“Natali” was first released by Shirley Bassey on the 1976 Love Life and Feelings album and on a single with “Runaway” on the B side.
The song was originally written in Italian by Umberto Balsamo and released in 1975. Another famous Italian version was released by saxophonist Fausto Papetti. English lyrics were written by Norman Newell.
Shirley Bassey has performed this song at some concerts and a live recording was released on the 1977 “Live In Japan” album.
A new recording was released in 1984 with the London Symphony Orchestra on the “I Am What I Am” album and on a single with “As I Love You” on the B side.
Dame Shirley performing Natali at a concert in Amsterdam in 1978
Lyrics:
I saw the danger the day we met her No passing stranger who could forget her Their glance was fleeting But told a story And that chance meeting Meant heartaches for me
Natalie, Natalie You are young You are free You don’t love him And it could never be He is all I live for Please send him back to me
I’ll understand him I know his feelings He’s only human He thinks he loves you I tried to hate you And wish you bad things O god forgive me And love her sad thing
Natalie, Natalie You are young You are free You don’t love him And it could never be He is all I live for Please send him back to me
Natalie, Natalie You are young You are free You don’t love him And it could never be He is all I live for Please send him back to me
Natalie, Natalie You are young You are free You don’t love him And it could never be He is all I live for Send him back to me…..
Today another clip from French TV. about Yello from 1998.
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Lyrics:
You know that my tears, have kept me awake The longer you’re gone, I’ll hunger and shake From Warsaw to Rome, I’ll wait out of time With you in my heart The Rhythm Divine
So won’t you come close, bring this to an end With each winter rose, my love I will send So tender the night, when you hold me tight With you in my heart The Rhythm Divine
With you in my heart The Rhythm Divine
You know that these tears, have kept me awake The longer you’re gone, I’ll hunger and shake From Warsaw to Rome, I’ll wait out of time With you in my heart The Rhythm Divine The Rhythm Divine The Rhythm Divine
With you in my heart The Rhythm Divine
The Rhythm Divine
Music by Boris Blank and Lyrics by Billy MacKenzie
First released in 1987, Shirley Bassey sings the vocals to this track in a collaboration with Swiss band Yello. The music is by Yello, a band consisting of Boris Blank and Dieter Meier with backing vocals recorded by co-writer Billy MacKenzie. The vocals were recorded at Yello’s studio in Zurich.
Chart Positions:
Official Swiss Chart Entered: Aug 02 1987
Highest: Singles: #21 Run: 5 weeks
Official British Chart Entered: Aug 22 1987
Highest: Singles: #54 Run: 2 weeks
Background:
The Swiss group Yello have produced some of the sharpest electro funk of the past two decades. Fusing a camp disco sensibility with a kitsch sense of humour, they are the cuckoo clocks of pop.
In 1987 the besuited and moustachioed Yelloman Dieter Meier sent a tape of their music to Shirley Bassey. “I have to admit, much to our surprise, she got back in touch with us and said she’d like to work with us” Meier said. “So we could not refuse. Drafting in ex-associates Billy Mackenzie as lyricist and co-collaborator, ‘The Rhythm Divine’ was written especially for the Tiger Bay diva. Billy MacKenzie worked with Yello on several occasions, he died in January 23rd 1997. “Shirley Bassey has one of the greatest voices I have ever heard and a strength as a performer that’s rare” praised Meier.
Bassey flew over to Yello’s Zurich studio and recorded her vocals in under 40 minutes, arriving an hour late for the session, Meier missed it completely. The song seemed to bridge the generation gap. “Working with her made everything valid with my mum and aunties” said Billy Mackenzie, whose backing vocals were overdubbed an astonishing 90 times. “It’s smoothed out those family wrinkles” brooding and sensual, rhythm is the perfect music for pleasure and was unlike anything Dame Shirley had done before.
In comments about this song Shirley Bassey showed that she obviously did not like the results. Maybe at this time she was not ready for this musical style. At a concert in the Royal Albert Hall following the release of the Yello album she introduced the song by saying “this is how this song should have sounded”. I presume she meant with a live orchestra. But most of her fans agree that this song is among her best and also the recording quality is uniquely outstanding.
It was the outstanding track on Yello’s album ‘One Second’ and also appeared on the Reader’s Digest Collection This Is My Life. It would have made a great James Bond theme. Ten years on, history repeated itself ten years later when Bassey again hit the charts in collaboration, this time recording History Repeating with the Propellerheads.
Recordings:
Various different mixes of The Rhythm Divine have been released. Below is an overview of these different recordings. For more detailed information go to the Song Finder.
Original Album Version (length: 4:10 – 4:14)
7″ Single Version (Length: 3:30)
Maxi-Single Version (Length: 5:05)
1990s Re-Touched Version (Length: 4:20)
The Rhythm Divine also forms a part of the Yello Metropolitan Mixdown 1989 Part II.
Music Video:
A music video was produced featuring Shirley Bassey. The video was released in 1992 on the Yello compilation video ‘Essential Yello.’
Yello Ft. Shirley Bassey – Rhythm Divine (Hani`s Bootleg Mix)
Yello Ft. Shirley Bassey – Rhythm Divine (Hani`s Bootleg Dub)
“2002 I was experimenting one late night with Native Instruments Reaktor making some tribal drums and trippy sounds. It sounded really different from what I was doing at the time. It worked really well alone but was missing vocals. I reached for the first thing that was in front of me at the time Yello Feat. Shirley Bassey “Rhythm Divine.” The final result became a monster bootleg mix. Yello wanted to release but couldn’t due to some publishing issues with the various writers of the song…. Due to the lack of funds and total disregard by record labels, most of my work is not available anywhere online. I’ve put an extensive effort in remastering all my productions and remixes to make them available here on djhani.com. I had to do this before I die to save this work from extinction because no one else will. With your support this music will live on forever. The money I make here goes to keeping this site alive & running moreover, it will encourage me to go on doing what I do best.”
Additional Production and Remix by DJ Hani at NUM Sound, NYC.
Isn’t It A Shame is a song from the Love Life & Feelings album. The songs was first recorded by singer songwriter Randy Edelman on his 1975 album ‘Prime Cuts.’ Edelman is reported to have said that he didn’t want to put the track on the album, feeling that it didn’t fit in with the rest of the album; but Russ Regan, head of Edelman’s record label, loved the track and insisted it was included. Subsequently recorded by ‘LaBelle,’ the group fronted by Patti LaBelle on their 1976 album ‘Chameleon.’ They recorded a very different version to Edelman’s recording, and it rose to number 18 in the US R&B charts.
Lyrics:
How is it, that two people Who laugh together and love together Sometimes end up far apart?
And how is it, that two people Who cry together wanna die together Sometimes end up with a broken heart?
Isn’t it a shame my friend Sometimes such a love must end Isn’t it a shame you have to laugh before you cry?
And how is it, that two people Who cling together and dream together Sometimes end up all alone?
And how is it, that two people Who plan together make a life together Sometimes end up out on their own?
Isn’t it a shame my friend Sometimes such a love must end Isn’t it a shame you have to laugh before you cry?
Isn’t it a shame my friend Sometimes such a love must end Isn’t it a shame you have to laugh before you cry?
Isn’t it a shame my friend Sometimes such a love must end Isn’t it a shame you have to laugh before you cry? Isn’t it a shame you have to laugh before you cry?
“Natali” was first released by Shirley Bassey on the 1976 Love Life and Feelings album and on a single with “Runaway” on the B side.
Dame Shirley Bassey Blog 
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