Dalida

Dalida ONLH OC CC ON OMRI
Dalida acting in the movie "L'Inconnue de Hong Kong" during 1964.
Born	Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (1933-01-17)17 January 1933 Cairo, Egypt
Died	3 May 1987(1987-05-03) (aged 54) Paris, France
Cause of death	Barbiturate overdose
Resting place	Montmartre Cemetery, Paris, France 48°53′16″N 2°19′49″E / 48.88778°N 2.33028°E / 48.88778; 2.33028
Monuments	Place Dalida, Paris, France Statue of Dalida at Montmartre Cemetery, Paris, France
Residence	Rue d'Orchampt 11 bis Montmartre, Paris, France
Other names	Yolanda Gigliotti
Occupation	Singer, actress
Years active	1956–1987 (singer) 1954–1986 (actress)
Style	Chanson, classical, eurodisco, europop, exotica, popular, disco, Franco Arabic, world, yé-yé
Title	Miss Egypt, 1954
Spouse(s)	Lucien Morisse
Awards	Médaille de la Présidence de la République by Général de Gaulle Prix de l'Académie du Disque Français.
Website	www.dalida.com
Signature

Yolanda Cristina Gigliotti^[1] (17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), better known as Dalida, was an Egyptian-born Italian-French singer and actress who performed and recorded in more than ten languages, including Arabic, Italian, Greek, German, French, English, Japanese, Hebrew, Dutch and Spanish. In 1961, she acquired French citizenship upon marriage, while maintaining her original Italian one.

Dalida ranks among the six most popular singers in the world..Twice honoured with the Oscar mondial du succès du disque (the "World Oscar of Recording Success"), she is the only European singer to have won this Oscar more than once. Her 30-year career began in 1956 and ended with her last album in 1986, less than a year before her death. Her death led to an iconic image as a tragic diva and renowned singer. She received more than 70 gold records and was the first singer to receive a platinum and a diamond disc.^[2] She sold more than 170 million albums Worldwide.^[3][4][5][6] In 1988, Dalida was posthumously honoured by the "International Star Registry" (US), with the issuance of a diploma, awarded one year after her death.

Biography

Early life

Yolanda Cristina Gigliotti was born in Cairo, Egypt. Her family was from Serrastretta, Calabria, Italy, but lived in Egypt, where Dalida's father, Pietro Gigliotti (1904—1945), was first violinist (primo violino) at the Cairo Opera House, Dalida′s mother Giuseppina (nee. Rose) (1908—1971) was a seamstress.

She was the middle child between two brothers, Orlando and Bruno (who would later in Dalida's career change his name to Orlando like his brother and become her manager at the 1966). Dalida's early life was spent in the district of Shoubra, where she attended the Scuola Tecnica Commerciale Maria Ausiliatrice, an Italian Catholic school.

In 1950, Dalida participated in the Miss Ondine beauty pageant and won the title, and shortly after began working as a model for Donna, a Cairo-based fashion house. In 1954, at the age of 20, Dalida competed in and won the Miss Egypt pageant, and was crowned Miss Egypt.^[7] It was then that she was spotted by French director Marc de Gastyne and, much to the reluctance of her parents, she moved to Paris on Christmas Eve of the same year with the intention of pursuing a career in motion pictures. It was about this time she adopted the name Dalila, which was soon changed to the more familiar Dalida.

Dalida collected 19 number one hit singles to her name in four languages (French, Italian, German, and Arabic) and has a long list of top 10, and top 20 hits in French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Arabic, and accumulated myriad top selling singles and albums largely, in France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Greece, Canada, Russia and Japan, spanning around thirty years. Four of Dalida's English language recordings ("Alabama Song", "Money Money", "Let Me Dance Tonight", and "Kalimba de Luna"), gained moderate success primarily in France and Germany, without being widely distributed in the UK and US markets.

Dalida's mother tongue was Italian. She learned Egyptian Arabic and French growing up in Cairo, and improved her French after establishing herself in Paris in 1954. She later achieved command of the English language as well as conversational skills in German and Spanish. Dalida also had the aptitude of greeting her fans in basic Japanese. She was considered as a pop and music icon in Japan and her concerts there were met with almost unprecedented enthusiasm. Once during a concert in Japan, Dalida felt ill and could not continue performing. The organisers expected an enraged reaction due to the cancellation of the concert, but when Dalida came onstage and explained to her fans that she could not perform, she was met with great applause and her name echoed everywhere. She promised to hold the concert again, a promise which she soon fulfilled.

Career

1956–1975

Dalida's singing career started in Egypt, when she was discovered by Cherif Kamel, host of the "Hit Parade" at the Gezira Sporting Club during the early 1950s. Dalida's quest for a career in French cinema proved to be of limited success. Instead, she began taking singing lessons, and was booked as a cabaret act on the Champs-Élysées, which proved successful. Performing the song "Étrangère au Paradis" in a variety show at Bruno Coquatrix’ recently opened Olympia theatre, Dalida was introduced to Lucien Morisse and Eddie Barclay, who played a considerable part in launching the starlet’s career. Morisse was artistic producer of the popular Radio Europe 1, and Barclay an established record producer. After signing a recording contract with Barclay, Dalida’s debut single "Madona" was promoted heavily by Morisse, and was a moderate success. However, the release of "Bambino" in 1956 would prove to be even more triumphant – it spent 46 weeks in the French top ten and remains one of the biggest-selling singles in French history, and for its sales (which exceeded 300,000 copies) Dalida was awarded her first gold disc, presented on 17 September 1957. The song "Bambino" echoed everywhere in France and was a success even beyond the French frontiers. In the same year, she would also support Charles Aznavour at the Olympia. The follow-up single to "Bambino", the exotic-sounding and mesmerizing "Gondolier", was released in the Christmas on 1957, was also a great success, as were other early releases such as "Come prima" ("Tu Me Donnes"), "Ciao ciao bambina", and a cover of The Drifters’ "Save the Last Dance for Me", "Garde-Moi la Dernière Danse". These classical songs mark the first phase of Dalida's album and maintain their charm even today.

Dalida toured extensively from 1958 through the early 1960s, playing dates in France, Egypt, Italy, and the United States. Her tours of Egypt and Italy spread her fame outside France and Dalida soon became well known throughout Europe. However, she waited too long before entering America's music scene, and though great names of the American music industry wanted to introduce her to the United States, she refused.

In 1961, Dalida performed a month of shows at the Olympia in Paris, with each selling out completely. Shortly afterwards Dalida embarked upon a tour of Hong Kong and Vietnam. Throughout the 1960s Dalida would frequently perform sell-out shows at the Olympia, and international dates became more frequent. In December 1968, she was awarded the Médaille de la Présidence de la République by General Charles de Gaulle, the only person from the music industry to have received this medal.

The early 1970s became a transitional period for the singer, highlighted by some of her most successful singles. After gaining a keen interest in academia in the mid-1960s she chose to sing songs with more profound lyrics. She tried to probe into her inner-self and declared that she would sing only those songs which have a meaning for her. Bruno Coquatrix was dubious about Dalida's career evolution, and was hesitant to book her for a series of performances in 1971. Dalida hired the hall herself, and her show was met with an impressive public response, thus forcing the world to acknowledge that a new and more powerful performer had emerged in Dalida. In 1973, a French version of the Italian song "Parole Parole", originally performed by Mina, was recorded by Dalida and her close friend Alain Delon. The song became a big hit and was the number one single in France and Japan. It was played consistently on French radios, at the request of listeners. The follow-up released in 1974 "Gigi L'amoroso' and B-side 'Il venait d'avoir 18 ans' reached number one in nine countries, and sold three and a half million copies in Europe. The way Dalida interpreted these songs left people amazed. Touring would follow this period of unprecedented sales. In February 1975, French music critics presented the singer with the prestigious Prix de l'Académie du Disque Français.

1976–1987

In 1976, Dalida re-recorded what is widely regarded as the first French disco single, "J'attendrai". Around the same time, the popularity of the variety show in France was soaring, and Dalida made many television appearances during this period, not only in France but across Europe. In 1976, she recorded "Salma Ya Salama", based on a traditional Egyptian folk song which, due to its chart success was translated from Arabic into French, Italian, and German. It was amongst the first Ethnic fusion hits in the world. Part of the lyrics are based on an old Egyptian folk song about homesickness and celebrating the Egyptian nation. As was the Hebrew song "Hene Ma Tov" sung word-perfect.

Amongst the venues she played outside France included Carnegie Hall in New York City, where she played in November 1978.^[8] This performance marked her American début. In a review by The New York Times of Dalida's concert at Carnegie Hall, her performance was noted for its intimacy and intensity after she began to converse midway through her performance, revealing for the audience her personality.^[9]

1981 marked the release of "Rio do Brasil", and several dates were played at The Olympia in Paris, emulating her successful 1980 tour. On the night of her first performance she became the first singer in the world to be awarded with a diamond disc, in recognition of her record sales which, at that point in her career, had exceeded 86 million.^[10] She was therefore much ahead of American singer Madonna since she was the first person to receive this success, thus paving the way for women to deliver powerful performances. Dalida spent much of 1982 and 1984 on tour, releasing the album Les P'tits Mots in 1983, which featured hit singles "Lucas" and "Mourir Sur Scène". The album Dali was released in 1984, and was accompanied by the release of several singles, including "Soleil", "Pour te dire je t'aime", a cover of Stevie Wonder’s "I Just Called to Say I Love You", and "Kalimba de Luna", originally recorded by Tony Esposito. All three achieved moderate chart success, and her next 1986 album, Le visage de l'amour, would become her last album of completely new recordings (except the final song being "Mourir sur scène").

Other hit performances of Dalida include "The Lambeth Walk"; both in English and in French. The song "Je suis malade", written by Serge Lama and made into a success by Dalida, reflects the singer's personal torments and unhappiness. The emotions with which she sang the song is unmatched even today. At the peak of her success, an obsessed fan tried to kidnap her in Canada by using a hammer but did not succeed.^[11]

Undaunted, she continued to deliver success after success: namely "Laissez-moi danser", "Besame Mucho", "A ma manière", a cover version of Édith Piaf's "La vie en rose", "Born to sing"/"Mourir sur scène", amongst others.

Dalida underwent two major eye operations in 1985, forcing her to put her career on hiatus. The fear of her childhood days return as she again had to have an operation on her eyes. The stage lights started to trouble her. In 1986, she would play the role of a young grandmother in the Youssef Chahine film "Le Sixième Jour", for which she received favourable critical response. Her last live performance took place in Antalya, Turkey, in 1987.

Personal life

Despite enormous career success, Dalida's private life was marred by a series of failed relationships and personal problems.

In January 1967, Dalida took part in the Sanremo Festival with her new lover, Italian singer, songwriter and actor Luigi Tenco. The song he presented was "Ciao amore ciao" ("Bye Love, Bye"), which he sang together with Dalida. But stressed, Tenco failed despite Dalida's performance. Tenco committed suicide on 27 January 1967, after learning that his song had been eliminated from the final competition. Tenco was found by Dalida in his hotel room with a bullet wound in his left temple and a note announcing that his gesture was against the jury and public's choices during the competition.^[12] Prior to Tenco's suicide, his love for Dalida had blossomed to the point that they had become engaged to be wed.^[13] One month later, Dalida attempted to commit suicide by drug overdose at the Prince of Wales hotel in Paris, spending five days in a coma and several months convalescing.^[14] Dalida returned to the stage the following October.^[15]

In December 1967, just after her first suicide attempt, she became pregnant by an 18-year-old Italian student, Lucio. She decided to abort but the surgery left her infertile.^[16]

In September 1970 her former husband (1956-1961) Lucien Morisse, with whom she was on good terms, committed suicide, shooting himself in the head.^[17]

In April 1975, her close friend singer Mike Brant leapt to his death from an apartment in Paris. He was 28.^[18] Dalida had contributed to his success in France when he opened for her in 1971 at l'Olympia.^[19]

In July 1983, her lover from 1972 to 1981, Richard Chanfray, committed suicide by inhaling the exhaust gas of his Renault 25 car.^[20]

Death

On Saturday night, from 2 May to 3 May 1987, Dalida committed suicide by overdosing on barbiturates.^[21][22] She left behind a note which read, "La vie m'est insupportable... Pardonnez-moi." ("Life has become unbearable for me... Forgive me.")

Legacy

Since her death, Dalida has become a cult figure to a new generation of fans. In 1988, the Encyclopædia Universalis commissioned a poll, which was eventually published in the French newspaper Le Monde, and which aimed to reveal the personalities who had the greatest impact on French society. Dalida polled second, behind Général de Gaulle.^[23]

She is also a gay icon in France.^[24]

In 1997, the corner of the rue Girardon and rue de l'Abreuvoir in Montmartre, Paris, was inaugurated as Place Dalida and a large bust in her memory was erected (which was quickly defaced with graffiti). In 1999, a 3-CD box-set compiling her greatest hits was released. In 2000, Dalida's longtime friend Charles Aznavour recorded the hit "De la scène à la Seine", a joyful song of her life in France, and in 2002, the French government honoured her memory with a postage stamp done in commemoration of the 15th anniversary of her death. In the same year, Universal Music Group released Dalida's early album releases in special-edition packaging, with all of the tracks digitally remastered. Her output has also been the subject of various remix albums. Since her death, many of Dalida's hits have been remixed to modern techno and dance beats, topping the charts in various countries to this day.^[25]

From 11 May to September 2007, the Paris City Hall commemorated the 20th anniversary of Dalida's death with an exhibition of her outfits and previously unreleased photographs.

Stage and film adaptations of Dalida's life

In 1999 the play Solitudini – Luigi Tenco e Dalida, written and directed by Maurizio Valtieri, was performed in Rome.

In 2005, her life was documented in the two-part TV film Dalida, in the role of Dalida was Sabrina Ferilli.^[26]

Lisa Azuelos is to direct a film, starring Riccardo Scamarcio, Vincent Perez, Niels Schneider, Jean-Paul Rouve, Patrick Timsit and Sveva Alviti who portrayed Dalida.^[27]

Discography

• See main article List of Dalida songs for a complete international listing of all Dalida's songs.
• See main article Dalida albums discography for Dalida's albums discography.
• See main article Dalida singles discography for Dalida's singles discography.

Filmography

This is a chronologically ordered list of films in which Dalida appeared.

Year	Title	Character	Director	Notes	Ref
1949	Ghazal Al Banat(Arabic: غزل البنات, English: The Flirtation of Girls"	Extra	Anwar Wagdi	Film, starring Leila Mourad (Arabic: ليلى مراد)
1954	Joseph et ses frères (France: French title) a.k.a. "Joseph and His Brothers"			Film, starring Omar Sharif (Arabic: عمر الشريف)
1954	Le Masque de Toutankhamon a.k.a. "Le trésor des pharaons" (France)	Dalida	Marco de Gastyne	Film, starring Gil Vidal and Samia Gamal (Arabic: سامية جمال)	[28]
1954	Sigara wa Kass a.k.a. "Un verre et une cigarette" a.k.a. "A Cigarette and a Glass" (International: English title) a.k.a. "A Glass and a Cigarette" (International (DVD box title) (English title))	Iolanda (as Dalila)	Niazi Mostafa	Film, starring Samia Gamal (Arabic: سامية جمال)	[29]
1958	Vice Squad	Herself	Maurice Boutel	Film, co-starring with Eddie Barclay	[30]
1958	Rapt au deuxième bureau a.k.a. "Operation Abduction"	Bella Morena	Jean Stelli	Film, co-starring with Frank Villard	[31]
1960	"Che femmina... e che dollari!" (Italy: Italian title) a.k.a. Parlez-moi d'amour (France: French title)	Laura Pisani	Giorgio Simonelli	Film, co-starring with Jacques Sernas	[32]
1963	L'inconnue de Hong Kong a.k.a. "Stranger from Hong-Kong" (US) a.k.a. "The Unknown of Hong Kong" (International: English title: informal title)	Georgia la chanteuse	Jacques Poitrenaud	Film, co-starring with Serge Gainsbourg and Tania Béryl	[33]
1966	La morale de l'histoire	Herself	Claude Dagues	Television movie	[34]
1968	13 jours en France	Herself	Claude Lelouch and François Reichenbach	Documentary about the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. Features Charles de Gaulle, Dalida, Johnny Hallyday and Jean-Claude Killy. (Uncredited.)	[35]
1968	Menage all'italiana a.k.a. "Marriage Italian Style" (International: English title)	Anna	Franco Indovina	Film, co-starring with Ugo Tognazzi	[36]
1968	Io ti amo a.k.a. "I Love You" a.k.a. "Dalida, agapi mou" (Greece: Greek title)	Judy	Antonio Margheriti	Film, co-starring with Alberto Lupo	[37]
1977	Comme sur des roulettes a.k.a. "As Easy as Pie" (International: English title)	Herself	Nina Companéez	Film	[38]
1977	Dalida: Pour toujours	Herself	Michel Dumoulin	Documentary
1986	Le sixième jour a.k.a. "The Sixth Day" (International: English title) a.k.a. "Al-yawm al-Sadis" (Arabic title) (Arabic: اليوم السادس) a.k.a. "Der sechste Tag" (Germany: German title)	Saddika	Youssef Chahine (Arabic: يوسف شاهين)	Film, co-starring with Mohsen Mohieddin	[39]
1997	Le grand voyage	Herself	Philippe Kohly	Documentary
2005	Dalida: Le Film	Dalida (singing voice)	Joyce Buñuel	Television mini-series (film) singing voice for actress Sabrina Ferilli	[40]

Awards

Year	Award	Country	Category	Result
1954	Miss Egypt	Egypt	Beauty competition/pageant	Won
1958	Radio Monte Carlo Oscars	France	Radio Monte Carlo Oscar	Won
1958	Paris Olympia music hall Bravos	France	Paris Olympia music hall Bravos (Shared recognition with Yves Montand)	Won
1959	Platinum Oscar Awards	Italy	Platinum Oscar Award	Won
1959	Golden She-Wolf Award	Italy	Golden She-Wolf Award	Won
1959	L'Oscar de la chanson Awards	France	L'Oscar de la chanson Award for Best Song	Won
1959	Radio Monte Carlo Oscar Awards	France	Radio Monte Carlo Oscar	Won
1960	Grand Prix Awards	Italy	Grand Prix Award for Best Italian Song (Shared award with Charles Aznavour)	Won
1961	Radio Monte Carlo Oscar Awards	Italy	Radio Monte Carlo Oscar	Won
1962	Radio Monte Carlo Oscar Awards	Italy	Radio Monte Carlo Oscar (Shared award with Johnny Hallyday)	Won
1963	Radio Monte Carlo Oscar Awards	France	Radio Monte Carlo Oscar for Most Successful International Artist	Won
1964	Juke Box Global Oscar Awards	Italy	Juke Box Global Oscar for The Year's Most-Played Artist on Jukeboxes in Italy	Won
1965	Cico Viola Prize	Brazil	Cico Viola Prize for "Zorba o Greco"	Won
1966	Paris Olympia music hall Bravos	France	Les Bravos du Musique Hall	Won
1967	Golden Caravel Awards	Italy	Golden Caravel Award	Won
1968	Canzonissima Oscar	Italy	Canzonissima Oscar	Won
1969	MIDEM Prize	Italy	MIDEM Prize for Highest Selling Musical Artist	Won
1969	Radio Luxembourg Hit Parade Oscar Awards	France	Radio Luxembourg Hit Parade Oscar	Won
1969	Radio Luxembourg Hit Parade Oscar Awards	France	Radio Luxembourg Hit Parade Oscar	Won
1972	Popularity Oscar	France	Popularity Oscar for Most Popular Artist	Won
1973	APPCB (Association Professionnelle de la Presse Cinématographique Belge) Awards	Belgium	Gold Medal Award	Won
1974	Golden Gigi award	Spain	Golden Gigi Award (Special award) for Extraordinary Record Sales	Won
1974	Golden Heart Awards	Spain	Golden Heart Award for Most Popular Artist in Spain	Won
1975	L'Académie du Disque Français Awards	France	Global Oscar Oscar Mondial du Disque Award for "Gigi l'Amoroso" and "Il venait d'avoir dix-huit ans"	Won
1975	Oscar Awards	France	Eight Oscar Awards awarded at the Olympia in recognition of extraordinary, rare, and, distinguished achievements.	Won
1975	Golden Lion Awards	Germany	Golden Lion	Won
1976	French Summer Carnaval Awards	France	French Summer Carnaval Award	Won
1976	French Academy Awards	France	French Academy Award for a number one single in nine countries	Won
1979	Radio Monte Carlo Awards	France	Belgium - Musique Award	Won
1981	Goldene Europa Awards	Germany	Goldene Europa for Artist of the Year in Germany	Won
1985	Golden Butterfly Awards	Turkey	Golden Butterfly Award	Won
1987	Dalida Award	Turkey	Dalida Award (Special Award) for Best Performance in Brussels Belgium

Honours and tributes

Honour ribbon bars

• 

Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic.

• 

Commander of the Order of the Crown of Belgium.

• 

Companion of the Order of Canada.

• 

Commander of the Order of the Nile of Egypt.

• 

Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

• 

Bronze medal of the National defense of the French Republic.

• 

Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic.

Honours

• 1950: Dalida won the title of Miss Ondine.^[41]
• 1954: Dalida won the Miss Egypt beauty pageant and crowned Miss Egypt 1954.^[42]
• 1968: Godmother of Montmartre street urchins.
• 1968: French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
• 1977: Egyptian Order of the Nile.
• 1984: Dalida declined the French honour Légion d'honneur award, the highest order of France, marking the first time she ever declined an honour.

Medals^[43]

• 1968: Medal of the City of Paris.
• 1968: the French President's Medal (Médaille de la Présidence de la République) awarded by President of the French Republic Général de Gaulle on 5 December 1968, representing the only time in history an artist has ever been presented with this honour by the President of France to date.
• 1968: Ruby Cross (Croix de Vermeil) (Commander of Arts, Sciences and Letters).^[44]
• 1981: Dalida was awarded a medal of the National defense by then French Minister of Defence Charles Hernu.

Non French Egyptian honours^[43]

• 1962: Calabrian Citizen of Honour.^[41]
• 1969: Italian Order of Merit.
• 1980: City of Graulhet Medal of Honour.
• 1984: Belgian Order of the Crown.
• 1985: Canadian medal for talent and wisdom.

Posthumous tributes

• 1987: Dalida was posthumously honoured with a commemorative coin minted by The French Mint, Monnaie de Paris, issued in gold, bronze and silver, bearing her effigy.^[45][46]
• 1988: Dalida was posthumously honoured by the "International Star Registry" (US), with the issuance of a diploma, awarded three years after her death.
• 1997: Dalida was posthumously honoured by the City of Paris with a square named in her memory, named "Place Dalida", located at the angle of rues Girardon and Abreuvoirs, in the 18th arrondissement (borough) of Paris, France.
• 1997: Dalida became one of only three women in France to have a statue erected to her, along with Joan of Arc and Sarah Bernhardt.
• 1998: Dalida was posthumously honoured in Egypt in a tribute ceremony on 27 October in Cairo and the "Dalida Prize" was awarded in her honour.
• 2001: Dalida was posthumously honoured by the French government with a second stamp bearing her likeness which was released by La Poste, the French postal service, as part of the Song Artists series. 10,157,601 copies were sold.
• 2003: Awarded prize for "Greatest Singer of the Century" in France, based on three criteria: numbers of album and single sales, number of radio airplays and chart positions. Dalida was placed third after Madonna and Céline Dion. In 2003 Dalida remained the number one favourite artist in France.

Polls

• 1965 – F.O.P. Poll: 'Favourite French singer'
• 1976 – Dalida was voted 'Woman of the Year' in Canada, ahead of Jackie Kennedy)
• 1982 – Paris Match magazine survey revealed that Dalida was the only representative from show business to appear in a list of most influential French women.
• 1985 – Dalida was voted 'Favourite French singer' (Télé 7 Jours magazine).
• 1986 – VSD magazine published a survey in which Dalida was voted 'Favourite French singer'.
• 1988 – SOFRES/Encyclopædia Universalis: In a survey asking the French public which events had the greatest impact on the French public between 1968 and 1988, 16% of the French public voted the 'Death of Général de Gaulle' and 10% voted the 'Death of Dalida'.
• 1989 – Encyclopædia Universalis: By examining the proof by the criteria to find out which person had biggest impact on French society, it was concluded that Dalida is the second, just after president de Gaulle.
• 2001 – IFOP Survey: Dalida was voted the 'Most important female singer who had the greatest impact on French society in the 20th century', along with Édith Piaf.
• 2005 – Dalida was voted the 'Favourite singer in 2004' amongst Italians, and held seventh place amongst the most collected musical artists in Italy.
• 2005 – Dalida was voted 'Top 58th French person of all time' in a survey sponsored by the France 2 television channel. The only women from show business which appeared in this list were Catherine Deneuve, Brigitte Bardot, Simone Signoret, Édith Piaf and Dalida.

Honorific eponyms

Geographic locations

•  France: Place Dalida, Montmartre, Paris
•  Quebec: rue Dalida, Laval, Que., Canada

Art (selection)

• Jean Sobieski: Dalida (Oil on canvas, 19??)
• Magguy Crouzet: Dalida (Portrait in dot-sculpture, 1976)
• Michel Souvais: Dalida, femme est la nuit (Oil on canvas, 1977)
• Alain Aslan: Dalida (Yolanda Gigliotti), funerary statue (Bronze sculpture, 1987)
• Alain Aslan: Dalida (Yolanda Gigliotti) (Bronze bust, 1997)
• Francesco Gallo: Dalida (Yolanda Gigliotti) (Bronze sculpture, 2007)
• FS62: Dalida (Black and white portrait in acrylic, 2008)

Dalida in contemporary music

• The Dalida song "Born to Sing" (original French title "Mourir sur scène" and later translated to English, Italian and Spanish) was covered in English by Dalida's long time friend Shirley Bassey, released in 1986 as a B-side of a Towerbell Records single (A-side: "There's No Place Like London"). Although the recording has never been re-released, Shirley Bassey performed the song in 1995 during some concerts as part of her 40th anniversary world tour.^[47] Shirley Bassey's interpretation of "Born to Sing" is also sometimes titled or referred to as "I Was Born to Sing Forever."^[48]
• In 1996, Céline Dion and Alain Delon performed the song "Paroles, paroles" on the 1996 New Year's Eve France 2 television programme.
• In 1998, Sarah Brightman’s released the song "There for Me", an English-language version of "Fini, la comédie". The song first appeared on her Time to Say Goodbye album, featuring José Cura. It was also released as a single, with "O mio babbino caro" as the B-side track. Often on her 2000/2001 La Luna tour, Brightman would perform this duet with Josh Groban, and this was included in the La Luna: Live in Concert DVD.^[49]
• The song "De la scène à la Seine", by Charles Aznavour, from his year 2000 album "Aznavour, 2000" is a tribute to Dalida.
• In 2000, Sarah Hohn (featuring Wehrlen), released a cover of the song "Paroles, paroles" in tribute to Dalida and Alain Delon.^[50]
• In 2002, an interpretation of the song "Pour ne pas vivre seul", by Firmine Richard, was included in the movie "8 femmes", by François Ozon.^[51]
• In 2004, the song "Laissez-moi danser (Monday Tuesday)" was covered by Star Academy 4 in France, under the shorter name "Laissez-moi danser", in honour of Dalida.^[52][53]
• In 2005, Lebanese singer Grace Deeb released a cover of the song "Helwa ya baladi", which reached number one spots over the chart.
• In 2007, Spanish singer Luz Casal released the song "18 años", a new Spanish-language interpretation of "Tenía 18 años", the Spanish version of "Il venait d'avoir 18 ans" (English version: "He Must Have Been Eighteen"), in honour of French music, with entirely new Spanish lyrics, on her album "Vida tóxica".^[54][55]
• In 2007, Italian singer Patty Pravo released the tribute album "Spero che ti piaccia... Pour toi", in tribute to Dalida.^[56]
• In 2007, Lebanese singer Elissa (Arabic: إليسا) paid hommage to the chanteuse, covering her famous song, "Helwa ya baladi".
• In 2007, Italian singer-songwriter Franco Battiato released the album "Fleurs 2", containing the track "Il venait d'avoir 18 ans", a cover in hommage to the singer, performed with the participation of Persian vocalist Sepideh Raissadat (Persian: سپیده رئیس سادات).
• In 2008, French singer Michèle Torr covered the song "Pour ne pas vivre seul", released on her album "Ces années-là", in hommage to Dalida. A live version of her rendition was also released on her live DVD "Olympia 2008", and digital album of the same name, both released in 2009.^[57]
• In 2009, Lara Fabian released the tribute album "Toutes les femmes en moi", containing an interpretation of the song "Il venait d'avoir 18 ans", of which the former is in part tribute, and the latter in tribute to Dalida.^[58]
• In 2009, Arthanor Music released the tribute album "Un clip de toi (Hommage à Dalida, 1988)", containing four tracks originally recorded in 1988 by David Heissen and dedicated to Dalida.
• In 2012, French singer Amel Bent rendered hommage to Dalida by performing two of Dalida's signature songs "À Ma Manière" and "Mourir Sur Scène" on France 3's television programme "Chabada".
• In 2012, the double album "Depuis qu’elle est partie" containing a hommage CD titled "Ils chantent Dalida" featuring covers of several of Dalida's songs, performed by French singers Amel Bent, Christophe Willem, Hélène Segara, Patrick Fiori, Lara Fabian, Christophe (singer), Dany Brillant, and others, was released in the month of April.
• 2013 Gigi L'amoroso stranded number 98 in the Belgium top 1000 listeners choice

Music from motion pictures and TV

The following Dalida songs have appeared in the formentioned motion pictures or TV series.

Year	Motion picture	Songs	Director	Ref
1961	Mädchen für die Mambo-Bar a.k.a. "Des filles pour le mambo bar" (France: French title) a.k.a. "$100 a Night" (US: dubbed version: English title) a.k.a. "Girls for the Mambo-Bar" (UK)	"Am Tag, als der Regen kam"	Wolfgang Glück	[59]
1979	Série noire	"Le Lambeth Walk"	Alain Corneau	[60]
1984	La Triche	"Fini, la comédie" and "Je suis toutes les femmes"	Yannick Bellon	[61]
1991	Hors la vie (a.k.a. "Out of Life")	"Salma ya salama"	Maroun Bagdadi	[62]
1994	Mina Tannenbaum	"Il venait d'avoir 18 ans"	Martine Dugowson	[63]
1995	Gazon Maudit (a.k.a. "French Twist")	"Bambino"	Josiane Balasko	[64]
1995	Pigalle	Unknown	Karim Dridi	[65]
1996	Pédale douce	"Bambino", "Salma ya salama" and "Je suis toutes les femmes"	Gabriel Aghion	[66]
1996	Un Air de Famille (a.k.a. "Family Resemblances" (US))	"Come prima"	Cédric Klapisch	[67]
1997	On connaît la chanson a.k.a. "Same Old Song" (US)	"Paroles, paroles"	Alain Resnais	[68]
1997	Mémoires d'immigrés, l'héritage maghrébin	"Helwa ya baladi"	Yamina Benguigui	[69]
1998	A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries a.k.a. "La fille d'un soldat ne pleure jamais" (France) a.k.a. "Soldier's Daughter Never Cries" (Australia: TV title)	"Ciao amore ciao"	James Ivory	[70]
1999	Novios	"Gigi l'Amoroso"	Joaquín Oristrell	[71]
1999	Recto/Verso	"Paroles, paroles"	Jean-Marc Longval	[72]
1999	Tontaine et Tonton	"Il venait d'avoir 18 ans" and "Gigi l'amoroso"	Tonie Marshall	[73]
1999	Un pont entre deux rives a.k.a. "The Bridge"	Unknown	Gérard Depardieu	[74]
2001	Souffle	"Buenas noches mi amor"	Muriel Coulin and Delphine Coulin	[75]
2001	Mauvais genres a.k.a. "Transfixed" (Canada: English title: festival title) (US) a.k.a. "Bad Genres" (International: English title: festival title) a.k.a. "Gender Bias" (US)	"Il venait d'avoir 18 ans"	Francis Girod	[76]
2001	Absolument fabuleux	"Il venait d'avoir 18 ans"	Gabriel Aghion	[77]
2001	C'est la vie	"Darla dirladada"	Jean-Pierre Améris	[78]
2001	Paroles de Bibs	"Paroles, paroles"	Jocelyne Lemaire-Darnaud	[79]
20XX	La Bonne Addresse	"Pezzettini di bikini"	Gary Goldman	[80]
2002	L'Adversaire a.k.a. "The Adversary"	"Histoire d'un amour"	Nicole Garcia	[81]
2003	Perduto Amor	"Itsi bitsi petit bikini"	Franco Battiato	[82]
2005	Dalida: Le Film	Principal singer on entire soundtrack	Joyce Buñuel	[83]
2005	L'un reste, l'autre part	"Il venait d'avoir 18 ans"	Claude Berri	[84]
2005	The Secret Life of Words (International: English title) (UK) (US) a.k.a. "La vida secreta de las palabras" (Spain) a.k.a. "La vida secreta de les paraules" (Spain: Catalan title)	"Histoire d'un amour"	Isabel Coixet	[85]
2006	OSS 117, Le Caire nid d'espions a.k.a. "OSS 117, Nest of Spies"	"Bambino"	Michel Hazanavicius	[86]
2007	Michou D'Auber	"Bambino"	Thomas Gilou	[87]
2007	L'Ennemi intime a.k.a. "Intimate Enemies" (Canada: English title)	"Come prima"	Florent Emilio Siri	[88]
2008	Mesrine : L'Instinct de mort	"Romantica" and "La Danse de Zorba"	Jean-François Richet	[89]
2010	Les Amours Imaginaires (Canada: Original title) a.k.a. "Heartbeats" (US) (Europe: English title: festival title) a.k.a. Fantastikes agapes (Greece: Greek title) a.k.a. Love, Imagined (International: English title)	"Bang Bang"	Xavier Dolan	[90]
2011	Les femmes du 6è étage (France: Original title) a.k.a. "Las chicas de la 6ª planta" (Spanish title) a.k.a. "The Women on the 6th Floor" (English title) a.k.a. "Service Entrance"	"Itsi bitsi petit bikini"	Philippe Le Guay	[91]
2011	Le Skylab (France: Original title)	"Bambino"	Julie Delpy	[92]
2014	Apprenti Gigolo	"La Violetera" and "Le Torrent"	John Turturro

Theatrical productions

Several theatrical productions have been made about Dalida's life. In 1999, "Solitudini – Luigi Tenco e Dalida", written and directed by Maurizio Valtieri, was performed in Rome.^[93] "Dalida: Une Vie", directed by René Simard and under the authorisation of Orlando Productions, was performed from October 2003 to June 2006, in Quebec, Canada, and was shown in Beirut, Lebanon in May 2004.^[94] In 2005, the play "Dalida, à quoi bon vivre au mois de mai ?", written by Joseph Agostini and Caroline Sourrisseau, was performed at the Ateliers Théâtre in Montmartre.^[95]

Biographies

• Dalida, by Michel Delain, Éditions de l'Heure, 1962. (French)
• Dalida, La gloire et les larmes, by Pascal Sevran, 1976. (French)
• 25 ans de triomphe, by Christian Page, Delmas Éditeur, 1981. (French)
• Dalida, by Christian Page, Têtes D'affiche, 1982. (French)
• Dalida, mon amour, by Anne Gallimard and Orlando, Édition NRJ, 1984. ISBN 2-908070-01-4 and ISBN 978-2-908070-01-9. (French)
• Lorsque l’amour s’en va, by Catherine Benoît Sévin, Michel Lafon, 1987; Carrere, 1989. ISBN 2-86804-406-9 and ISBN 978-2-908070-01-9. (French)
• Dalida, mon amour, by Anne Gallimard and Orlando, Édition NRJ, 1989. ISBN 2-908070-01-4 and ISBN 978-2-908070-01-9. (French)
• Dalida mon amour, by Orlando, Hachette Littérature, 1991. ISBN 2-7382-0362-0 and ISBN 978-2-7382-0362-5. (French)
• Dalida, Histoire d’une femme, by Jean-François Josselin and Jeff Barnel, Jean-Claude Lattès, 1994. ISBN 2-7096-1450-2 and ISBN 978-2-7096-1450-4. (French)
• Les larmes de la gloire, by Bernard Pascuito, Éditions Michel Lafon, 1997. ISBN 2-84098-301-X and ISBN 978-2-84098-301-9. (French)
• Dalida, by C. Daccache, Éditions Vade Retro, 1998. ISBN 2-909828-51-4 and ISBN 978-2-909828-51-0. (French)
• Dalida: Mon frère, tu écriras mes mémoires, by Catherine Rihoit, Plon, 1998. (French)
• Dalida, by Catherine Rihoit, Omnibus, 1998. ISBN 2-259-00083-5 and ISBN 978-2-259-00083-3. (French)
• Star pour toujours, by Julie Thamin, Gep, 2000. (French)
• Dalida: Entre violon et amour, by Isaline, Éditions Publibook, 2002. ISBN 2-7483-2629-6 and ISBN 978-2-7483-2629-1. (French)
• Du Nil à la scène, Jacques Brachet, Éditions Va bene and Éditions de la courtine, 2001, 2002. ISBN 2-84869-007-0 and ISBN 2-913483-36-4. (French)
• Dalida: Une oeuvre en soi, by Michel Rheault, Nota Bene, 2002. ISBN 2-89518-111-X. (French)
• Luigi Tenco. Vita breve e morte di un genio musicale, by Aldo Fegatelli Colonna, A. Mondadori, 2002. ISBN 88-04-50087-5 and ISBN 978-88-04-50087-2. (Italian)
• Ciao, ciao bambina, by Henri-Jean Servat and Orlando, Éditions Albin Michel, 2003. ISBN 2-226-14298-3 and ISBN 978-2-226-14298-6. (French)
• Dalida, by Catherine Rihoit, Plon, re-published 2004. ISBN 2-259-20180-6 and ISBN 978-2-259-20180-3. (French)
• D’une rive à l’autre, by David Lelait, Payot, 2004. ISBN 2-228-89904-6 and ISBN 978-2-228-89904-8. (French)
• L’argus Dalida: Discographie mondiale et cotations, by Daniel Lesueur, Éditions Alternatives, 2004. ISBN 2-86227-428-3 and ISBN 978-2-86227-428-7. (French)
• La véritable Dalida, by Emmanuel Bonini, Éditions Pygmalion, 2004. ISBN 2-85704-902-1 and ISBN 978-2-85704-902-9. (French)
• Mademoiselle succès, Barclay France, 2004. UPC 602498110843. (French)
• Dalida: La femme de cœur, by Jeff Barnel, Éditions du Rocher, 2005. ISBN 2-268-05500-0 and ISBN 978-2-268-05500-8. (French)
• Dalida: La voce e l'anima, by Giandomenico Curi, 2005. ISBN 88-7641-687-0 and ISBN 978-88-7641-687-3. (Italian)
• Top Dalida, Éditions Paul Beuscher, 2005. ASIN B000ZG64FO. (French)
• Dalida: La voce, Il suono, L'anima, by Mino Rossi, Edizioni Franciacorta, 2005. ISBN 88-89364-01-7 and ISBN 978-88-89364-01-7. (Italian)
• Quasi sera: una storia di Tenco, by A. Montellanico, StampaAlternativa/NuoviEquilibri, 2005. ISBN 88-7226-910-5. (Italian)
• D’une rive à l’autre, by David Lelait-Helo, Éditions J'ai Lu, 2006. ISBN 2-290-34567-9 and ISBN 978-2-290-34567-2. (French)
• Ntaainta Dalida, Éditions Odos Panos and 20 ans sans elle, 2006. (French)
• Dalida passionnément, by Arianne Ravier, Éditions Favre, 2006. ISBN 2-8289-0927-1 and ISBN 978-2-8289-0927-7. (French)
• Dalida, by Henry-Jean Servat and Orlando, Éditions Albin Michel, 2007. ISBN 2-226-15218-0 and ISBN 978-2-226-15218-3. (French)
• Dalida, tu m'appelais petite sœur…, by Jacqueline Pitchal, Éditions Carpentier Didier, 2007. ISBN 2-84167-504-1 and ISBN 978-2-84167-504-3. (French)
• Dalida: Une vie brûlée, by Bernard Pascuito, L'Archipel, 2007. ISBN 2-84187-955-0 and ISBN 978-2-84167-504-3. (French)
• Dalida: Une vie..., by Jacques Pessis, Célina Jauregui, Emmanuel Polle and N-T Binh, Édition Chronique, 2007. ISBN 2-205-06006-6 and ISBN 978-2-205-06006-5. (French)
• Dalida: Le temps d'aimer, Fabien Lecœuvre, Éditions City Editions, 2007. ISBN 2-35288-046-7 and ISBN 978-2-35288-046-2. (French)
• Luigi Tenco: Ed ora avrei mille cose da fare, by R. Tortarolo and G. Carozzi, Arcana, 2007. ISBN 88-7966-431-X and ISBN 978-88-7966-431-8. (Italian)
• Dalida: Ses fans, ses amis ont la parole, by Claire Nérac and Cédric Naïmi, Éditions du Rocher, 2008. ISBN 2-268-06580-4 and ISBN 978-2-268-06580-9. (French)
• Mia zia, ma tante Dalida, by Stéphane Julienne and Luigi Gigliotti, Éditions Ramsay, 2009. ISBN 2-8122-0011-1 and ISBN 978-2-8122-0011-3. (French)
• Dalida, le profil perdu, by Jean-Manuel Gabert, Éditions de la Belle Gabrielle, La légende de Montmartre collection, 2009. ISBN 2-917269-02-2 and ISBN 978-2-917269-02-2. (French)
• Pour Dalida, by Colette Fellous, Flammarion ed., 2010. ISBN 2-08-069056-6 and ISBN 978-2-08-069056-2. (French)
• Les grands interprètes, by Jacques Perciot, Frédéric Brun, Olympia Alberti, et Claude Frigara, Éditions Christian Pirot, 2010. ISBN 2-86808-274-2 and ISBN 978-2-86808-274-9. (French)
• Rencontres avec une Étoile, by Jean-Claude Genel, Éditions Entre deux mondes, 2010. ISBN 2-919537-00-8 and ISBN 978-2-919537-00-6. (French)
• La nuit de San Remo, by Philippe Brunel, Éditions Grasset, 2012. ISBN 2-246-75321-X and ISBN 978-2-246-75321-6. (French)
• Ciao amore. Tenco e Dalida, la notte di Sanremo, by Philippe Brunel, transl. by G. Vulpius, Rizzoli ed., 2012. ISBN 88-17-05518-2 and ISBN 978-88-17-05518-5. (Italian)
• C'était en mai, un samedi, by David Lelait-Helo, Éditions Anne Carrière, 2012. ISBN 2-84337-663-7 and ISBN 978-2-84337-663-4. (French)
• Internet websites: Hit-Parade France, Hit Parade Italia, Infodisc, Official Montmartre Tourist Information Authority, Dalida Official Website.

See also

• List of Dalida songs
• Dalida albums discography
• Dalida singles discography
• French pop music
• Italian Egyptians
• Mononymous person
• Music of France
• Paris Olympia
• Best selling music artists
• Miss Egypt beauty pageant and titleholders
• Montmartre Cemetery (French: Cimetière de Montmartre)

Footnotes

References

• Dalida, mon amour, by Anne Gallimard and Orlando, Édition NRJ, 1989. ISBN 2-908070-01-4 and ISBN 978-2-908070-01-9. (French)
• Dalida mon amour, by Orlando, Hachette Littérature, 1991. ISBN 2-7382-0362-0 and ISBN 978-2-7382-0362-5. (French)
• Dalida, Histoire d’une femme, by Jean-François Josselin and Jeff Barnel, Jean-Claude Lattès, 1994. ISBN 2-7096-1450-2 and ISBN 978-2-7096-1450-4. (French)
• Dalida: Mon frère, tu écriras mes mémoires, by Catherine Rihoit, Plon, 1998. (French)
• Dalida, by Catherine Rihoit, Omnibus, 1998. ISBN 2-259-00083-5 and ISBN 978-2-259-00083-3. (French)
• Ciao, ciao bambina, by Henri-Jean Servat and Orlando, Éditions Albin Michel, 2003. ISBN 2-226-14298-3 and ISBN 978-2-226-14298-6. (French)
• Dalida, by Catherine Rihoit, Plon, re-published 2004. ISBN 2-259-20180-6 and ISBN 978-2-259-20180-3. (French)
• L’argus Dalida: Discographie mondiale et cotations, by Daniel Lesueur, Éditions Alternatives, 2004. ISBN 2-86227-428-3 and ISBN 978-2-86227-428-7. (French)
• Dalida: La femme de cœur, by Jeff Barnel, Éditions du Rocher, 2005. ISBN 2-268-05500-0 and ISBN 978-2-268-05500-8. (French)
• Dalida, by Henry-Jean Servat and Orlando, Éditions Albin Michel, 2007. ISBN 2-226-15218-0 and ISBN 978-2-226-15218-3. (French)
• Dalida, tu m'appelais petite sœur…, by Jacqueline Pitchal, Éditions Carpentier Didier, 2007. ISBN 2-84167-504-1 and ISBN 978-2-84167-504-3. (French)
• Mia zia, ma tante Dalida, by Stéphane Julienne and Luigi Gigliotti, Ramsay, 2009. ISBN 2-8122-0011-1 and ISBN 978-2-8122-0011-3. (French)

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dalida.

Official

• Official Website – (English) (French)
• Dalida Forever, Official Fanclub Website – (English) (French) (Italian)

Biographies

• Biography at RFI Musique (Radio France Internationale) (English)
• Biography at Télé Melody (French)
• Dalida at AllMusic
• Dalida at Billboard.com
• "Dalida". Find a Grave. Retrieved 28 August 2010. 

Discography

• Dalida discography at MusicBrainz

Filmography

• Dalida: Le Film (Ego Productions Site) – (French)
• Dalida at AllMovie
• Dalida at the Internet Movie Database

Preceded by Antigone Costanda	Miss Egypt Miss Egypt 1954	Succeeded by Gladys Leopardi