Antonello Venditti was born in Rome, the son of a police commissary.
He studied piano in his youth and made his debut in the music world in the early 1970s at the Folkstudio of Rome, together with singers the like of Francesco De Gregori and Giorgio Lo Cascio. In duo with the former he released in 1972 his first LP, Theorius Campus. The LP scored little success, but Venditti at least made himself being noted for the strength of his vocal qualities and for his attention for social issues, evidenced by pieces like "Sora Rosa" which is sung in Roman dialect. Also in dialect was "Roma Capoccia", a declaration of love for his city, that later became one of his most famous songs. Curiously, Venditti refused to sing it for several years, as he considered it not politically or socially "engaged" enough.
Venditti subsequently moved to Milan and released L'orso bruno (1973), made in collaboration with musician Vince Tempera: this album included another song in dialect, "E Li Ponti So’ Soli", but for the rest was marked by an even stronger attention to social themes. His next work, Le cose della vita ("Things of Our Life"), released the same year for the colossus RCA Music, confirmed this tendency. The following LP Quando verrà Natale ("When Christmas Will Come") was similar; its even more naked arrangements emphasize the strength of Venditti's denunciation. After a live performance of the song "A Cristo" ("Hey, Christ"), he was denounced by an Italian Police officer for blasphemy: Venditti, however, was later totally acquitted.
Venditti's fortunes grew and peaked in 1975, with the LP Lilly: the yearning title-track was another strong accusation, this time against drugs, but it met an outstanding success anyway. Other famous pieces in the album were "Compagno di scuola" ("Schoolmate") and the long ballad "Lo Stambecco Ferito" ("The Wounded Steinbeck"), the story of a corrupted Northern Italy tycoon. Venditti continued to deal with front-page facts with the following LP, Ullalà (1976), whose "Canzone per Seveso" was about the eponymous industrial accident that happened in July of that year.
Political involvement, however, had side-effects on Venditti's inspiration in the late 1970s, marked in Italy by the growing menace of terrorism and by the strategia della tensione: some events (like the public booing of his friend De Gregori by politicized fans during a show) forced him to rethink his way of being a public personality. Sotto il segno dei Pesci ("(Born) Under the Pisces astrological sign", 1978) contained more personal and intimate themes. The eponymous track scored a great success, but was largely misinterpreted as a song about a woman: it instead referred to Venditti's career itself; he was effectively born "under the Pisces sign".
Success was however marred by his divorce to his wife Simona Izzo. She won custody of Venditti's son, Francesco Saverio. The following LP, Buona Domenica (1979), was highly marked by this difficult period. It contained anyway several classics, like the title-track and the ballad "Modena", which featured Gato Barbieri saxophone and is considered one of his finest works.
In 1982 the bitter Sotto la pioggia marked Venditti's passage to his own label, Heinz Music, and the beginning of the long-lasting collaboration with producer Alessandro Colombini. The following year A.S. Roma, his city's football team, won its long-awaited second scudetto: Venditti was therefore called in the official celebration show, and the song that he composed for the occasion, "Grazie Roma" ("Thank You Roma"), turned into a great success, surprisingly not confined to Rome's boundaries. Venditti had already composed several songs about his favourite soccer team: some criticized them harshly, mostly because of the strong contrast with the political-social themes of his other songs.
In following years, and notably in the 1990s, Venditti inspiration seemed to become more mainstream and commercial. His LPs (Cuore, In questo mondo di ladri, Benvenuti in Paradiso, Prendilo tu questo frutto amaro) were very successful, but his former themes were absent, or generally less stressed. Pieces like "Notte prima degli esami" or "Ma che bella giornata di sole" (about the Italian Liberation Day of September 1943) were anyway praised by critics. Among the songs of this period, "Dolce Enrico" was dedicated to the former leader of Partito Comunista Italiano, Enrico Berlinguer, dead in 1984.
Antonello nel Paese delle Meraviglie ("Antonello in Wonderland") of 1997 featured his greatest hits accompanied by the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra of Sofia, directed by Renato Serio. Goodbye Novecento (1999) gave increasing attention to social and historical themes, but had a sub par success for Venditti's standards. In 2001 A.S. Roma won again a scudetto, and Venditti played again in a free concert in the Circo Massimo for an immense audience of tifosi and lovers of his songs. His latest studio release is Che fantastica storia è la vita ("What a Fantastic Story Is Life", October 2003). Gato Barbieri played with Venditti in this release. After resolved the difficulties in his friendship with Venditti, told in the latter's 1979 song "Scusa Francesco", "Sorry Francesco", De Gregori is also present as singer in "Io e mio fratello" ("Me and My Brother"). The album also contains a satire of Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi ("Il Sosia").
Venditti released the soundtrack for the 1985 movie Troppo forte by his friend, the Roman director Carlo Verdone. Verdone also played occasionally drums in Venditti's concertos.
Discography
* Bomba o non Bomba
* Theorius Campus (1972), with Francesco De Gregori under the collective byname of Theorius Campus)
* L'orso bruno (1973)
* Le cose della vita (1973)
* Quando verrà Natale (1974)
* Lilly (1975)
* Ullalà (1976)
* Sotto il segno dei pesci (1978)
* Buona domenica (1979)
* Sotto la pioggia (1982)
* Circo Massimo (1983, live)
* Cuore (1984)
* Centocittà (1985, live)
* Venditti e Segreti (1986)
* In questo mondo di ladri (1988)
* Gli anni ’80 (1990, collection)
* Benvenuti in Paradiso (1991)
* Da Sansiro a Samarcanda – L’amore insegna agli uomini (1992, live)
* Prendilo tu questo frutto amaro (1995)
* Antonello nel Paese delle Meraviglie (1997, live)
* Goodbye Novecento (1999)
* Se l'amore è amore... (2000, collection)
* Circo Massimo 2001 (2001, live)
* Il coraggio e l’amore (2002, collection)
* Che fantastica storia è la vita (2003)
* Campus Live (2005, live)
L'Uomo Falco
Antonello Venditti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sul suo trono di diamanti
Per natura nega sempre
Ed è muto come un pesce
Lui è un uomo falco
E se qualcuno lo cerca
Lui vola più in alto perché
Perché suo nonno era Ponzio Pilato
E suo padre i quaranta ladroni
E sua moglie le sette sorelle
E sua madre un segreto militare
Lui è un uomo falco
E se qualcuno lo cerca
Lui vola più in alto perché
Lui ti offre cioccolato
Fiori finti da annusare
Gli orologi più precisi
Medicine da mangiare
Lui è un bravo ragazzo
E se qualcuno lo accusa
Se ne lava le mani perché
Perché lui porta la cravatta
Il sorriso più smagliante
Ha una banca che lo aspetta
E un aereo sempre pronto
E lui vola sempre più in alto
E San Pietro ha aperto
Proprio l'ultima porta per lui
Così organizza tea danzanti
Fughe di angeli dalla capitale
Corsi completi per diavoli aspiranti
E per la Caritas Internazionale
Lui è un figlio di puttana
E se qualcuno lo cerca
Lui vola più in alto che può
Lui è un uomo falco
E se qualcuno lo cerca
Lui vola più in alto che può
The song "L'Uomo Falco" by Antonello Venditti is a poignant reflection on the life and attitudes of an enigmatic character known as the "man hawk". The song describes this individual as a wealthy and powerful figure, flying high on his throne of diamonds and denying his true nature and emotions. He is depicted as a reserved and reclusive figure, who keeps his thoughts and feelings hidden from the world. Despite his aloofness, however, the man hawk is still sought after by those who seek his friendship or approval.
The lyrics go on to explain the man hawk's background in a series of cryptic references to famous literary and historical figures. His grandfather is said to have been the infamous Roman governor Pontius Pilate, while his father was one of the "forty thieves". His wife is likened to the mythical Seven Sisters, and his mother is a "secret military" figure. These references create a sense of mystery and intrigue around the man hawk, suggesting that he comes from a powerful and perhaps even dangerous lineage.
The song continues to describe the man hawk's actions and attitudes, portraying him as a conflicted figure who alternately offers gifts and ignores accusations. Despite all of his wealth and connections, he is depicted as an outsider and a loner, who relies on his own strength and power to survive. Ultimately, however, the man hawk is revealed to be a troubled and flawed character, who may even be a "son of a bitch". This ambiguity and complexity make "L'Uomo Falco" a deeply thought-provoking and emotionally resonant song.
Line by Line Meaning
L'uomo falco vola in alto
The falcon man flies high
Sul suo trono di diamanti
On his throne of diamonds
Per natura nega sempre
By nature, he always denies
Ed è muto come un pesce
And he is silent as a fish
Lui è un uomo falco
He is a falcon man
E se qualcuno lo cerca
And if someone searches for him
Lui vola più in alto perché
He flies higher because
Perché suo nonno era Ponzio Pilato
Because his grandfather was Pontius Pilate
E suo padre i quaranta ladroni
And his father the forty thieves
E sua moglie le sette sorelle
And his wife the seven sisters
E sua madre un segreto militare
And his mother a military secret
Lui ti offre cioccolato
He offers you chocolate
Fiori finti da annusare
Fake flowers to smell
Gli orologi più precisi
The most precise watches
Medicine da mangiare
Medicines to eat
Lui è un bravo ragazzo
He is a good boy
E se qualcuno lo accusa
And if someone accuses him
Se ne lava le mani perché
He washes his hands of it because
Perché lui porta la cravatta
Because he wears a tie
Il sorriso più smagliante
The brightest smile
Ha una banca che lo aspetta
He has a bank waiting for him
E un aereo sempre pronto
And an airplane always ready
E lui vola sempre più in alto
And he always flies higher
E San Pietro ha aperto
And Saint Peter has opened
Proprio l'ultima porta per lui
Just the last door for him
Così organizza tea danzanti
So he organizes dancing teas
Fughe di angeli dalla capitale
Escapes of angels from the capital
Corsi completi per diavoli aspiranti
Complete courses for aspiring devils
E per la Caritas Internazionale
And for the International Caritas
Lui è un figlio di puttana
He is a son of a bitch
E se qualcuno lo cerca
And if someone searches for him
Lui vola più in alto che può
He flies as high as he can
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Antonello Venditti
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TheCancio68
che ricordi! quell'album me lo sono letteralmente consumato a furia di ascoltarlo! capolavoro assoluto di antonello! e pensare che avevo 10 anni! che fortuna avere a quell'età musica così da ascoltare! altro che oggi!!!
Demetrio Avanzi
un salto nel tempo di quasi quarant'anni ... che emozione sentirla, bellissima
sergio boss gastronomia italiana Mallorca
L'album è del 77
Aserejé-ja-dejédebuguiandegüididípi
Il ‘78, questa è la pietra tombale di un album che riassunse un’annata da brividi. La fine di un sogno e l’inizio di una nuova epoca.
Federico Honorati
Ottimo arrrangiamento per un brano che non mi stanco mai di riascoltare. Ottimo il finale.
L'album ha osato contendere il primo posto con "Saturday night fever", rimanendo ben 6 settimane avanti al competitor. Vendite eccezionali e strameritate.
gianluca re
Giusto! canzone superlativa.
natale caputo
gli anni passano ma le cose non cambiano
Marco Scaringi
Questo è il periodo migliore... o meglio.. .quello che più apprezzo del grande Venditti. Il più bell' LP che abbia mai prodotto... che posseggo gelosamente (rigorosamente in vinile), ... e che per nulla al mondo cederei !!!!
miliziametallica
anche io! seppur l'avesse comprato mio padre quando io ancora dovevo nascere :)
Luciano Miranda
idem! Insieme a tutti gli altri degli anni '70