“Con Te Partirò/Time to Say Goodbye” by Andrea Bocelli

Andrea Bocelli is one of the world’s most famous and beloved operatic tenors. A native of Italy, Bocelli’s roots are firmly classical, but he has had incredible success as a crossover performer in operatic pop. Since the start of his career in the mid 1980s, Bocelli has sold tens of millions of records and collaborated with everyone from Celine Dion to Ed Sheeran. The song “Con Te Partirò” off his second album,”Bocelli,” has become one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Originally written in Italian for Bocelli by Francesco Sartori and Lucio Quarantotto in 1995, another version with the title “Time to Say Goodbye” was released as a duet with soprano Sarah Brightman one year later. This version took the momentum of “Con Te Partirò” even further, topping charts all across Europe for months and bringing international acclaim.

Andrea Bocelli and Andrea Brightman performing “Time to Say Goodbye”

Both versions are primarily sung in Italian. Later, a Spanish version entitled “Por Ti Volaré” with significantly different lyrics was introduced. Regardless of the language, the music is powerful and feels much bigger than the moment. Bocelli and Brightman’s other-worldly voices take you to another plane as the sentimental melody swells with emotion. The song feels as if it were written to cry to. The title itself, whether it’s the English version, “Time to Say Goodbye,” or the Italian “Con Te Partirò” (which literally translates to “I’ll leave with you”), also indicates a theme of loss and goodbyes.

When it comes to the lyrics…that’s another story. I do not know Italian, but there are plenty of English translations out there. The song begins with:

“Quando sono solo
Sogno all’orizzonte
E mancan le parole
Sì lo so che non c’è luce
In una stanza quando manca il sole
Se non ci sei tu con me, con me”

“Whenever I’m lonely
I dream beyond the horizon
And all the words are missing.
Yes I know there is no light
In a room where the sun is missing
If you’re not here with me, with me”

The first stanza seems clear, but following that, the Italian to English translation doesn’t make much sense. But I am OK with that, and it seems as if millions of others are, too.

If you want to mark any major moment of change with a song, whether it’s a death, a move, or another kind of goodbye, I recommend seeking out “Con Te Partirò/Time to Say Goodbye” for an incredibly powerful experience.