Con te partirò

"Con te partirò" (Italian: [kon ˈte partiˈrɔ]; "With You I Shall Leave") 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.

"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
A-side"Con te partirò"
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)

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]

Bocelli also recorded a full Spanish version of the song in 1997, titled "Por ti volaré" ("For You I Will Fly"). Under all three versions, the song is considered Bocelli's signature song.

Background

The song's original single release by Polydor Records was not commercially successful in Italy, and received little radio airplay there. Elsewhere, however, 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

Music & Media wrote about the song: "The Benelux triumph of poppy tenor Andrea Bocelli continues with this excellent seasonal anthem, which wisely leaves the singers classically trained voice in the spotlight. The orchestral arrangements take a back seat, as they should in Bocelli's case."[5]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[17] Platinum 50,000*
Italy (FIMI)[18] Gold 25,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Silver 200,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Duet version
"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 September 1996 (1996-09-15)
GenreOperatic pop
LabelEast West
Songwriter(s)Francesco Sartori – music
Lucio Quarantotto – lyrics
Producer(s)Frank Peterson
Andrea Bocelli singles chronology
"Vivo por ella"
(1996)		 "Time to Say Goodbye"
(1996)		 "Ich lebe für sie"
(1997)
Sarah Brightman singles chronology
"Heaven Is Here"
(1995)		 "Time to Say Goodbye"
(1996)		 "Just Show Me How to Love You"
(1997)

In 1996 in Germany, East West Records, in conjunction with Polydor, marketed a version of "Con te partirò" retitled "Time to Say Goodbye", and with some lyrics changed, 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".[20] Recording of the song took place at Peterson's Nemo Studio, in Hamburg.[21]

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.[20]

By December, the "Time to Say Goodbye" single, released on 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.[20] By February of the following year, the single had broken the all-time sales record in Germany with 1.65 million sales,[22] and would eventually get certified 11x Gold for selling over 2,750,000 copies.[23] It is also the best-selling single in Belgium.[24]

"Time to Say Goodbye" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart upon its release there in May 1997, and was certified Gold.[25] 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.[26]

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.[21] 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.[27][28]

Billboard wrote that Brightman "has one of the truly glorious voices in musical theater" and described the song as a "lushly orchestral piece".[29]

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1996–1997) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[30] 1
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[31] 6
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[32] 33
Czech Republic (IFPI CR)[33] 9
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[34] 1
France (SNEP)[35] 25
Germany (Official German Charts)[36] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[37] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[38] 8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[39] 5
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[40] 2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[41] 31
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[43] 2

Year-end charts
Chart (1997) Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[44] 3
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[45] 7
Germany (Official German Charts)[46] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[47] 7
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[48] 40
Romania (Romanian Top 100)[49] 100
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[50] 1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[51] 23

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[52] Platinum 50,000*
Germany (BVMI)[23] 11× Gold 2,750,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[53]
Sarah Brightman solo version 		Gold 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[54] 2× Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[55] Platinum 600,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Donna Summer version
"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
Music video
"I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)" on YouTube

"I Will Go with You (Con te partirò)", is a dance version performed by Donna Summer, which went to number one on the US dance chart.[56] Her version also peaked at number two in Spain singles charts and number three in Spain Radio chart.[57] As of 1999, it has sold over 221,000 units in the United States.[58]

Critical reception

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." They 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."[59]

Other cover versions

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.

  • Paloma San Basilio recorded a version sung in Spanish on the album Clásicamente Tuya in 1997.
  • Nana Mouskouri recorded a version on the 1997 album, Hommages.
  • Al Bano recorded a version on the 1998 album, Il nuovo concerto and on the 2013 compilation Canta Sanremo.
  • A Taiwanese singer A-Mei (Zhang Hui Mei) recorded the song in Chinese, in 2000, on the album Ge Sheng Mei Ying with Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.
  • In 2001, Journey guitarist Neal Schon released a solo album, Voice, which features an instrumental version of the song.
  • In 2004, trumpeter Chris Botti released his rendition on When I Fall in Love.[60]
  • Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins included the song on her 2004 album, Second Nature. Jenkins' version was also released as a single on 21 February 2005.
  • The song was covered by Italian house DJ Gigi D'Agostino in his 2006 compilation album, Some Experiments.[61]
  • American singer Nick Palance recorded this song on his solo CD, Memoirs in Song, in 2006.
  • Grégory Lemarchal recorded a version for his album, La voix d'un ange, which was posthumously released in 2007.
  • New Zealand singer Hayley Westenra included a version on her 2007 album, Amazing Grace – The Best of Hayley Westenra.
  • Swedish singer Sanna Nielsen's English-Swedish version was included in her 2007 album, Sanna 11–22.
  • André Rieu with Mirusia Louwerse also recorded a version of this song on the album, You'll Never Walk Alone. Mirusia and André Rieu also performed the song at the coronation of the king of Netherlands, Koning Willem Alexander, which was recorded for the DVD and CD Rieu Royale.
  • South African tenor Fanie de Jager recorded the song on his classical CD, My Classical Soul, in 2007.
  • The pipes and drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards covered the song for their 2007 album, Spirit of the Glen.
  • Japanese classical-crossover singer Kanon recorded a version of the song and included it on her 2007 album, Precious.
  • In 2009, Mark Vincent recorded the version for his debut studio album, My Dream – Mio Visione.
  • French classical-crossover tenor Amaury Vassili also did the same on his 2010 album, Canterò.
  • British singer Joe McElderry recorded the song on his 2011 album, Classic, and made a video of it.[62]
  • Operatic pop group Il Divo covered the song on their 2011 album, Wicked Game.
  • The song was covered by Vampire Weekend for Starbucks' Sweetheart 2014 compilation.[63]
  • The song was also covered by Lauren Aquilina in 2015, which was used in the advert for season six of Downton Abbey.[64][65]
  • In 2016, Marina Prior and Mark Vincent covered the song on their album Together.
  • In May 2016, Bocelli performed the song at the King Power stadium in honour of Leicester City football club's incredible Premier League title win and in honour of Bocelli's friend, Leicester City manager and fellow Italian Claudio Ranieri.
  • Celtic Woman covered the song, in English, on their 2016 album, Celtic Woman: Voices of Angels.

Sampling

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.
  • The song is also sampled and featured throughout the 2009 song "Time to Say Goodbye" by Twenty One Pilots.[66][67]
  • 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.

In media

Although the song is most associated with sporting events, it has featured frequently in film and television and is a favourite concert item. It is also a very popular piece for funerals.

In films

In music

In sports

In radio
  • This song was used on the good night song and closedown music of CNR MusicRadio in China from 17 February 2009 until 15 April 2018.

In television
  • This song was used on the final shutdown ident of SPH MediaWorks Channel i in Singapore on 1 January 2005.
  • The song was used in a few episodes of the TV show Providence and is featured on the CD soundtrack.
  • Ricardo Marinello, the winner of the Germany's Got Talent (Das Supertalent) (2007), took the song as the opening song on his first record The Beginning.
  • In 2008, the song was used as the theme song to Welsh television show Con Passionate.
  • The song featured in the TV advertising of Lake Silver in 2008.
  • The song was sung on multiple episodes of America's Got Talent, including twice by Jackie Evancho in 2010 (once together with Sarah Brightman).[68]
  • When Andrea Bocelli appeared on Sesame Street, he sang the song to Elmo as "Time to Say Goodnight".
  • It has been used a number of times in the television series The Sopranos as one of Carmela's themes, starting with the first episode of the second season. It is especially prominent in season two, episode four: "Commendatori".
  • Kenny McCormick sings a muffled version of the song with a Singing Like Bocelli for Dummies guide tape in the South Park episode "Quintuplets 2000".
  • During the 24 July 2011 analog television shut down in Japan, one Hokkaido Television Broadcasting station in Sapporo chose to play the song on its analog termination warning. This is a violation of analog shutdown rules, since most stations were not allowed to play vocal music on their analog termination warnings.
  • The song was featured in season eight of the UK TV series Shameless.
  • The song was used in The Simpsons episode "The Real Housewives of Fat Tony" (season 22, episode 19), which originally aired on 1 May 2011.
  • The song was used in the tribute to Portuguese-Mozambican soccer player Eusébio after his death, on 6 January 2014, when his body was transported in the last lap around the Stadium of Light, as his last wish.[69]
  • Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith used the song for their Inside No. 9 episode "The 12 Days of Christine". Ellen E. Jones, writing in The Independent, said the song "was deployed on the soundtrack to devastating effect".[70]
  • The song was used to end ESPN SportsCentury's episode on Wayne Gretzky.
  • After Gabe the Dog (a character of a popular meme) died on 20 January 2017, the song was used as a template for a remix using various footage of Gabe and posted in YouTube. Titled: "time to say goodbye to Gabe".[71]
  • It was used in the Japanese drama Diplomat Kuroda Kotaru.
  • It was used in the Korean drama Hotelier.

See also

References
  1. Bocelli on Decca.com Archived April 30, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Andrea Bocelli Biography". Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  3. Angel records
  4. Con Te Partiro at abmusica.com
  5. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. December 7, 1996. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
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  7. "Ultratop.be – Andrea Bocelli – Con te partirò" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  8. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14 no. 11. March 15, 1997. p. 13. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
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  10. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 17, 1996" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 31 January 2019.
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  12. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
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  14. "Rapports annuels 1996" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
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  16. "Classement Singles – année 1997" (in French). Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  17. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1996". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  18. "Italian single certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Con te partiró" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 23, 2019. Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Con te partiró" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli online" under "Sezione".
  19. "British single certifications – Andrea Bocelli – Con te partiro". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 23, 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Con te partiro in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  20. Spahr, Wolfgang (December 21, 1996). "Boxer's song proves a knockout for EastWest in Germany". Billboard. 108 (51). pp. 38–39. ISSN 0006-2510.
  21. van Geffen, Jos (December 12, 2006). "Sarah Brightman — Timeless / Time to say goodbye". Home Page of Jos van Geffen. Retrieved March 5, 2007.
  22. Dezzani, Mark (February 22, 1997). "Italy's Bocelli breaks Euro sales records". Billboard. 109 (8). pp. 1–2. ISSN 0006-2510.
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  24. Andrea Bocelli Online Biography Archived August 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  25. Zywietz, Tobias (March 22, 2005). "Chart Log UK: Billy Bragg — David Byrne". Chart Log UK. The Official Zobbel Website. Retrieved March 5, 2007.
  26. Jackson, Alan (July 18, 1997). "As Huey Lewis once said, it's hip to be square". The Times. p. 35. ISSN 0140-0460.
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  53. "Paid music certification for July 2009" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan.
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  56. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 249.
  57. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
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  62. Joe McElderry videos joemcelderryofficial.com. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  63. "Sweetheart>Tracklist". Sweetheartalbum.com. Concord Music Group, Parabola, WordPress. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  64. rivis (August 29, 2015), Time To Say Goodbye – Lauren Aquilina, retrieved March 23, 2016
  65. ITV (August 29, 2015), Downton Abbey | Starts Sunday 20 September, retrieved March 23, 2016
  66. ""Time To Say Goodbye" by Twenty One Pilots on SoundCloud". SoundCloud. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
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  70. Jones, Ellen E (April 3, 2015). The Independent. p. 47. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  71. "time to say goodbye to Gabe". Rapid Liquid. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
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