Born To Lose

Written by Sergio Bardotti / Dario Baldan Bembo.
English lyrics penned by Norman Newell.

Released on the 1976 album “Love, life and feelings” and  on a single with “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” on the A-side. Available on CD on the collection “Four Decades Of Song”

Originally this was an Italian song called “Aria” and performed by Dario Baldan Bembo. Years later, in 1976 Mr. Acker Bilk recorded “Aria” instrumentally with his clarinet, which became a hit – in Britain it reached number five in the charts. Mr. Acker Bilk (born: Bernard Stanley Bilk) is a well known musician, a notable example is his 1962 hit “Stranger on the Shore”.

Norman Newell then penned English lyrics to the song for Shirley Bassey and the title became “Born To Lose”. Shirley Bassey has performed this song on some live appearances and TV shows – a live recording is on Live In Japan ’77. In 2000 Shirley Bassey sung it again on some concerts of her Millennium Tour, and also on the Stately Homes Tour 2001.

The Italian singer Ornella Vanoni has later also sung “Aria” in English, but with different English lyrics penned by Ben Raleigh.

 

Lyrics:

Born to lose
Born to lose the game
Born to cry
When I hear you’re near
Born to smile
Through a mist of tears
Born to live
Lost in lonely years

Born to lose
Every game I play
You must go
There’s no other way
Touch my life
With your love once more
It must last
Till forever more

Take my love
Take my life, my soul
Take my dreams
Take my word, my own

Would I change
Could I only choose
No not me
I was born to lose

Take my love
Take my life, my soul
Take my dreams
Take my word, my own

Would I change
Could I only choose
No not me
I was born to lose

Take my love
Take my life, my soul
Take my dreams
Take my word, my own

Would I change
Could I only choose
No not me
I was born to lose

Take my love
Take my life, my soul
Take my dreams
Take my word, my own

(Transcribed by Roman)

The album “Love, life and feelings”  was released in 1976 and re-released by BGO in 2006 on CD

To order your copy of this great CD click on the cover below:

About the dress Shirley is wearing for the CD cover:

A dramatic stage gown by Douglas Darnell, the fitted bodice and peppermint green silk chiffon ground encrusted with pale green iridescent sequins, the halterneck and scooped back edged with strands of imitation pearls graduating in size from the imitation emerald jewelled clasp at the base of the neck, the back elaborately embellished with fifteen additional strands of imitation pearls graduating in size from neck to lower back and cascading from the clasp in a decorative cage effect, the skirt with flowing train lined in silver silk tissue; and a corresponding pair of stiletto heeled sandals customised by Darnell, stamped on the insole Hand Made By Peppino Vasso and with the retailer’s name F. Pinet;

Weight of gown: approx. 2kg.

She wore the gown for the cover shoot of various albums including: Love life & feelings, 1976, Twenty Greatest Hits and Let me sing and I”m happy.  Sold at Christies’ gown auction for £4,500.

Shirley wearing the “pearl dress” at the famous 1973 Royal Albert Hall concert where superfan Hilary Finney presented  Shirley a bouquet of flowers.