Quando, quando, quando
Language Italian (original)
English title When, When, When?
Published 1962
Composer(s) Tony Renis
Lyricist(s) Alberto Testa (Italian original)
“Quando, quando, quando” (pronounced [ˈkwando ˈkwando ˈkwando]) is an Italian pop song from 1962, in the bossa nova style, with music written by Tony Renis and lyrics by Alberto Testa. The song, originally recorded in two different versions by Tony Renis and Emilio Pericoli, competed in the Sanremo Music Festival in 1962, where it placed fourth, and later became a commercial success in Italy, topping the Musica e dischi singles chart. American entertainer Pat Boone, who recorded the song in 1962, sang the English lyrics written by Ervin Drake.
The song is one of the best-selling singles of all time, with more than 50 million sold.
The title translates as “When, When, When”.
The title translates as “When, When, When”.
The song has been used and remixed by many artists and in many different arrangements, including English pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck in 1968. In 2005, Michael Bublé performed the song as a duet with Nelly Furtado. There is an instrumental Latin version by Edgardo Cintron and The Tiempos Noventa Orchestra. The song was a 1962 Billboard Top 100 entry by Pat Boone.
Quando is the only Italian word normally retained in most English-language renditions of the song.
Pat Boone sang the starting piece in Italian but then carried on the rest of it in English, repeating every now and again some Italian words. The Italian words sung by Boone are:
Dimmi quando tu verrai,
dimmi quando… quando… quando…
l’anno, il giorno e l’ora in cui
forse tu mi bacerai…
(in cui means when)
Other singers who played the song include:
Connie Francis, American pop singer of Italian origin, sang in Italian in 1963
Bobby Curtola, Canadian singer, charted with it in 1967
Cliff Richard, English singer, in 1968
Marc Ansoult, Belgian singer in 1968
Sergio Franchi recorded the song (mostly in Italian, with short chorus in English) on his 1965 RCA Victor album Live at the Coconut Grove.
Liz Damon’s Orient Express recorded a version in the early 1970s.
Michael Bublé recorded a duet version with Nelly Furtado in 2005.
Other versions
Tony Renis, an Italian singer and composer, wrote the song with Alberto Testa in 1962 and performed it at the Sanremo Music Festival the same year.
Caterina Valente, an Italian singer, recorded a German version in 1962 “Sag mir Quando, Quando, Quando”
Tito Rodríguez, a Puerto Rican conductor, arranger and singer recorded this song in mambo style, entitled “Cuando, cuando, cuando”.
Roberto Blanco, a singer of Cuban origins working in Germany, sings in a mixed German and Italian.
Sinn Sisamouth, a Khmer singer, recorded a Cambodian version in the 1960s.
Tiiu Varik, Estonian singer, recorded Estonian version in 1964 for Estonian Television. Later also other artists, for example Mati Nuude and Toomas Anni recorded that song.
Jüri Lipp, an Estonian singer in Canada, recorded an Estonian version in 1968.
Gisella Cozzo, an Italo-Australian singer song-songwriter, sang both the English and Italian versions in her album Double released in 2015.
Teddy Mac – The Songaminute Man, in 2016, a gentleman who at 80 recorded “Quando, Quando, Quando” with “You Make Me Feel So Young” at Abbey Road after his son uploaded his videos to YouTube featuring the two of them singing along with the stereo while riding in the car. Proceeds from sales of the song are split between Teddy and his wife and the Alzheimer’s Society in England, as Teddy has Alzheimer’s.
Deana Martin recorded “Quando, Quando, Quando” on her 2016 album Swing Street.
Engelbert Humperdinck, 1968
Marco T, 2014 a Colombian singer recorded a Spanish version
Bunny Walters, released as the B side of his 1973 single “”Home Isn’t Home Anymore”.