Tag Archives: Lucio Battisti

Learn Italian in Song: Una Donna per Amico

A Woman for a Friend

The late, great Lucio Battisti again, with lyrics by Mogol. This song was played as the Italian athletes entered the stadium during the opening ceremonies of the Torino Winter Olympics.

The title means “A Woman for a Friend,” but you need to pay attention to the subtleties: amico is the masculine form of the noun (a female friend should be amica), so title seems to say that the singer chose a woman rather than a man as his best buddy. The song is about the consequences of that choice.

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Learn Italian in Song: La Canzone del Sole

The Song of the Sun

One of the greatest pop songs ever, in any language. Music by Lucio Battisti, lyric by Mogol (1971). If you only ever listen to one Italian pop song, it should be this one.

Le bionde trecce gli occhi azzurri e poi Blonde braids, blue eyes, and then
le tue calzette rosse your red socks
e l’innocenza sulle gote tue And the innocence on your cheeks ““
due arance ancor piu’ rosse two oranges redder still
e la cantina buia dove noi, respiravamo piano And the dark cellar where we breathed softly
e le tue corse l’eco dei tuoi no, oh no And your running, the echo of your “no’s” ““ oh, no
mi stai facendo paura you’re scaring me
dove sei stata cosa hai fatto mai? Where you have you been, what on earth have you done?
una donna, donna, dimmi “A woman” ““ woman, tell me
cosa vuol dir sono una donna ormai? What does it mean: “I’m a woman now” ?
ma quante braccia ti hanno stretto tu lo sai How many arms have held you – you know [the answer]
per diventar quel che sei to become what you are?
che importa tanto tu non me lo dirai What does it matter – in any case, you won’t tell me.
purtroppo Unfortunately.
ma ti ricordi l’acqua verde e noi But do you remember the green water and us,
le rocce e il bianco fondo The rocks and the white sea floor?
di che colore sono gli occhi tuoi? What color are your eyes?
se me lo chiedi non rispondo If you ask me, I won’t answer.
oh mare nero, oh mare nero, oh mare ner Oh, black sea, oh black sea, oh black sea”¦
tu eri chiaro e trasparente come me You were clear and transparent as me.
oh mare nero, oh mare nero, oh mare ne.. Oh, black sea, oh black sea, oh black sea”¦
tu eri chiaro e trasparente come me You were clear and transparent as me.
Le biciclette abbandonate sopra il prato e poi The bicycles abandoned on the grass and then
noi due distesi all’ombra We two stretched out in the shade.
un fiore in bocca può servire sai A flower in the mouth can be useful, you know
più allegro tutto sembra Everything seems more cheerful.
e d’improvviso quel silenzio tra noi And suddenly that silence between us
e quel tuo sguardo strano And that strange look of yours.
ti cade il fiore dalla bocca e poi… The flower falls from your mouth and then…
oh no ferma ti prego la mano Oh, no, please – stop your hand.
dove sei stata, cosa hai fatto mai? Where have you been, what on earth have you done?
una donna, donna, donna dimmi “A woman” – woman? – woman, tell me
cosa vuol dir “sono una donna ormai”? What does it mean: “I’m a woman now” ?
Io non conosco quel sorriso sicuro che hai I don’t know that secure smile that you have
non so chi sei, non so piu’ chi sei I don’t know who you are, I don’t know who you are anymore
mi fai paura oramai, purtroppo You scare me now – unfortunately.
ma ti ricordi le onde grandi e noi Do you remember the big waves and us
gli spruzzi e le tue risa The splashes and your laughs
cos’è rimasto in fondo agli occhi tuoi? What remains at the bottom of your eyes?
la fiamma é spenta o é accesa Has the flame gone out or does it still burn?
Oh mare nero, oh mare nero, oh mare ne.. Oh, black sea, oh black sea, oh black sea”¦
tu eri chiaro e trasparente come me You were clear and transparent as me.
oh mare nero, oh mare nero, oh mare ne.. Oh, black sea, oh black sea, oh black sea”¦
tu eri chiaro e trasparente come me. You were clear and transparent as me.
Il sole quando sorge, sorge piano e poi The sun when it rises, rises slowly and then
la luce si diffonde tutto intorno a noi The light spreads all around us
le ombre di fantasmi nella notte The shadows of phantoms in the night
sono alberi e cespugli ancora in fiore Are trees and bushes still in flower
sono gli occhi di una donna ancora pieni d’amore They’re the eyes of a woman, still full of love.