"J'attendrai" is a popular French song first recorded by Rina Ketty in 1938. It became the big French song during World War II; a counterpart to Lale Andersen's Lili Marleen in Germany and Vera Lynn's We'll Meet Again in Britain. "J'attendrai" is actually a French version of the Italian song "Tornerai" ISWC: T-005.001.119-2 composed by Dino Olivieri and Nino Rastelli in 1936, said to be inspired from the Humming Chorus of Puccini's Opera "Madame Butterfly". It was first recorded in 1937 by both Carlo Buti and Trio Lescano, and become a huge hit in Italy. The French lyrics were written by Louis Poterat, and "J'attendrai" became an instant success. Rina Ketty's version was followed the same year by one of Belgian chanteuse Anne Clercy, and both Tino Rossi and Jean Sablon recorded it in 1939. When France was occupied in 1940, it quickly became the big French war song, with the love song's title being interpreted as meaning waiting for peace and/or liberation. The French version of this Italian song became so well known across Europe that it was often called "J'attendrai" even when recorded instrumentally, such the two versions recorded by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli in 1938, or referred to as the original source when sung in other languages, such as Richard Tauber's British "Au revoir" and Bing Crosby's and Hildegarde's American "I’ll Be Yours". The Crosby version was recorded on December 18, 1945 for Decca Records with Camarata and His Orchestra. There were also German versions, sung by both Rudi Schuricke and Horst Winter on recordings made in 1939. The song became known in Denmark as "Kun for dig" ; in Norway as "Kun for deg" ; in Sweden as "Blott för dig'" ; in Poland as "Czekam cię" ; in Czechoslovakia as "Věřím vám" ; and in Lithuania as "Ak, sugrįžk".
Later recordings
An extremely popular version was recorded by Dalida for her 1975 album J'attendrai. The following year, she covered the song again for her disco album Coup de chapeau au passé: that version reached the Dutch charts on February 21, 1976. It has status of first disco hit in France. Inspired by Django Reinhardt's version, many stars of the European Gypsy Jazz scene have recorded the song, including Raphaël Faÿs, Fapy Lafertin, Angelo Debarre, and Jimmy Rosenberg. Other Gypsy Jazz versions have been recorded by North American groups such as The Hot Club of Detroit, The Hot Club of San Francisco, and Hot Club Sandwich. French singerRaquel Bitton sings "J'attendrai" on her album Boleros. Italian singer Raffaella Carrá covered the song in Italian, titled Tornerai in her 1976 album Forte Forte Forte, and later in Spanish, titled Volveré. Canadian singer Jill Barber covered the song in her French album Chansons,' which was released in 2013. A recent version of this song was recorded by Italian singer Antonella Ruggiero on the albumSouvenir d'Italie, released in 2007. In 2010 Greek singerVicky Leandros recorded this song in a new German version entitled "Wenn Du Gehst", which is included in her album Zeitlos''. In 2016, American musician and former member of Neutral Milk Hotel recorded this song with its original title "J'Attrendai", for his podcast, The Orbiting Human Circus
In film
Recordings of "Tornerai " / J'attendrai have been popular for film and TV soundtracks since the early 1950s, being heard in more than 15 films and TV series, among them Lilacs in the Spring, Arch of Triumph, Das Boot, A Good Year and Allied. J'attendrai is the main song in Arch of Triumph, a 1984 film starring Anthony Hopkins and Lesley-Anne Down.
Other uses
The tune of "J'attendrai" served a Yiddish song sung in Auschwitz "Komm zu mir". The intro of "J'attendrai" is also heard in a sleeping quarters of the underground barracks of Fort Eben-Emael, Belgium. The room shows visitors what sleeping quarters of regular soldiers looked like in 1940, when Belgium was attacked by Nazi-Germany. The song was used in a French television commercial for car manufacturerRenault in 2007. The song was also used in the novelLove From Paris by Alexandra Potter, to signify the love between two characters. In Pierre Assouline's WWII novel Lutetia, the J'attendrai is sung defiantly by political prisoners held by the Nazis at the Cherche-Midi prison in Paris.
