Close your eyes and picture this: a windswept terrace above the sparkling Gulf of Sorrento, where the legendary tenor Enrico Caruso spends one of his final evenings. Lucio Dalla’s Caruso turns that image into a cinematic mini-opera. The lyrics move between tender embraces and sweeping memories of nights in America, fusing personal nostalgia with the irresistible pull of the sea. When Caruso sings “Te voglio bene assaje” (“I love you so very much”), love feels like a chain that melts in the bloodstream, freeing every emotion at once.
Beyond the romantic surface, the song is also a meditation on the sheer power of music. Dalla contrasts the carefully staged drama of opera with the raw honesty of two green eyes staring back at you — the moment when words fail and feelings take over. In those seconds the world shrinks, pain softens, and even death seems sweet, so the tenor starts singing again, happier than before. Caruso is both a love letter to Italy’s most famous voice and a reminder that, when melody meets true emotion, time, distance, and even life’s end fade into the background.
Lucio Dalla (1943–2012) was a celebrated Italian singer-songwriter and musician from Bologna, renowned for blending jazz, blues, opera, and pop into his unique sound. A gifted clarinetist and keyboardist, he rose to fame with iconic songs like Caruso (1986), a heartfelt tribute to opera tenor Enrico Caruso, and L'anno che verrà (1979).
Starting his career in local jazz bands, Dalla evolved into a masterful solo artist whose poetic lyrics and experimental style earned critical acclaim across Italy and beyond. His collaborations with poet Roberto Roversi marked a bold period of creativity, while later works explored folk and classical influences. Dalla's timeless music continues to inspire, making him one of Italy's most beloved cultural figures.