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In 1966, The Rolling Stones briefly swapped London swagger for Italian romance with Con Le Mie Lacrime, their Italian-language reworking of As Tears Go By. But this is far more than the Stones translating a hit and calling it a day. With a new arrangement, baroque touches and an unexpectedly elegant atmosphere, the track sounds like the band wandered into a completely different musical universe—and somehow forgot to bring the usual attitude with them. Decades later, they even revived this obscure Italian curiosity onstage in Italy, proving that some forgotten corners of the Stones catalog refuse to stay forgotten.
Con la ricchezza io potrei/ Comprare quello che vorrei…
Written by: Jagger/Richard/Dante Panzuti Recorded: IBC Studios, Portland Place, London, March 15 1966
Mick Jagger: vocals Keith Richards: acoustic guitar Guest musicians: Mike Leander Orchestra (strings)
More about Con Le Mie Lacrime by The Rolling Stones
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
The Rolling Stones in Italian: A Baroque Twist on a Classic
In 1966 The Rolling Stones gave As Tears Go By an intriguing new identity with Con Le Mie Lacrime, an Italian-language adaptation that went far beyond simply translating the lyrics. Recorded at IBC Studios, the track received an entirely different arrangement, replacing the folk-centered character of the original 1965 single with a more sophisticated, baroque-inspired sound. A delicate harpsichord immediately changed the atmosphere, anticipating the ornate textures associated with Lady Jane. Mike Leander and Keith Richards shaped the new backing track, while composer Dante ‘Danpa’ Panzuti translated the lyrics into Italian. Panzuti, who had already adapted Beatles songs for the Italian market, preserved the melancholy spirit of the original while giving it a distinctly European character. The result was less a translation than a carefully crafted reinvention.
A different sound for a different audience
The decision to create a separate backing track made Con Le Mie Lacrime particularly unusual within The Rolling Stones’ catalog. Rather than forcing the original recording into another language, the musicians and arrangers treated the Italian version almost as a separate production. The harpsichord became one of its defining elements, lending the song an elegant, almost theatrical quality that contrasted with the understated folk-pop character of the 1965 recording.
That approach also helped the Italian lyrics feel natural rather than mechanically translated. Dante Panzuti maintained the emotional meaning and reflective mood of the song, allowing its sadness to survive the change of language.
Italy gives the song a second life
Commercially, Con Le Mie Lacrime never approached the impact of As Tears Go By. Yet its relatively obscure status eventually became part of its charm. For Italian listeners, the recording represented something more personal: The Stones engaging directly with their language and musical culture rather than merely exporting an English-language hit.
The song’s unusual arrangement has consequently made it one of the more fascinating curiosities from the Stones’ 1960s period. It demonstrates how a familiar composition could acquire a completely different personality simply by changing its language, instrumentation and musical setting.
The Stones return to the song
Decades later,The Rolling Stones themselves appeared to recognize the special place the Italian version held. They performed Con Le Mie Lacrime live in Italy on two notable occasions: at Milan’s San Siro stadium in 2006 and later in Lucca in 2017.
Those performances transformed what had once been a relatively obscure studio experiment into a recurring connection with Italian audiences. The choice was hardly random nostalgia; it gave the song another chapter in the country where its Italian identity had originally taken shape.
A rare chapter in the Stones catalog
Con Le Mie Lacrime remains one of the strangest and most elegant detours in The Rolling Stones’ recording history. It preserves the emotional core of As Tears Go By while reshaping it through Italian lyrics, a new arrangement and baroque textures. The track also appeared on the Slow Rollerscompilation, giving this unusual Italian recording another place in the band’s catalog and introducing it to listeners beyond its original 1966 release. From RCA Studios in 1966 to San Siro and Lucca decades later, the song demonstrates that even one of rock’s most recognizable bands could occasionally trade swagger for sophistication—and, remarkably, make the experiment work.
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