Silvana Mangano (; 21 April 1930 – 16 December 1989) was an Italian film actress. She was one of a generation of thespians who arose from the neorealist movement, and went on to become a major female star, regarded as a sex symbol for the 19 ...

is frequently credited as the singer, in fact, Flo Sandon's dubbed the two songs sung in ''

'' (the singer retained the apostrophe in her name which was the result of a misprint on her first album cover). The English adaptation was written by Shelly Dobbins in 1954 with the title "Non Dimenticar".

Title Derivation

The actual verb in Italian is ''"dimenticare"'', but Italian often contracts words, especially in lyrics and poetry. Common verbs like ''fare'' (to do) and ''avere'' (to have) are often spoken and written as ''far'' and ''aver''. In a typical example, the renowned playwright and author Pirandello wrote a short story ''Lumie di Sicilia'' ("Citrons from Sicily"). In only the twelve pages of the story, twelve infinitives appear without the final letter ''e'': ''guardar'', ''trattar'', ''vincer'', ''tentennar'', ''abbandonar'', ''spiccicar'', ''correr'', ''star'' (three times), ''frenar'' and ''accampar''. In addition, conjugated verb forms can have their final letter dropped. In this example, ''parevan(o)'' and ''c'eran(o)''. There's a noun ''odor(e)'' and there are two adverbs as well, ''ancor(a)'' and ''fin(o)''. The hard and fast rule governing the Italian word for ′′sir′′ or ′′mister′′ is ′′signore′′: when used immediately preceding a name, the final ′′e′′ is dropped.

Recordings

*The best-known recording of the song was by

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

, reaching number 45 on the ''

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'' magazine charts in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

. *

Jerry Vale Jerry Vale (born Gennaro Louis Vitaliano; July 8, 1930 – May 18, 2014) was an American traditional pop singer. During the 1950s and 1960s, he reached the top of the pop charts with his interpretations of romantic ballads, including a cover of E ...

's version was included in his 1963 album "Arriverderci, Roma" LP *

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

on his 1962 album '' Dino: Italian Love Songs''. *

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local r ...

for her 1961 album ''

Olé ala Lee ¡Ole! or ¡olé! is a Spanish interjection used to cheer on or praise a performance, especially associated with the audience of bullfighting and flamenco dance. The word is also commonly used in many other contexts in Spain, and has become close ...

''. *

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( ; born December 12, 1937), known as Connie Francis, is a retired American Pop music, pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is estimated to have sold more th ...

on her 1959 album Sings Italian Favorites

References

1953 songs Nat King Cole songs Italian songs {{pop-standard-stub