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“Gloria” meaning

Umberto Tozzi · 1979 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Level A2

Umberto Tozzi's 1979 hit: Gloria is everywhere — in the air, in his thoughts — and he can't stop calling her name.

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What the song is about

“Gloria” (1979) is Umberto Tozzi's song to a woman — or an idea of a woman — who fills everything. He feels her in the air, in the night, in his thoughts; he calls her, he waits for her, and her name becomes the whole chorus.

It was a hit in Italy and across Europe, and the American singer Laura Branigan's English version (1982), with different words, became a worldwide hit of its own.

Tozzi's voice is clear and his phrases short, so it's a great A2 song. Listen for “manchi” — from mancare, the Italian way to say you miss someone: “mi manchi” (you are missing to me).

Slang and key words

The slang and key words to know before you listen. Words with an arrow have their own slang page.

Learn Italian with “Gloria”

Level A2 · Clear voice, a name to sing

Lyrics and translationComing soon

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