Recorded by Neri Per Caso (“Black by Accident”), an a capella group, this song demonstrates a very Italian – and very healthy – attitude towards sex. (The video is more questionable.)
Continue reading Learn Italian in Song: Sentimento, Pentimentoas sung by… Claudio Baglioni???
I noticed that someone had ended up on my site while searching for these lyrics. Sandokan, the Tiger of Malaysia, is an old favorte of mine, so I’m happy to fill this gap.The video above is a montage that gives you an idea what the TV show was like, using the song as recorded for the show. Below you’ll find a sing-along version!It’s not a great song in any way, but the show and song are fondly remembered by many (including me, though I saw it in later re-airings).
Continue reading Learn Italian in Song: Sandokan
Music by Angelo Branduardi, lyrics by Luisa and Angelo Branduardi,
1977
This cheerful, Renaissance/Baroque-inspired tune makes a great kids’ song. It’s an old favorite of mine from when Enrico introduced me to Branduardi’s music during one of my first trips to Italy. A few years later, travelling together across the northern US, we were astonished to hear it in a Muzak version at a truck stop in Pennsylvania.In this (unfortunately poor-quality) video you can see another celebrated aspect of Branduardi: his famous mane of hair (one Italian word for which would be zazzera).
Continue reading Learn Italia in Song: La Pulce d’AcquaClaudio Baglioni, 1973
Another classic that everyone knows, perhaps the most famous from pop star Claudio Baglione. This translation was originally done by reader Jared Hill, who had looked for it on my site but didn’t find it, and quite rightly pointed out that it should be here! I have changed his translation a bit – his version was more poetic, but I do these song translations quite literally, to better help people learning Italian.
A commenter has supplied some alternative, slightly spicier lyrics. Possibly the lyrics I found had been cleaned up for tenderer ears.
Aside: Baglione for years owned a condo in the same building as Enrico’s parents in Rome, so the family knew all the gossip about him (via the portinaio – building concierges in Italy, both male and female, are famous for gossip). Every year on Claudio’s birthday, young fans would put a banner on the fence across the street: “Tanti Auguri Claudio.”
Continue reading Learn Italian in Song: Questo Piccolo Grande Amoremusic by Fred Buscaglione, lyrics written by/with Chiosso
Fred Buscaglione ( the Italian version of this wikipedia bio is much better). Buscaglione invented a stage persona drawn from Damon Runyon, Mickey Spillane, et al – the cigarette-puffing, whiskey-drinking tough with a weakness for bad women, as in this example.
| T’ho veduta. | I saw you. | |
| T’ho seguita. | I followed you. | |
| T’ho fermata. | I stopped you. | |
| T’ho baciata. | I kissed you. | |
| eri piccola, piccola, piccola, | You were small, small, small | |
| così! | Like this! | |
| M’hai guardato. | You looked at me. | |
| Hai taciuto. | You didn’t speak. | |
| ho pensato: | I thought: | |
| “Beh, son piaciuto”. | Well, I was liked [she liked me] | |
| Eri piccola… | ||
| Poi, | Then | |
| é nato il nostro folle amore, | Our crazy love was born, | |
| che, | That | |
| ripenso ancora con terrore. | I still remember with terror. | |
| M’hai stregato. | You bewitched me. | |
| T’ho creduta. | I believed you. | |
| L’hai voluto. | You wanted it. | |
| T’ho sposata. | I married you. | |
| Eri piccola… | ||
| T’ho viziata, coccolata, | I spoiled you, coddled [you] | |
| latte, burro, marmellata. | Milk, butter, Jam. | |
| Eri piccola… | ||
| E cretino sono stato, | And I was stupid | |
| anche il gatto m’hai venduto. | You even sold my cat. | |
| Ma eri piccola,
eh gia’, piccola, piccola, |
But you were little, yeah, little… | |
| Tu, fumavi mille sigarette. |
You smoked thousands of cigarettes | |
| Io, facevo il grano col tresette. |
I made money with Three-Seven [card game] | |
| Poi un giorno | Then one day | |
| m’hai piantato | You left me | |
| per un tipo spappolato [svaporato?] | For a mushy / stale guy | |
| T’ho cercato, | I looked for you | |
| l’ho scovato, | I found him | |
| l’ho guardato, | I looked at you | |
| s’é squagliato. | He legged it. | |
| Quattro schiaffi t’ho servito, | I gave you four slaps | |
| Tu mi hai detto:”Disgraziato!”. | You said to me: “Wretch!” | |
| La pistola m’hai puntato, eh, | You pointed the pistol at me, eh | |
| ed un colpo m’hai sparato. | And fired a shot at me | |
| E sì | Ah, yes | |
| Spara (bang). | Shoot | |
| Spara (bang), | ||
| e spara (bang) | ||
| khoff, khoff , khoff, khoff , (colpi di tosse) | [coughing] | |
| E pensare che eri piccola, | And to think that you were little | |
| ma piccola, | But little | |
| tanto piccola, | So little | |
| così! | Like this! | |
Some years ago my daughter Rossella and her friends began making their own video of the song:
