Gloria is a love song written and composed in 1979 by Umberto Tozzi and Giancarlo Bigazzi. It was later translated into English and performed by Jonathan King. From 1979 to 1984, it sold 29 million copies all over the world and occupied the top spot on the European charts.
Below you can watch the song on YouTube, follow along with the Italian lyrics and, if you are in doubt about the meaning, check out the English translation at the end of the article!
Gloria – Umberto Tozzi – Listen on YouTube
Gloria – Umberto Tozzi – Italian Lyrics
Gloria
Manchi tu nell’aria
Manchi ad una mano
Che lavora piano
Manchi a questa bocca
Che cibo più non tocca
E sempre questa storia
Che lei la chiamo Gloria
Gloria sui tuoi fianchi
La mattina nasce il sole
Entra odio ed esce amore
Dal nome Gloria
Gloria
Manchi tu nell’aria
Manchi come il sale
Manchi più del sole
Sciogli questa neve
Che soffoca il mio petto
T’aspetto Gloria
Gloria
(Gloria)
Chiesa di campagna
(Gloria)
Acqua nel deserto
(Gloria)
Lascio aperto il cuore
(Gloria)
Scappa senza far rumore
Dal lavoro del tuo letto
Dai gradini di un altare
Ti aspetto Gloria
Ah ah ah ah ah
Gloria
Per chi accende il giorno
E invece di dormire
Con la memoria torna
A un tuffo nei papaveri
In una terra libera
Per chi respira nebbia
Per chi respira rabbia
Per me che senza Gloria
Con te nuda sul divano
Faccio stelle di cartone
Pensando a Gloria
Gloria
Manchi tu nell’aria
Manchi come il sale
Manchi più del sole
Sciogli questa neve
Che soffoca il mio petto
T’aspetto Gloria
Gloria
(Gloria)
Chiesa di campagna
(Gloria)
Acqua nel deserto
(Gloria)
Lascio aperto il cuore
(Gloria)
Scappa senza far rumore
Dal lavoro del tuo letto
Dai gradini di un altare
Ti aspetto Gloria
Gloria – Umberto Tozzi – English Translation
Gloria
You’re missing from the air
You’re missed by the hand that works slowly
You’re missed by this mouth that food no longer touches
It’s the same old story
That I call her Gloria
Gloria on your hips
The sun rises in the morning
Hate comes in and love comes out
From the name Gloria
Gloria
You’re missing from the air
You are missing like salt
You are missed more than the sun
Melt this snow
That crushes my chest
I’ll wait for Gloria
Gloria
(Gloria)
Country church
(Gloria)
Water in the desert
(Gloria)
I leave my heart open
(Gloria)
Run away without making a sound
From the work of your bed
From the steps of an altar
I’ll wait for you, Gloria
Ha ha ha ha ha
Gloria
For he who lights up the day
And instead of sleeping
Thinks back to
A dive into the poppies
In a free land
For those who breathe fog
For those who breathe anger
For me who, without Gloria
With you naked on the sofa
Makes cardboard stars
Thinking of Gloria
Gloria
You’re missing from the air
You are missing like salt
You are missed more than the sun
Melt this snow
That crushes my chest
I’ll wait for you, Gloria
Gloria
(Gloria)
Country church
(Gloria)
Water in the desert
(Gloria)
I leave my heart open
(Gloria)
Run away without making a sound
From the work of your bed
From the steps of an altar
I’ll wait for you, Gloria
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
