Le Rendez-vous began life as a Brazilian ballad, became an Italian chart hit, and crossed into French as a forgotten B-side. Written by Roberto Carlos and Erasmo Carlos, released in Brazil in 1969 as “Sentado à Beira do Caminho,” the song has lived at least three lives in three languages before Ramsay Rawson’s 2026 version made it four.
A chorus born from a nap
In 1969, songwriting partners Roberto Carlos and Erasmo Carlos were stuck — two months into writing a new song, they still had no chorus. Working it out at Roberto’s house in São Paulo, he lay down for a nap; when Erasmo woke him, Roberto mumbled half-asleep, “I need to get this done soon, I need to remember I exist.” That line became the chorus. Erasmo Carlos released the song, “Sentado à Beira do Caminho” (“Sitting by the Side of the Road”), as a single in May 1969.
From São Paulo to the Italian hit parade
In 1970, Italian singer-songwriter Bruno Lauzi adapted the song into Italian as “L’appuntamento.” Recorded by Ornella Vanoni, it became the closing theme of the radio show Gran Varietà and climbed to #2 on the Italian hit parade — decades later still recognizable enough that Andrea Bocelli recorded his own version.
The forgotten French B-side
A French adaptation, “Le Rendez-vous,” followed — recorded by Richard Anthony in 1972 as a 7″ B-side that never charted in France. Unlike its Italian sibling, the French version faded from view almost immediately, a footnote rather than a hit.
Le Rendez-vous, 2026: Chapter 2 of Paris Bossa Nova
Ramsay Rawson, the French-American guitarist behind Paris Bossa Nova, revives that overlooked French version as the second chapter of his debut EP — an emotional ballad, reimagined solo against the quais of the Seine, with vocals, guitar, Rhodes, flute, bowed bass and triangle.
Watch Ramsay perform Le Rendez-vous:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZm7L_ugpG0/
FAQ
Who wrote Le Rendez-vous?
Roberto Carlos and Erasmo Carlos wrote the original, “Sentado à Beira do Caminho” (Brazil, 1969). The Italian adaptation, “L’appuntamento,” was written by Bruno Lauzi (1970).
Why is the Italian version more famous than the French one?
Ornella Vanoni’s “L’appuntamento” reached #2 on the Italian hit parade in 1970; Richard Anthony’s 1972 French version, “Le Rendez-vous,” was a B-side that never charted.
Is there a new version of Le Rendez-vous?
Yes — Ramsay Rawson recorded his own French version in 2026, the second chapter of his debut EP Paris Bossa Nova, Volume 1.
Stream Le Rendez-vous on Spotify · Follow Ramsay Rawson · Paris Bossa Nova playlist
The rest of the series
Paris Bossa Nova, Volume 1: The History Behind Every Chapter · Samba Saravah · La Danse d’Orphée · J’attendrai · Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar
