"Torna a Surriento" () is a Neapolitan song composed in 1894 by Italian musician
Ernesto De Curtis
Ernesto De Curtis (4 October 1875 – 31 December 1937) was an Italian composer.Giambattista De Curtis. The song was copyrighted officially in 1905, and has become one of the most popular of this traditional genre; others include "
'O sole mio
"" () is a well-known Neapolitan song written in 1898. Its Neapolitan-language lyrics were written by Giovanni Capurro and the music was composed by Eduardo di Capua (1865–1917) and Alfredo Mazzucchi (1878–1972).. The title translates ...
Tradition holds that the origin of the song dates to 1902, when Guglielmo Tramontano, mayor of
Sorrento
Sorrento ( , ; ; ) is a City status in Italy, city and overlooking the Gulf of Naples, Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the southern terminus of a main branch o ...
, asked his friend Giambattista De Curtis to write the song for the
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Giuseppe Zanardelli
Giuseppe Zanardelli (29 October 1826 26 December 1903) was an Italian jurist and political figure. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 15 February 1901 to 3 November 1903. An eloquent orator, he was also a Grand Master freemason. Zan ...
, then vacationing at his seaside hotel, the Imperial Hotel Tramontano; it was claimed that the piece was meant to celebrate Zanardelli's stay.
Some claim the song is a plea to Zanardelli to keep his promise to help the impoverished city of Sorrento, which was especially in need of a sewage system. The song reflects the beauty of the city's great surroundings and the love and passion of its citizens.
More recent research indicates that the song may merely have been reworked for the occasion; family papers indicate that the brothers deposited a copy with the
Italian Society of Authors and Editors
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 ...
in 1894, eight years before they claimed to have written it.
Neapolitan lyrics ("Torna a Surriento")
English translation ("Come Back to Sorrento")
Claude Aveling wrote the English-language lyrics, which are titled "Come Back to Sorrento".
Anna Calvi
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Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...
recorded a version titled "The Story of Sorrento" on December 11, 1947, with
Victor Young
Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Young was posthumously awarded the ...
and His Orchestra.
*A comedic version by
Billy Connolly
Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, musician, television presenter, artist and retired stand-up comedian. He is sometimes known by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his idiosyncratic and of ...
entitled "Saltcoats at the Fair".
*
Bono
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*
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 ...
*
Dean Martin
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recorded a version adapted by Joseph J. Lilley entitled "Take Me In Your Arms" on his album '' Dino: Italian Love Songs'' (1962).
* Elīna Garanča
* Elvis Presley released a version re-arranged and with new English lyrics by
Doc Pomus
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and
Mort Shuman
Mortimer Shuman (12 November 1938 – 2 November 1991) was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including " Viva Las Vegas". He also wrote and sang many songs in French, such as ...
Enrico Caruso
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Frank Sinatra
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Il Volo
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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 ...
*
José Carreras
Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Catalan operatic tenor from Spain who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini.
Born in Barcelona, ...
Katherine Jenkins
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Luciano Pavarotti
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*
Mario Lanza
Mario Lanza ( , ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer a ...
*
Meat Loaf
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Plácido Domingo
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*
Richard Tucker
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Sergio Franchi
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covered the song for his 1962 RCA Victor Red Seal debut album (''Romantic Italian Songs''), which peaked at No. 17 on the
Billboard Top 200
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The Honeymooners
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'', Ralph Kramden identifies the song in preparing for his appearance on a quiz show called ''The $99,000 Answer''. He mistakenly identifies it as "Take Me Back to Sorrento" and says it was written by "Ernesto Dequisto", which his neighbor Mrs. Manicotti sings to him. Upon hearing his answer, she says: "I give up!"
*The song was featured throughout the 1954 film '' Seagulls Over Sorrento'' where it was played by actor David Orr on the
concertina
A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front.
The ...
.
*In his 2025 film Bono: Stories of Surrender, Bono recalls several instances in his life when his father, a Tenor, would refuse to acknowledge his sons fame, dismissively referring to him as a 'baritone who thinks he's a tenor'. The movie ends with Bono eulogizing his late father and then 'proving' that he has become a tenor by singing the last two verses of Torna A Surriento to conclude the movie.https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/16/bono-stories-of-surrender-review-megastar-tries-out-humility