"Parlami d'amore Mariù" (lit. "Tell me about love, Mariù"), known in its English-language versions as "Tell Me That You Love Me", is a 1932 Italian song composed by

Cesare Andrea Bixio Cesare Andrea Bixio (11 October 1896 – 5 March 1978) was an Italian composer. He was one of the most popular Italian songwriters of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Bixio was born in Naples, Italy. His hits included Vivere; Mamma; Parlami d'am ...

(music) and Ennio Neri (lyrics). Originally part of the comedy film ''

What Scoundrels Men Are! ''What Scoundrels Men Are!'' () is a 1932 Italian " white-telephones" comedy film directed by Mario Camerini. The film was a great success, De Sica and Lia Franca became stars and the song '' Parlami d'amore Mariù'' was a hit. Rare in Italian ...

'', in which it was performed by

Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, four of the fil ...

, it became a classic of Italian music and achieved considerable popularity worldwide. It was the first song recorded by

Natalino Otto Natalino Otto, stage name of Natale Codognotto (24 December 1912 – 4 October 1969) was an Italian singer. He started the swing genre in Italy. Biography Early years Natalino Otto was born at Cogoleto, province of Genoa, in northern Italy. H ...

, and one of the first songs recorded by

Luigi Tenco Luigi Tenco (21 March 1938 – 27 January 1967) was an Italian singer-songwriter. He died on the night of 27 January 1967 after a performance at the Sanremo Music Festival. His death was ruled to be the result of suicide, but even decades later, ...

, who covered the song in English under the pseudonym Gordon Cliff. In 1975, the song topped the Italian hit parade with a version by Mal. Artists who covered the song also include Mina,

Juliette Gréco Juliette Gréco (; 7 February 1927 – 23 September 2020) was a French singer and actress. Her best known songs are "Paris Canaille" (1962, originally sung by Léo Ferré), "La Javanaise" (1963, written by Serge Gainsbourg for Gréco) and "Désh ...

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

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, ...

Claudio Villa Claudio Villa (born Claudio Pica; 1 January 1926 – 7 February 1987) was an Italian singer and actor. Biography Tenor Claudio Villa was born Claudio Pica in the Trastevere quarter of Rome in 1926. He recorded over 3000 songs, sold 45 million ...

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 ...

, Mario Del Monaco,

Beniamino Gigli Beniamino Gigli ( , ; 20 March 1890 – 30 November 1957) was an Italian opera singer ( lyric tenor). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest tenors of his generation. Early life Gigli was born in Recanati, in the Marche, the son of a sho ...

Ferruccio Tagliavini Ferruccio Tagliavini (; 14 August 191329 January 1995) was an Italian operatic lyric tenor mainly active in the 1940s and 1950s. Tagliavini was hailed as the heir apparent to Tito Schipa and Beniamino Gigli in the lyric-opera repertory due to t ...

Jovanotti Lorenzo Cherubini (; born 27 September 1966), known professionally as Jovanotti (), is an Italian singer-songwriter, rapper, and disc jockey. The name Jovanotti derives from ''giovanotti'', the plural form of the Italian word ''giovanotto'' (" ...

Peppino di Capri Giuseppe Faiella (born 27 July 1939), professionally known as Peppino di Capri ("Peppino" is a diminutive of "Giuseppe" and "di Capri" means "of Capri"), is an Italian popular music singer, songwriter and pianist, successful in Italy and Europe. ...

Vic Damone Vic Damone (born Vito Rocco Farinola; June 12, 1928 – February 11, 2018) was an American traditional pop music, pop and big band singer and actor. He was best known for his performances of songs such as the number one hit "You're Breaking My ...

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 ...

Milva Maria Ilva Biolcati, (; 17 July 1939 – 23 April 2021), known as Milva (), was an Italian singer, stage and film actress, and television personality. She was also known as ''La Rossa'' (Italian for "The Redhead"), due to the characteristic co ...

Dalida Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida (, ; ), was an Italian naturalized French singer and actress. Leading an international career, Dalida has sold over 140 million records worldwide. Some ...

Enrico Rava Enrico Rava (born 20 August 1939), is an Italian jazz trumpeter. He started on trombone, then changed to the trumpet after hearing Miles Davis. Career He was born in Trieste, Italy. His first commercial work was as a member of Gato Barbieri's ...

Jonas Kaufmann Jonas Kaufmann (born July 10, 1969) is a German- Austrian tenor opera singer. He is best known for the versatility of his repertoire, performing a variety of opera roles in multiple languages in recital Tommasini, Anthony (21 February 2014)"A Teno ...

Alfie Boe Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe (born 29 September 1973) is an English actor and singer who performs primarily in musical theatre. Boe is best known for his performances as Jean Valjean in the musical ''Les Misérables'' at the Queen's Theatre ...

Russell Watson Russell Watson (born 24 November 1966) is an English crossover/popular singer, almost in the tenor range, who has released singles and albums of both quasi-operatic-style and pop songs. He began singing as a child, and became known after per ...

Peter Schreier Peter Schreier (29 July 1935 – 25 December 2019) was a German tenor in opera, concert and lied, and a conductor. He was regarded as one of the leading lyric tenors of the 20th century. Schreier was a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor conduct ...

Zarah Leander Zarah Leander (; 15 March 1907 – 23 June 1981) was a Sweden, Swedish singer and actress whose greatest success was in Germany between 1936 and 1943, when she was contracted to work for the state-owned UFA GmbH, Universum Film AG (UFA). Althou ...

Giorgio Gaber Giorgio Gaberscik (25 January 1939 – 1 January 2003), known as Giorgio Gaber (), was an Italian singer-songwriter, composer, actor, playwright, and musician. He was also an accomplished guitar player and author of one of the first rock songs ...

Fred Buscaglione Ferdinando "Fred" Buscaglione (; 23 November 1921 – 3 February 1960) was an Italian singer and actor who became very popular in the late 1950s. His public persona – the character he played both in his songs and his movies – was of a humoro ...

Johnny Dorelli Giorgio Guidi (born 20 February 1937), known professionally as Johnny Dorelli, is an Italian actor, singer and television host. Early life Giorgio Guidi was born in Meda, Lombardy, Italy. In 1946, he moved with his family to New York City, ...

Achille Togliani Achille Togliani (; 16 January 1924 in Pomponesco – 12 August 1995) was an Italian singer and actor. He was a participant in the first Sanremo Music Festival in 1951. Togliani's version of the song "" was used in the commercial of the per ...

Tino Rossi Constantin "Tino" Rossi (29 April 1907 – 26 September 1983) was a French singer and film actor of Corsican origin. Born in Ajaccio, Corsica, Rossi was gifted with a voice well suited for opera. He became a tenor in the French cabaret style. ...

, Lys Gauty,

Patachou Henriette Ragon (10 June 1918 – 30 April 2015), better known as Patachou, was a French singer and actress, best-known for popularizing Georges Brassens songs by singing them before he became famous. She was an Officier of the Légion d'honneu ...

Suzy Delair Suzy Delair (born Suzette Pierrette Delaire; December 31, 1917 – March 15, 2020) was a French actress, dancer, singer, comedian and star of vaudeville. Early years Growing up in Montmartre, Delair was the daughter of a father who upholstered ...

Koen Crucke Koenraad Desiré Arthur (Koen) Crucke (born 11 February 1952 in Ghent) is a Belgian operatic tenor, politician, and actor of stage, television, and film. As an opera singer he has been particularly active at the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp where he sp ...

, Narciso Parigi, Oscar Carboni,

Antonella Ruggiero Antonella Ruggiero (born 15 November 1952) is an Italian singer and song-writer, mostly known as a founding member and lead singer of the pop-rock band Matia Bazar. Ruggiero is a light soprano. Her vocal range exceeds 4 octaves thanks to the u ...

Emilio Pericoli Emilio Pericoli (7 January 1928 – 9 April 2013) was an Italian singer. He was born in Cesenatico, Romagna, Italy. Pericoli's success was closely tied to the Sanremo Festival. He recorded a cover version of the song, " Al di là", by festiva ...

, La Crus, The Ray Charles Singers, The Gaylords,

Gisele MacKenzie Gisèle MacKenzie (born Gisèle Marie Louise Marguerite LaFlèche; January 10, 1927 – September 5, 2003)
Accessed April 2010 ...

Lara Saint Paul Silvana Savorelli (30 April 1945 – 8 May 2018), professionally known as Lara Saint Paul and also known as Tanya, was an Italian Eritreans, Italian Eritrean singer, entertainer, impresario and record producer. Sanremo Music Festival Saint Paul ...

, Carlo Buti, and Robertino.

Charts

; Peppino di Capri version ; Mal version

References

{{Reflist Italian songs 1932 songs Number-one singles in Italy