During the 60’s and 70’s, pop artists would often record their most popular songs in multiple languages. Such was the case with Dalida, an Egypt-born Italian-French singer who became a huge star in France and much of the Middle East throughout the second half of the 20th century.
For this type of artist it was - it still is - common practice to have songs written for them that echo real events from their life. In 1967, at the age of 34, Dalida became pregnant by an 18-year-old Italian student. In 1973, a song was written for her with the title Il venait d'avoir 18 ans, (‘He had just turned 18’).
The song illustrates the subject of the mature woman who falls for a much younger man - a theme that we’ve seen often in films and books (most famously perhaps in The Graduate, a title referenced in the Spanish version of the song), though mostly from the young man’s perspective, as a coming of age story or a tale of initiation. In this song, however, we have a female narrator, and she is telling us her story. Dalida recorded a Spanish version of this mournful ballad with the title Tenía 18 años.
Tune in to this episode to know more about this fascinating artist and her song Tenía 18 años.
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