Sultry voice, poetic lyrics and surprising harmonies are just a part of the recipe that makes Chiara's music so irresistible.
The distance she has traveled is both musical and spiritual-literally stretching across the Atlantic Ocean. Born in Rome, Chiara was encouraged to play the piano by her grandmother; she kids that her nonna's out-of-tune upright afforded the best ear training. She briefly tried the acoustic guitar, but that ended almost comically with a drive to get some gelato. "The little car only had two doors," she remembers. "When I sat down, I broke the neck of the guitar. That was it for me. No more guitar. My mother said, 'You'd better sing, girl!'"
Chiara had already been in some classical choirs, but was looking for something freer than the operatic traditions of her homeland. A friend suggested that she learn jazz; she'd never heard of it. A little investigation brought her to a private music school that she would attend through her four years of high school: the St. Louis Music Academy in Rome. When she was sixteen, Chiara began singing professionally and won a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. She enrolled there from 1994-98. By the first year Chiara was a regular on the Boston club scene, performing with different bands.
But her journey didn't end with Boston or jazz. Chiara's move to New York City was inevitable. Searching for something musically closer to her Mediterranean roots, she immersed herself in Latin and Brazilian music, learning Spanish and Portuguese along the way. She also wrote her first song, "Parole Incerte" ("Uncertain Words"), about the misunderstandings that can come from the distance between a person and her loved ones.
Meanwhile, two of Chiara's bandmates - pianist Alain Mallet and drummer Jamey Haddad - had begun working with Paul Simon and invited her to a rehearsal. It was there that she met producer Russ Titelman and left him with a demo of "Parole Incerte." He called the very next day and insisted, "You are a songwriter. Forget about everything else you are doing. You have to write." Chiara began composing lyrics in English. She studied the work of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor.
Titelman let president and CEO of Verve hear the song and the next day Chiara was offered a record deal that not only allowed her to enter the studio but made her the first Italian born to be signed by Verve Records.
From this series of encouraging and exciting encounters emerged the 10 original compositions included on her debut album LAST QUARTER MOON, Verve2005; seven written by herself and three co-writes, including the brooding ballad "Trouble" that was co-written with legend Burt Bacharach. "I had almost every song on the album," recalls Chiara, "when Russ called me to say that Burt Bacharach was interested in writing with me." "Trouble" came together during a three day session at Bacharach's Los Angeles home. Chiara arrived with an idea for the melody; they shaped and refined it as a team.
The first album granted her a first round of the world and great position in the charts of italy and Japan.
Billboard Magazine noted that, “the beauty, charm and allure of singer/pianist/songwriter Chiara Civello’s debut…makes for an auspicious beginning and marks the first revelation of the New Year.” The International Herald Tribune declared “her combination of personality, soulfulness and sophistication…striking.”
The second album The Space Between (2007 Universal Classic and Jazz) produced by Steve Addabbo , shows a more intimate and immediate side of the singer songwriter, leading us us through a journey of thirteen beautiful moments where we feel we can get really close to her.
“This is a record about ‘the space between’. The space between the notes, the silence between words, the space between me and you, me and my past, me and my future, and all the spaces between that nowadays are so difficult to stop and think about….the space between that makes you feel the reality better, the space that makes you miss someone, the space between that makes you not say everything all at once, but bit by bit, as the need of saying it gets stronger in you. The space between what I think and what I say… In Italy, we have a saying: Between saying and doing, there is the sea.”
The album entered successfully the Italian and Japanese chiarts and led her to new important artistic collaborations.
Definitely an itinerant soul, Chiara describes her life as:” My home is the world, as long as there’s a piano at the destination, my world fits in a suitcase, the rest I carry with me : my computer and my guitar.
"Jazz was the most incredible diving machine when it came to going really deep into music," says Civello, about her path of discovery, one sure to continue in the future. "But I knew I couldn't be the new Ella Fitzgerald; I couldn't be the new Shirley Horn. I learned all different kinds of music and then I said to myself, 'I need to find my own voice. Time to unlearn now, time to be free.' It's like a hot air balloon: To be able to fly you have to throw off the sandbags. I want to be as light as I can-light as a feather."
“In the first album you search, in the second you focus, in the third you find yourself…. and here I am,” says Chiara Civello in describing her third album titled “7752” of upcoming release.
7752 is the distance in Kilometers from New York City to Rio de Janeiro, the two cities that provided the inspiration for this album. New York is where Chiara lives, while Rio changed Chiara’s life…
While visiting her friend, Daniel Jobim, in Rio in February 2008, Chiara was taken to a party (known as SARAO) where artists and musicians of all kinds get together. The guitar went around and everyone sang a song. As Chiara shared, listened, and learned, a new phase of her artistic path began.
“Co-writing I was already familiar with,” says Chiara, “since those unforgettable three days spent in Santa Monica in which I wrote Trouble with Burt Bacharach for my first album…but in Brazil everyone co writes. It’s a big party, everyone shares and dares and makes it happen.”
Ana Carolina, a Brazilian pop star, is one of the main collaborators of 7752. Not only did she co-write five of the songs with Chiara, but she also played acoustic guitar on most of them. “We met at that party and she asked me if I had a melody for her, so the next day I started RESTA, a song that soon after we finished together and sang as a duet live in Sao Paulo.” Success has already accompanied the collaboration with Ana Carolina, as RESTA will be featured on the new Novela of Globo TV called “Passione,” starting on May 17, 2010.
Written between Rio, New York, and Trastevere (Rome), 7752 includes ten musical moments of which eight were recorded in NYC (and produced by the eclectic producer Andres Levin), while four were recorded in Rio and produced by Chiara herself.
“All my friends and favorite musicians merged into this record in the most natural way…it was like bringing the Rio spirit into the studio: Mauro Refosco (Thom Yorke, David Byrne, Forro’ in The Dark) and Guilherme Monteiro (Ron Carter, Forro in The Dark) had already recorded with me and I couldn’t possibly think of a record without them, Anat Cohen is one of my best friends and I have always wanted to have her on my album but we never were able to make it happen; Jaques Morelenbaum is one of the most talented and sentimental musicians I have ever met; Mark Ribot was the perfect guy for these songs, not to mention the great rhythm section that Andres brought in the studio, Gene Lake on the drums and Jonathan Maron on the bass. Ana Carolina who wrote most of the songs with me already owned them on the acoustic guitar and added her tremendous groove to them”.
Already defined as an “enticing and contagious” album, 7752 sounds lively, while portraying a new, playful and joyous aspect of Chiara’s singing and songwriting. The sound is a beautiful alchemy among the 60s, Italian melody, Brazilian harmonies, and R&B.
http://www.chiaracivello.com
Un uomo una donna
Chiara Civello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sentivo già badabadadada badabadadada
Qualcosa in me badabadadada badabadadada
E mi dicevo
Non si sa mai
Ti sembrerà badabadadada badabadadada
Felicità badabadadada badabadadadaMa in realtà badabadadada badabadadada
Si chiama amore
E non lo sai
Vale la pena
Di rischiare
La paura non può fermare il cuore
Di un uomo
E di una donna
Che hanno già sofferto
Per amore
L'amore sa badabadadada badabadadada
Dov'è che va badabadadada badabadadada
Ed ecco qua badabadadada badabadadada
Io l'ho trovato
E chiuso in te
Ora
Tu sei con me
Oggi
Ma poi chissà badabadadada badabadadada
Poi chissà badabadadada badabadadada
Poi chissà badabadadada badabadadada
Poi chissà badabadadada badabadadada
Ua ua ua
Comme nos voix
Chantent tout bas
Nos cœur(s) y voient
Comme une chance
Comme un espoir
Comme nos voix
Nos cœur(s) y croient
Encore une fois ba
Tout recommence, la vie repart
Combien de joies
Bien des drames
Et voilà
C'est une longue histoire
Un homme
Une femme
Ont forgé la trame du hasard
Comme nos voix
Nos cœurs y voient
Encore une fois
Comme une chance
Comme un espoir
Comme nos voix
Nos cœurs en joie
On fait le choix
D'une romance
Qui passait là
Chance qui passait là
Chance pour toi et moi ba da ba da da da da da da
Toi et moi ba da ba da da da da da da
Toi et toi et moi
The lyrics of Chiara Civello's "Un uomo una donna" delve into the complexities of love and the emotions associated with it, while playing on the interplay of chance and fate. At the beginning of the song, the repetition of the whimsical "badabadadada" creates a playful yet introspective atmosphere that suggests the singer is grappling with feelings of anticipation and uncertainty. The notion that something "in me" is stirring indicates an internal awakening to emotions that may have been dormant or hidden. The phrase "Non si sa mai," or "You never know," reinforces the unpredictability of love and life, underscoring that despite the general sense of joy or happiness that may accompany romantic feelings, there exists a deeper undercurrent of complexity that may not be immediately apparent.
As the lyrics develop, the connection between happiness and love becomes more pronounced. The assertion that what may appear as mere happiness is actually a manifestation of love suggests that true fulfillment comes from deeper connections and emotional vulnerability. The line "E non lo sai" or "And you don’t know," implies that love can often be elusive, hiding beneath the surface of everyday happiness. The metaphor serves to engage the listener in a conversation about the distinctions between fleeting joy and lasting affection, positing that love is a journey filled with moments of enlightenment that reveal its true nature over time.
The chorus introduces a theme of courage in love, emphasizing that fear should not inhibit the hearts of those who have previously faced the trials of love. This line resonates as a testament to resilience, suggesting that those who have endured heartache have a greater capacity to embrace love again. The imagery of an "uomo" (man) and a "donna" (woman) conveys a universal experience that reflects the shared struggles of both genders in love. By highlighting that love can thrive despite past pains, the lyrics foster an understanding that love requires risk and vulnerability—a sentiment that resonates deeply for many who have loved and lost.
In the latter part of the song, the interplay between desire, chance, and hope continues to unfold. The mention of voices singing softly communicates intimacy and connection, where the hearts of the individuals involved recognize love as an opportunity to begin anew. The line "C'est une longue histoire/Un homme/Une femme" paints love as a narrative shaped by fate, accentuating the intertwining paths of two souls. This section emphasizes a cyclical nature of life and love, reminding listeners that despite the ups and downs, love finds a way to resurface. The desire for romance that "passait là" suggests that love often appears unexpectedly, urging the listener to remain open to the possibilities that lie ahead. Ultimately, the lyrics capture the essence of love's journey—a blend of happiness, pain, hope, and the beautiful randomness that often characterizes our most cherished relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Due giorni fa badabadadada badabadadada
Just a couple of days ago, I felt an inexplicable rhythm within me.
Sentivo già badabadadada badabadadada
I could sense something profound stirring inside, a feeling that was hard to define.
Qualcosa in me badabadadada badabadadada
There was an energy in my being that was awakening unusual thoughts.
E mi dicevo
I found myself reflecting inwardly.
Non si sa mai
You can never predict the twists and turns of life.
Ti sembrerà badabadadada badabadadada
What may appear to you on the surface,
Felicità badabadadada badabadadada
Could just be a fleeting sense of happiness,
Ma in realtà badabadadada badabadadada
Yet, beneath that illusion,
Si chiama amore
There lies something deeper which is true love.
E non lo sai
But you may not even realize it.
Vale la pena
It is worth taking the chance,
Di rischiare
To embrace uncertainty,
La paura non può fermare il cuore
For fear cannot stop the emotions of the heart.
Di un uomo
Of a man,
E di una donna
And of a woman,
Che hanno già sofferto
Who have already endured the pains of love.
Per amore
In the name of love.
L'amore sa badabadadada badabadadada
Love possesses an inherent wisdom,
Dov'è che va badabadadada badabadadada
Insightfully knowing its destined path.
Ed ecco qua badabadadada badabadadada
And here we are now,
Io l'ho trovato
I have discovered this extraordinary feeling.
E chiuso in te
And it is nestled within you.
Ora
Now,
Tu sei con me
You are here with me.
Oggi
Today,
Ma poi chissà badabadadada badabadadada
But who knows what tomorrow holds for us?
Poi chissà badabadadada badabadadada
What uncertainties await?
Poi chissà badabadadada badabadadada
What adventures may unfold?
Poi chissà badabadadada badabadadada
The future remains a mystery.
Ua ua ua
A playful refrain that captures the joy of existence.
Comme nos voix
Just like our voices,
Chantent tout bas
Softly singing together,
Nos cœur(s) y voient
Our hearts perceive something profound.
Comme une chance
It feels like a beautiful opportunity,
Comme un espoir
A glimmer of hope illuminating our path.
Comme nos voix
Just as our voices intertwine,
Nos cœur(s) y croient
Our hearts believe in the possibility.
Encore une fois ba
Once more, we embrace the journey,
Tout recommence, la vie repart
Life begins anew, starting fresh with renewed vigor.
Combien de joies
How many joys we have encountered,
Bien des drames
And the dramas that have played out in our lives.
Et voilà
And here it is,
C'est une longue histoire
It's a long story, filled with depth.
Un homme
A man,
Une femme
A woman,
Ont forgé la trame du hasard
Have shaped the fabric of fate together.
Comme nos voix
As our voices harmonize,
Nos cœurs y voient
Our hearts can see clearly.
Encore une fois
Yet again, we revel in this moment,
Comme une chance
Reinforced as a precious chance.
Comme un espoir
Like an essential hope that sustains us.
Comme nos voix
In the same way as our voices blend,
Nos cœurs en joie
Our hearts overflow with joy.
On fait le choix
We choose to embrace,
D'une romance
A beautiful romance.
Qui passait là
That serendipitously happened to cross our paths.
Chance qui passait là
An opportunity that strolled into our lives,
Chance pour toi et moi ba da ba da da da da da da
A chance for both you and me to share this dance of life.
Toi et moi ba da ba da da da da da da
For you and I as we embrace this journey together.
Toi et toi et moi
You, and you, and I, entwined in this fate.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Francis Lai
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind