Caruso is an operatic song written in 1986 by Italian musician Lucio Dalla (1943 – 2012), who also sang it. Dalla dedicated the song to Enrico Caruso, one of the greatest and most sought-after Italian Opera singers during the late 19th and early 20th century.
The song is most probably a way of romanticizing Enrico Caruso’s last days, and has become immensely popular. It has been recorded by Josh Groban, Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Boccelli and many others.
What inspired Dalla to write “Caruso”?
Dalla had the occasion to stay at the same hotel “Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento” where Caruso passed his last nights.
Controversially, the song simply talks about the pain and longings of a man who is about to die while he is looking into the eyes of a girl who was very dear to him. Dalla imagined Caruso singing for a young woman with green eyes with whom he had fallen deeply in love.