PRONTO: SONO IO (HELLO: THIS IS ME)

From a German magazine from the seventies this funny article:

Quarrel in the house of Shirley Bassey

The temperamental Sergio Novak blew up last week. Shirley’s phone bill was once again sky-high: The Italian  phone company sent him an 800 Euro bill for the month of January. Sergio said his wife was sailing close to the wind.
The furious husband in the remote Lugano tried to contact his wife in London. After a four-minute conversation, he learned from the reception of the Hilton that; ‘Madame is out’. Fee for four minutes on the phone: 30 Euro.
After six minutes on the phone with Shirley’s dressmaker Doug Darnell the message was: ‘Madame left the salon 10 minutes ago’.
The understanding wardrobe lady at White Apple took even longer. ‘Miss Bassey is in rehearsal for her new tour and must not be disturbed!’ But then she seemed to sense the heat of Sergio’s now tarnished red head.
Shirley took over the phone, listened to the three-minute surge of Italian-English bad words from back home and then cooly countered (in 5 seconds) : ‘For ten years I am calling my mother every day in Wales. If you are away I always use your telephone but in recent months you were just far too long at home’.
To save money, now manager-husband Sergio had the gold idea: Shirley’s mother will accompany her daughter on the tour. Sergio: ‘It’s much cheaper’. (Thanks to Rien for the article, translation by Ed and Pieter)
 

Two songs that go very well with this article are ‘Pronto sono io’ and ‘Thought I’d ring you.  Below you can see the cover of the single ‘Pronto sono io’. The picture of the cover was taken in front of the apartment building in Lugano in Switzerland where Shirley lived before moving to the villa ‘Capricorn’ on the borders of lake Lugano. 

 Pronto sono io (Hello this is me)

Lyrics:
English translation)

(man’s voice:)

Hello, Hello… this is me
It’s me, darling, please listen to me
Excuse me, but you know
Someone told me that you’re leaving tomorrow
Hello… where are you
Are you listening or not? please answer me
Oh, there you are
Thank you for being there, please listen to me:
Tomorrow you will go away
Tomorrow, you know
That you’ll take my life away with you
It doesn’t matter, my love
That you didn’t say “goodbye”
You did it not to hurt me
Hello… where are you
Are you listening or not? please answer me
Oh, there you are
Thank you for being there, please listen to me:
Tomorrow you will go away
Tomorrow, you know
That you’ll take my life away with you
It doesn’t matter, my love
That you didn’t say “goodbye”
You did it not to hurt me
(phone is hung up on the other side)
Pronto… dove sei
Hello, where are you?
You don’t answer anymore
Goodbye, my love
Goodbye, my love
Goodbye, my love

(Transcribed and translated by Francesco

With Alain Delon

Here you can listen to both sides of the single that Shirley did with al Corley (from Dynasty) The a-side was ‘Remember’ and on the b-side ‘Thought I’d ring you’.

 

Remember

Thought I’d ring you