Non Dimenticar (T´ho voluto bene)

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Non Dimenticar (original Italian title, T´ho voluto bene) – music: Gino Redi, a.k.a. Luigi Pulci, original Italian lyric by Michele Galdieri, English lyric by Shelley Dobbins. The song was introduced in the 1951 film Anna, in which it was performed by Silvana Mangano, her voice being dubbed by Flo Sandon’s. Born Mammola Sandon, Flo Sandon’s acquired her odd stage surname due to an error by an illustrator of the cover of her first album.

Titles under which the song has been recorded include the following:

• T´ho voluto bene (original)
• T´ho voluto tanto bene
• If You Said Goodbye
• Non Dimenticar (Don’t Forget)
• Non Dimenticar

According to a profile of the song at hitparadeitalia.it, the song should have been called “Non Dimenticar” originally, but the existence of a popular standard titled “Non dimenticar le mie parole”* led to a different title being chosen. The article suggests that Nat King Cole’s 1958 recording of the song (#45 Hot 100) “engraved” the song with a new title. Cole’s use of the title “Non Dimenticar” may have been influential, but he wasn’t the first to use it as an alternate for “T´ho voluto bene.” Percy Faith recorded two early instrumental versions of the song. His 1953 recording is titled “If You Said Goodbye.” The title “Non Dimenticar (Don’t Forget)” was chosen for the 1954 recording released by Faith, before Michel Legrand (1955), Nat King Cole (1958), and Vic Damone (1958) followed suit.

Flo Sandon’s dubbing for actress Silvana Mangano in the film Anna (1951)

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(below) The illusion that the actress Silvana Mangano sang the song in Anna was evidently carried over to the following MGM single released in Sweden

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(Below) Another Flo Sandon’s recording, date unknown

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Percy Faith and his Orchestra — “If You Said Goodbye” — from the LP Percy Faith Plays Continental Music (Columbia CL 525), released on 31 August 1953, according to Discogs.com

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Percy Faith and his Orchestra —  1954 single Columbia 4-40155, “Non Dimenticar (Don’t Forget),” b/w “They Can’t Take That Away From Me”

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Michel Legrand and his Orchestra — from the 1955 album Holiday in Rome, Columbia Cl 647

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Jo Basile — from the 1957 album Rome With Love, Audio Fidelity AFLP 1822

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Nat King Cole — single Capitol F456, b/w “Bend a Little My Way,” issued on 22 September 1958

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Vic Damone — from the 1958 LP Angela Mia, Columbia CL 1088

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Joni James — from her 1958 album of Italian songs Ti Voglio Bene…I Love You

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Katyna Ranieri — released, as “Non Dimenticar (Don’t Forget),” in 1959

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Connie Francis — from the 1959 LP Sings Italian Favorites, MGM Records SE3791 (Stereo), MGM Records E3791 (Mono)

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Nat King Cole — live 1960 performance for the Italian TV Show “Il Musichiere,” hosted by Mario Riva

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Tony Mottola and his Orchestra — from the 1960 LP Roman Guitar, (US) Command Records RS 33-816 (Mono), RS 816 SD (Stereo)

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Dean Martin – from his 1962 album Dino: Italian Love Songs

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Frankie Avalon — from the 1962 album Italiano, Chancellor Records CHL-5025 (Mono), CHLS-5025 (Stereo)

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Emilio Pericoli — date unknown (1962?), from the album Canta en Ingles e Italiano – Exitos De Oro De Italia, which seems to be a compilation

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Johnny Dorelli —  live TV studio performance of “T´ho voluto tanto bene” for the television variety show Johnny 7, episode 7 (13 August 1964), according to the YouTube provider

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Rossano (Rossano Attolico) — 1970 single “Non Dimenticar,” b/w “Innamorati a Milano,” (Italy) Variety F 45 NP 10158

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Giuseppe Di Stefano — from the c.1970 album Giuseppe di Stefano Sings The Great Popular Italian Songs (Amazon, vinylselect.ru)

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* Judging solely by number of covers available at Youtube, Non dimenticar le mie parole has evidently remained the more popular of the two in Italy. I don’t know when it was written, but Emilio Levi & Trio Lescano recorded it in 1937.