Tag Archives: Alex Britti

Learn Italian in Song: Io Con La Ragazza Mia, Tu Con La Ragazza Tua

Alex Britti

This was a big summer hit a few years ago.

Appuntamento a mezzogiorno in piazza

La macchina l’ho controllata gia’

Quest’anno sara’  proprio grande vacanza

e’ un anno che l’aspetto e tra un’ora si va

In quattro amici destinazione mare

Maschera e pinne non ci servono

Camicie giuste per andare a ballare

Che tanto il vero mare non si vede piu’

Ma quei locali visti sulle riviste

Leggende metropolitane o no?

Si era parlato di 6000 cubiste

E questo è tutto quello che per ora so.

Ma quell’amico un po’ più grande aveva detto

“State in campana che non è proprio così

Io ci sono già stato e allora vi consiglio

Se fossi in voi ci andrei organizzato così

ritornello:

Io con la ragazza mia, tu con la ragazza tua

Lei con il ragazzo suo e a te con chi ti pare a te

La prima sera subito in discoteca

Madonna qui che atmosfera c’è

Non sono mai stato meglio neanche a una partita

Mi sembra proprio questo il posto giusto per me

Mentre ballavo si avvicina una tipa

Mi guarda e penso già che è pazza di me

Mi sento grande in questo mondo formica

Ci parlo due minuti e tutto viene da sé

Ma quell’amico grande mi tornava in mente

Diceva è inutile che andate fino lì

Vi divertite ma non conquistate niente

Secondo me è meglio organizzati così…

(ritornello)

Arriva il punto di restare da soli

Le dico prendi le tue cose e via

Andiamo fuori mia regina di cuori

Continuiamo a bere nella stanza mia

Prendo le chiavi e avverto gli amici

Mezzo minuto poi mi giro e non c’è

Mi guardo intorno e dopo un attimo vedo

Che parla con un altro grosso il doppio di me

Vi giuro che non ho potuto fare niente

M’ha rovinato le vacanze quello lì

Che con la scusa dell’amico intelligente

Mi ha portato sfiga e adesso canto così…

(ritornello)

Appointment at mid-day in the piazza

I’ve already checked the car

This year it’ll really be a great vacation

I’ve been waiting year for it, and in one hour we go.

Four friends, destination: sea

We don’t need masks or fins

[just] The right shirts to go dancing

In any case, you don’t see the real sea anymore.

But those clubs seen in magazines

Urban legends or not?

They speak of 6000 go-go dancers

And that’s all I know for now.

But that slightly older friend had said:

“Be careful that it’s not really like that

I’ve already been there and I therefore advise you

If I were you I’d go organized like this:”

refrain:

Me with my girl, you with your girl

She with her guy and you with whomever you like

The first evening immediately to the disco

Madonna, what an atmosphere!

I’ve never felt better,

not even at a [soccer] game

This really seems like the right place for me.

While I was dancing a girl came up

She looks at me and I already think
she’s crazy for me

I feel big in this world of ants

I talk to her for two minutes and everything comes on its own [naturally]

But that older friend returned to mind

He said: “It’s useless to go all the way there

You’ll have fun but you won’t conquer anything,

I say it’s better to go organized like this…”

(refrain)

The moment arrives [for us] to be alone

I tell her “Get your things and we’ll go

Let’s go out, my queen of hearts

We’ll keep drinking in my room.”

I get the keys and tell my friends,

Half a minute, then I turn and she’s not there

I look around me and after a moment I see

She’s talking to another guy, twice as big as me.

I swear to you I couldn’t do anything

That guy ruined my vacation

With the excuse of the intelligent friend

He brought me bad luck
and now I sing like this…

(refrain)

if you find this useful and want more, let me know!

Learn Italian in Song: Una Su Un Milione

by Alex Britti

Una Su Un Milione

One in a Million

Accettami così Accept me just like this
ti prego non guardare I beg you not to look
nella mia testa inside my head
c’è un mondo da ignorare there’s a world to ignore
Voglio che tu sia I want you to be
mia complice discreta My discreet accomplice
Accettami e sarai la mia bambola di seta Accept me and you’ll be my silken doll
Acccettami e vedrai Accept me and you’ll see
andremo fino in fondo that we’ll go on to the end
Non pensare a cosa è giusto Don’t think about what is right
e cosa sta cambiando and what is changing.
Andiamo al polo nord We’ll go to the North Pole
o al sud se preferisci or south, if you prefer
Accettami ti prego Accept me, I beg you,
e dimmi che ci riesci Tell me that you can.
Non ho detto mai I never said
di essere perfetto That I’m perfect
Se vuoi ti aiuto io If you want, I’ll help you
a scoprire ogni mio difetto To discover every defect I have
Se ne trovi di più If you find [even] more
ancora mi sta bene That’s still all right with me
Basta che restiamo Just as long as we stay
ancora così insieme Together like this still .
Amo amo I love, I love
e’ qualcosa che si muove it’s something that moves
Su e giù per lo stomaco up and down in my stomach
più freddo della neve colder than the snow
Amo amo I love, I love
e’ un buco alla ciambella It’s a hole in the donut
La sua dolcezza effimera Its ephemeral sweetness
la rende così bella Makes it so lovely .
Accettami e vedrai Accept me and you’ll see
insieme cresceremo Together we will grow
Qualche metro in più A few meters more
e il cielo toccheremo And touch the sky
Più alti dei giganti Taller than the giants
più forti di godzilla Stronger than Godzilla
Faremo una crociera We’ll go on a cruise
su una nave tutta gialla On a boat that’s all yellow
Andremo su un’isola We’ll go to an island
che sembra disegnata that looks drawn
Con colori enormi with enormous colors
e un mare da sfilata And a sea like a fashion show.
Per quanto mi riguarda As far as regards me,
ho fatto già il biglietto I’ve already got a ticket
Ti prego non lasciarlo accanto I beg you not to leave it alongside
a un sogno nel cassetto a dream in the drawer
Amo amo I love, I love
e’ qualcosa di speciale It’s something special
Su e giù per lo stomaco Up and down in my stomach
è come un temporale like a storm.
Amo amo I love, I love
è il sugo sulla pasta It’s the sauce on the pasta
Finché non è finito Until it’s finished
non saprò mai dire basta I’ll never know how to say “enough”
Amo amo I love, I love
è un dono di natura It’s a gift of nature
Perché la nostra storia Because our story
non è solo un’avventura Isn’t just an adventure
Amo amo I love, I love
è una semplice canzone It’s a simple song
Serve a me per dirti That serves me to tell you
che sei una su un milione That you’re one in a million.

Learn Italian in Song: 7000 Caffé

 

written, recorded and copyrighted by Alex Britti Alex Britti - '3' (Sanremo 2003) - 7000 Caffé

Here’s another great by Alex Britti – go out and buy his music! Sadly, his own brilliantly original music video has been removed from YouTube, but here’s a version with another fave of mine, Neri Per Caso.

7000 caffé, 7000 coffees
li ho gia’ presi percha’© I’ve already drunk them because
sono stanco di stare al volante I’m tired of being at the wheel
e vorrei arrivare entro sera da te And I would like to arrive [at your home] by this evening
che aspetti me nel castello lassu’¹ Who are waiting for me in the castle up there
con la treccia gia’ sciolta With your braid already undone
affacciata al balcone vestita di blu Looking out from the balcony, dressed in blue
7000 caffé 7000 coffees
é l’effetto che ho is the effect I have
quando arrivo al portone When I arrive at the entry
e ti vedo gridare con gli occhi il mio nome percio’ And I see you call out my name with your eyes [therefore]*
vieni verso di me e io pazzo di te You come towards me, and me crazy for you,
in un attimo ci diamo il bacio piu’dolce, piu’dolce che c’é in a moment we give each other the sweetest, the sweetest kiss there is
Ritornello: Chorus:
Ho bisogno di te perche sei bella e poi I need you because you’re beautiful, and then
Ho bisogno di te come l’acqua il caffé I need you like [water needs coffee / coffee needs water]**
come un mondo che gira e che, amore, se non vuoi, Like a world that turns and that, love, if you don’t want
non finira’ mai Will never end.
Ad esempio lo sai l’altra sera ero a casa For example, you know, the other evening I was at home
cercavo da bere ma il frigo era vuoto I was looking [for something] to drink but the fridge was empty
perché non ho fatto la spesa Because I didn’t do the [grocery] shopping
tu non ci crederai – indovina che c’é You won’t believe it – guess what?
ho trovato una tazza con l’ultimo dei 7000 caffé I found a cup with the last of the 7000 coffees
Ora sto qui da solo e non dormo e non volo Now I’m here alone and I don’t sleep and I don’t fly
mentre tu sei lontana While you’re far away
ripenso a una scena di te senza velo I think again of a scene of you “without veils” [nude]
non so bene cos’é, forse i troppi caffé I don’t know what it is, maybe too many coffees
ma stanotte non riesco a dormire But tonight I can’t sleep
e l’amore lo faccio da me. And I’ll make love by myself.
* This word doesn’t seem to fit here – I suspect he just threw it in to fit the rhyme.** The meaning here is (probably deliberately) ambiguous.
if you find this useful and want more, let me know!

Alex Britti in Concert

This summer we went to a concert by Alex Britti, a singer-songwriter as yet unknown outside Europe. He’s popular with the bubblegum set for a few immensely singable songs such asLa Vasca (The Bathtub), but he considers himself more a guitarist – and turns out to be a hell of a good one.Unfortunately, we hardly got to hear him sing during the concert, due to the chorus of teenyboppers who sang along enthusiastically (and badly) with most of the songs. Early on, I asked the girls behind us to stop: “I came to hear him, not you,” I pointed out. Their mother retorted: “Lady, if you want to hear the music, buy the CD. This is a concert.”

Defeated by this, er, logic, I retired from the battle, and had to be grateful for the guitar solos: delightfully un-singalongable, and very well played. These seemed to confuse much of the audience, who muttered to each other: “What song is this?” or got up and went for a beer.

Alex Britti must be frustrated. He’s made lots of money and gained some artistic freedom thanks to his lighter bestsellers, but his audience doesn’t seem to understand or appreciate the stuff that he himself likes best!

Other musical experiences this summer were less than stellar. Roseto, the little town on the Adriatic coast where my in-laws live, used to be a pleasantly sleepy place with nothing to do at night except stroll around, eat gelato, and watch kids on the carnival rides. But now it aspires to the trendy disco status of the Adriatic’s hotter spots, so the beachfront establishments all have permission to play music til 1 or 2 am.

This would be somewhat bearable, or at least understandable, if the music was good. However, it was all REALLY bad, mostly youngsters basically doing karaoke with automated music machines – their equipment was far more impressive than their abilities deserved.

One band started out relatively promising, playing real instruments, with an admirable selection of blues tunes and guitar licks ripped off from Stevie Ray Vaughan. But the guitar wasn’t quite in tune with the keyboard, and the singer wasn’t in tune with anything. After hearing “Pride and Joy” murdered two or three times, we were ready to strangle the drunk who kept demanding encores.

We could easily perceive even that detail, because my in-laws’ apartment overlooks the beach, within a stone’s throw of two of these establishments (alas, I had no stones). After we finally dropped off to sleep at 2 am one night, I was awoken at 8:00 by a group of retirees just arrived on an group tour. “Ecco il mare!” shouted one enthusiastic fellow – “Look! The sea!” (And just what did you expect to find on a trip to the seaside…?)

Note: I have also translated some of Alex Britti’s songs into English.