Adriano Celentano (born January 6, 1938) is an Italian singer, songwriter, … Read Full Bio ↴Adriano Celentano (born January 6, 1938) is an Italian singer, songwriter, comedian, actor, and TV host. He was born in Milan at 14 Gluck Street (about which he later wrote the song "Il ragazzo della via Gluck"), his parents were from Puglia and had moved north for work.

Heavily influenced by his idol, Elvis Presley, and the 1950s rock revolution, he is also known as the most famous dancer of the Hula hoop fad. For the last 40 years he has retained his popularity in Italy, selling millions of records and appearing in numerous TV shows and movies (including a short appearance in Fellini's La Dolce Vita, before becoming a famous artist). In the latter respect, he has also been a creator of a comic genre, with his characteristic walking and his facial expressions. For the most part, his films were commercially successful, in fact in the 1970s and part of the 1980s, he was the king of the Italian box office in low budget movies. As an actor, critics point to Serafino (1968), directed by Pietro Germi, as his best effort.

As a director he frequently casts Ornella Muti, Eleonora Giorgi and his wife Claudia Mori. His best movie like director is "Yuppi Du", winner of The Golden Palm at Cannes Festival. He and Claudia are the parents of Rosita, Rosalinda and Vincent Celentano, the latter most notable to worldwide audiences for playing the Satan character in Mel Gibson`s The Passion of the Christ. He also works often as a host for several Italian television shows.

His 1968 song "Azzurro" has regained popularity in 2006, due to it being the anthem of the Italian national football team (the Azzurri) who won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The artist Vincent Fiorello has also created a remix of the song.

His last concert-event in 2012, after 18 years without live performances, was transmitted on Canale 5, with over 9 million viewers both evenings.

I Want to Know Part I & II
Adriano Celentano Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I want to know (vorrei sapere)
I want to know (vorrei sapere)
Vorrei sapere (I want to know)
Vorrei sapere (I want to know)

Come fa la gente
A concepire
Di poter vivere

Nelle case d'oggi
Inscatolati come le acciughe
Nascono i bimbi che han già le rughe

I want to know
I want to know
I want to know (vorrei sapere)
I want to know (vorrei sapere)

Perché la gente (I want to know)
Non dice niente (I want to know)
Ai mister Hyde, ai dottor Jekyll
I costruttori di questi orrori
Che senza un volto fanno le case
Dove la carie germoglia già

I want to know
I want to know
I want to know
I want to know

I want to know (vorrei sapere)
I want to know (vorrei sapere)
Vorrei sapere (I want to know)
Vorrei sapere (I want to know)

Come fa la gente
A concepire
Di poter vivere
Nelle case d'oggi
I want to know
I want to know
I want to know
I want to know

I want to know (vorrei sapere)
I want to know (vorrei sapere)

Perché la gente (I want to know)
Non dice niente (I want to know)
Ai mister Hyde, ai dottor Jekyll
I costruttori di questi orrori
Che senza un volto fanno le case
Dove la carie germoglia già

I want to know
I want to know

I want to know
I want to know

Overall Meaning

The song "I Want to Know Part II" by Adriano Celentano is a commentary on contemporary society's materialistic and superficial approach to life. The song begins with the repeated lines "I want to know, I want to know," which serves as the artist's demand to understand how people conceive of living in the modern world. The artist questions how it is possible for people to live in such small living spaces like a sardine can as though they were living in luxury. The artist also touches on the topic of children, who in today's society, are exposed to a rapid process of aging and are born looking like old people or already having wrinkles. The song reflects on how society has neglected the crucial aspect of living a meaningful life where people should strive to live with more dignity.

Celentano's lyrically asks why people remain silent in the face of these societal issues. He refers to "Mr. Hyde" and "Dr. Jekyll," who represent society's builders and creators of such horrors in society. The "horrors" are ironic since these are the same people tasked with building homes, but instead of building such homes with life in mind, they build them without a soul. The song's last verse speaks to the proliferation of tooth decay, which can be prevalent in different types of houses due to the harsh materials used by their builders.

In conclusion, Adriano Celentano's "I Want to Know Part II" highlights the frenzied and hollow current mode of life, and how the builders/architects and society at large have neglected human dignity. Celentano demands answers to the queries he poses, which challenges the listener to take up the call and create a better society by focusing on what truly matters - humanity.

Line by Line Meaning

I want to know
The singer is curious about something and wants more information.

I want to know
The singer is still curious and wants more information.

Vorrei sapere
The singer is expressing his desire to know more about something.

Come fa la gente
The singer is asking how people can conceive of living in modern houses and being packaged like sardines.

A concepire
The singer is asking how people can conceptualize living in modern houses and being packaged like sardines.

Di poter vivere
The singer is asking how people can imagine living in modern houses and being packaged like sardines.

Nelle case d'oggi
The singer is referring to modern-day houses that people are living in.

Inscatolati come le acciughe
The singer is using a simile to describe how people living in modern houses are like sardines in a can.

Nascono i bimbi che han già le rughe
The singer is saying that children are being born with wrinkles already, which implies that they are not living in healthy conditions.

Perché la gente
The singer is still curious and wants more information.

Non dice niente
The singer is saying that people are not speaking up about the horrors of modern housing conditions.

Ai mister Hyde, ai dottor Jekyll
The singer is referring to the builders of modern houses as two-faced individuals, like the famous literary characters.

I costruttori di questi orrori
The singer is referring to the builders of modern houses as creators of horrors.

Che senza un volto fanno le case
The singer is saying that the builders of modern houses are faceless entities creating these houses.

Dove la carie germoglia già
The singer is saying that the houses are already suffering from decay and poor conditions before anyone even moves in.