Speak Softly, Love
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"Love Theme from ''The Godfather''" is an
instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...
theme from the 1972 film ''
The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...
'', composed by
Nino Rota Giovanni "Nino" Rota Rinaldi (; ; 3 December 1911 – 10 April 1979) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti. He also composed ...
. The piece was lyricized in English by
Larry Kusik Larry Kusik (also known as Larry Kusic) is a lyricist. He is perhaps best known for writing the lyrics for the tune " Speak Softly Love", the love theme from the 1972 film ''The Godfather''. He has also written lyrics to many other movie themes, in ...
into "Speak Softly, Love", a
popular song Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...
released in 1972. The highest-charting rendition of either version was by vocalist
Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...
, who took "Speak Softly Love" to number 34 on ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' magazine's
Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
. and number seven on its
Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...
chart..


Background

Larry Kusik Larry Kusik (also known as Larry Kusic) is a lyricist. He is perhaps best known for writing the lyrics for the tune " Speak Softly Love", the love theme from the 1972 film ''The Godfather''. He has also written lyrics to many other movie themes, in ...
wrote the original, English lyrics, and
Nino Rota Giovanni "Nino" Rota Rinaldi (; ; 3 December 1911 – 10 April 1979) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic who is best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti. He also composed ...
composed the score. A previous version of the theme had been used in the 1958 Italian film ''Fortunella''. Different sets of lyrics for the song have been written in French (''Parle plus bas''), Italian (''Parla più piano''), Portuguese (''Fale baixinho''), Sicilian (''Brucia la terra''), and Spanish (''Amor háblame dulcemente'', ''El milagro de tu amor'').
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 ...
sings the French version; the Sicilian version is sung by Anthony Corleone (Franc D'Ambrosio) in ''
The Godfather Part III ''The Godfather Part III'' is a 1990 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from the screenplay co-written with Mario Puzo. The film stars Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy García, Eli Wallach, Jo ...
''. It was first heard in America in 1969 on ''
The Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series had runs on two different networks on NBC (1962–1963) and CBS (1969–1972) but is most known for its run on first-run syndication from 1965 to 1 ...
'' sung by Angela Bacari in English and Italian.


Awards

Rota's score for ''The Godfather'' was nominated for a 1973
Academy Award for Best Original Score The Academy Award for Best Original Score is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by ...
. However, it was disqualified from consideration when the academy learned Rota had used a more comedic version of the song for the film '' Fortunella'' (1958). The disqualification was under a rule that excluded "scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other pre-existing music". Nonetheless, Rota's score for ''
The Godfather Part II ''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic film, epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, loosely based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather (novel), The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Cop ...
'' won the 1974 Academy Award for Best Score, despite the fact that it contained the same piece.


Chart performance

The first version of the song to reach any of the charts in ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' magazine was "Love Theme from ''The Godfather''" by pianist
Roger Williams Roger Williams (March 1683) was an English-born New England minister, theologian, author, and founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Pl ...
. His instrumental recording debuted in the issue dated 1 April 1972, and " bubbled under" the
Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...
for five weeks, peaking at number 116,. and another piano rendition by
Ferrante and Teicher Ferrante & Teicher were a duo of American pianists known for their clever arrangements of familiar classical pieces, movie soundtracks, and show tunes, as well as their signature style of florid, intricate, and fast-paced piano playing performance ...
got as high as number 28
Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...
during its four-week chart run that began in the 8 April issue.. The version that the film's music director,
Carlo Savina Carlo Savina (2 August 1919 – 23 June 2002) was an Italian composer and conductor who composed, arranged, and conducted music for films, and is especially remembered for being the music director of films such as '' The Godfather'' (1972), '' A ...
, and his orchestra recorded for the soundtrack first charted on the Hot 100 in the 22 April issue and made it to number 66 during a nine-week chart run.. It also reached number 24 on the Easy Listening chart during its three weeks there that began in the 20 May issue..


Charts (Love Theme)


"Speak Softly Love"

The Andy Williams version of "Speak Softly Love" also made its first appearance in the 8 April issue and reached number 34 on the Hot 100 during its 11 weeks there and number seven Easy Listening over the course of 12 weeks. A recording of the song by
Al Martino Jasper Cini (October 7, 1927 – October 13, 2009), known professionally as Al Martino, was an American traditional pop and standards singer. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid-1970s, being described as "one o ...
debuted on both of those charts in the 29 April issue and peaked at number 80 during its four weeks on the Hot 100. and number 24 on the Easy Listening chart, where it also spent four weeks.. In the UK Williams began a run of nine weeks on 5 August of that year that led to a number 42 showing. In Spain, his version was a number-one hit, staying at the top of the charts for 15 weeks.


Charts (Speak Softly Love)


Recordings

*
Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash th ...
of
Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...
began performing instrumental guitar versions of the song as early as the late 1980s. The song is often referred to as "The Godfather Theme" and is included on his 2010 live album '' Live in Manchester'' and his 2011 live album '' Made in Stoke''. A studio recording exists and was recorded for a rare 2002 soundtrack titled ''
The Kid Stays in the Picture ''The Kid Stays in the Picture'' is a 1994 print autobiography by film producer Robert Evans. A film adaptation of the book was released in 2002. The title comes from a line attributed to studio head Darryl F. Zanuck, who was defending Evans a ...
''. *A Ukrainian version, "Skazhy shcho liubysh" (; lit. Say what you love) was performed by
Sofia Rotaru Sofiia Mykhailivna Yevdokymenko-Rotaru ( ; ; ; born 7 August 1947), known simply as Sofia Rotaru, is a Ukrainian pop singer of Romanian origin. Rotaru, nicknamed "Bukovinsky Solovey" ("the Nightingale from Bukovina"), emerged in 1966 as a po ...
in the musical film '' Song Is Always with Us'' (1975), as the
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
administration did not allow her to record an English cover of ''The Godfather''s theme following an offer from
Ariola Records Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola Express, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international ...
. *
James Booker James Carroll Booker III (December 17, 1939 – November 8, 1983) was an American New Orleans rhythm and blues keyboardist and singer. Flamboyant in personality and style, and a pianist of extraordinary technical skill, he was dubbed "the Blac ...
included an instrumental version of the song on his album ''Classified''. *
Jason Kouchak Jason Kouchak is a French pianist, composer and singer-songwriter. Early life Jason Mariano Kouchak was born in Lyon, France. He was educated at Westminster School and studied classical piano at the Royal College of Music and the University of E ...
sang the original Italian version Parla più piano as a tribute. *
Paul Mauriat Paul Julien André Mauriat ( or ; 4 March 1925 – 3 November 2006) was a French orchestra leader, conductor of Le Grand Orchestre de Paul Mauriat, who specialized in the easy listening genre. He is best known in the United States for his mill ...
's rendition was used as the theme music in the
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
short animated film ''
Contact Contact may refer to: Interaction Physical interaction * Contact (geology), a common geological feature * Contact lens or contact, a lens placed on the eye * Contact sport, a sport in which players make contact with other players or objects * C ...
'' (1978), where the melody acts as a central plot device. * Bay Area rapper
Mac Dre Andre Louis Hicks (July 5, 1970 – November 1, 2004), known artistically as Mac Dre, was an American rapper, record producer and songwriter from Vallejo, California. He was an instrumental figure in the emergence of hyphy, a cultural movement ...
sampled the theme in his hip-hop song "Mafioso" from his album, ''Al Boo Boo'' (2003). * Hip-hop artist
RZA Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name RZA ( ) or the RZA, is an American rapper, record producer, composer, actor, and filmmaker. He is the '' de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having pro ...
of
Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...
samples the theme in "Black Mozart" on
Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon ( ), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success following the release of the ...
's album '' Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt. II'' (2009). * A heavy metal cover of the song was done by the band
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
on their album '' The Director's Cut'' in 2001. *
Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera". Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...
recorded the Sicilian version for his 2015 album ''
Cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ** Filmmaking, the process of making a film * Movie theate ...
''. *
Gianni Morandi Gian Luigi "Gianni" Morandi (; born 11 December 1944) is an Italian pop singer, actor and entertainer. It is estimated that Morandi has sold about 50 million recordings. Early life Born in Monghidoro, Emilia-Romagna, the son of a cobbler, Mor ...
performs a version of song in Italian. * Italian-French singer
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 ...
performed a French version of the song written by Boris Bergman in her 1972 album ''
Il faut du temps "Il faut du temps", also known under the full title "Il faut du temps (Je me battrai pour ça)" (; "It takes time (I will fight for that)"), was the entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002, performed in French by Sandrine François. The song ...
''. * The Latino-Mediterranean band French Latino also performed the French version. in their album ''Guarda la esperanza.'' * German singer
Udo Lindenberg Udo Lindenberg (born 17 May 1946) is a German singer, composer, and painter. Career Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969, he founded his first band Free Orbit, and also appeared as a studio and guest musician (with Micha ...
recorded a version with new German lyrics as the closing title track for his 2016 album ''Stärker als die Zeit.'' *Japanese singer
Kiyohiko Ozaki was a Japanese singer and actor. He was noted for his dynamic singing voice and sideburns. His nickname was "Kieyo". Career He grew up in Chigasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture. His grandfather is British. In 1971, he released his greatest hit ...
recorded a cover with Japanese lyrics on his 1972 album ''Kieyo'72''. * Jamaican artist
Ken Boothe Kenneth George Boothe OD (born 22 March 1948) is a Jamaican vocalist known for his distinctive vibrato and timbre. Boothe achieved an international reputation as one of Jamaica's finest vocalists through a series of crossover hits that appeal ...
covered the song on his 1974 album " Everything I Own (album)". * Finnish singer
Fredi Fredi may refer to: * Fredi (Valencian pilota) (born 1957), retired Valencian pilota professional player * Fredi Bobic (born 1971), German football striker * Fredi González (born 1964), Cuban current manager of the Atlanta Braves * Fredi Walker, A ...
recorded a version "Puhu hiljaa rakkaudesta" with Finnish lyrics by Vexi Salmi in 1972. * Venezuelan singer
Rudy Márquez Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...
recorded a self-adapted spanish version, on his 1972 albu
Háblame Suavemente
* Hungarian singer Korda György released his version called ''Gyöngéden'' with Hungarian lyrics by Zsuzsa Váradi on his 1974 album ''Mondd, Hogy Szép Volt Az Este.''


See also

*" Promise Me You'll Remember (Love Theme from ''The Godfather Part III'')"


References


Bibliography

* *


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Speak Softly Love (Love Theme From The Godfather) 1972 singles Columbia Records singles Paramount Records singles Songs with lyrics by Larry Kusik Andy Williams songs Scott Walker (singer) songs
Love Theme From The Godfather "Love Theme from ''The Godfather''" is an instrumental theme from the 1972 film ''The Godfather'', composed by Nino Rota. The piece was lyricized in English by Larry Kusik into "Speak Softly, Love", a popular song released in 1972. The highes ...
Love themes Film theme songs Song recordings produced by Dick Glasser