De André was born in Genoa, Liguria, Italy. His father was an anti-fascist, and during the war the De André family had to seek refuge in a country farm near Revignano d'Asti, Piedmont. The family returns in Genoa in 1945. Fabrizio studied law at the University of Genoa, but left before graduating.
His first instrument was the violin, and then he took up the guitar, playing in local jazz bands. In 1958 he recorded his first two songs: Nuvole barocche ("Baroque Clouds") and E fu la notte ("Then Night Came"). In 1962 he married Puny Rignon, a Genoese woman nearly ten years his senior. The same year the couple had their first and only son, Cristiano De André, who would follow in his father's footsteps to become a musician and songwriter.
Over the years that followed, De André, inspired mainly by George Brassens' works, wrote a number of songs which made him known by a larger public; his song La canzone di Marinella ("Marinella's Song") was recorded in 1968 by the famous Italian singer, Mina, and its author was acclaimed as the most important Italian cantautore, or singer-songwriter.
The first De André EP, "Volume I", was released in 1967, and contain three af the most famous Fabrizio's songs: "Via del Campo" (literally "Field Street", a famous street of Genoa), "Bocca di Rosa" and "Carlo Martello ritorna dalla battaglia di Poitiers" ("Charles Martel on His Way Back From Poitiers"). The last one was written with Paolo Villaggio, a famous italian actor and also De André's friend.
His second album "Tutti Morimmo A Stento"("We all died hardly"), released in 1968, contains songs as "Leggenda Di Natale" based on the song "Le Père Noël et la Petite Fille", written by George Brassens, one of the most important influence for Fabrizio.
In 1968 was also released the thirt De André's album, Volume III, one of the most important album of this first period. In this album there are two songs inspired by Brassens' poetry, "Il Gorilla" and "Nell'acqua della chiara fontana". Other famous songs are "La guerra di Piero"("Piero's war") "La canzone di Marinella"(Marinella's Song"), previously released by Mina, and "S'I' Fossi Foco"(If I were Fire"), from a poem by Cecco Angiolieri.
In 1970 was released "La Buona Novella"("The Good Novella"), a religious concept album based on the vision of Christ's life told in Apocrypha. The album was very controversial for Jesus' vision by De André and especially for the song "Il testamento di Tito" ("Titus' Will"), in which one of the thieves crucified together with Jesus confutes violently the Ten Commandments.
In 1971 was released one of the most famous and the most important De André's album, "Non al denaro non all'amore né al Cielo" based on Edgar Lee Masters "Spoon River Anthology", translated in italian by the famous italian poetess Fernanda Pivano, one of Fabrizio's best friend.
* "La collina" is based on "The Hill"
* "Un matto" is based on "Frank Drummer", in which a man memorizes the Encyclopedia Britannica and is considered mad by the people of Spoon River.
* "Un Giudice" is based on Selah Lively, the story of a midget who studies law and becomes a judge to get a revenge against the people who made fun of him all his life.
* "Un blasfemo" is based on "Wendell P. Bloyd".
* "Un malato di cuore" is based on "Francis Turner", in which a man dies of a heart attack while giving his first kiss.
* "Un medico" is based on "Dr. Siegfried Iseman", the story of a doctor who wants to cure poor people without receiving any payment.
* "Un chimico" is based on "Trainor, the Chemist", in which a chemist, who doesn't understand the relationships between men and women but loves chemical elements, dies while executing an experiment.
* "Un ottico" is based on "Dippold the Optician", the story of an optician who wants to create special glasses which show strange images.
* "Il suonatore Jones" is based on "Fiddler Jones".
Two years later was published another important album in Fabrizio's career, "Storia di un Impiegato"("The Story of a White-Collar"), in which De André analyses the Year Of Lead, (in Italy a period of political tensions, between 1968 and 80s characterized by bomb's massacre by neo-fascist and by kidnapping and by murders by Brigate Rosse and other subversive organization). This is another concept album, in which a man, inspired by French May, decided to rebel against the society knowing finally that his bomb and his rebellion was controlled by the State and directed to make the power stronger. This is one of the most complicated and hermetic album by De André.
The year after was released a new album, "Canzoni"("Songs"), in which De André translated some famous songs by Bob Dylan("Via della Povertà", in english "Desolation Row"), Leonard Cohen and Brassens, but also unreleased songs as "La Città Vecchia"("The Old City"), another highly famous song. Is important to see how from this album and so on, De André was highly inspired by American Folk music.
De André divorced his wife Puny, and started a relationship with the folksinger Dori Ghezzi. In 1975 he began to perform in a series of memorable concerts (after his first performances of the early 1960s, he had always refused to appear in public, except for a couple of television broadcasts).
In this year was released the new album, Volume VIII, written with Francesco de Gregori, a famous italian songwriter who also translated "Desolation Row" with Fabrizio. The most famous songs of this album are "Amico Fragile"("Fragile Friend") and "La Cattiva Strada"("The Bad Way").
In 1977, having moved to Sardinia, the couple had a daughter, and in the following year Fabrizio De André issued a new LP, Rimini. Most songs included in this album were written with a young Veronese singer-songwriter, Massimo Bubola. There's also "Avventura a Durango" a translation of "Romance in Durango" bu Bob Dylan.
1979 began with a series of famous live concerts from which a double LP is drawn; De André was accompanied by one of the most renowned Italian progressive rock bands, Premiata Forneria Marconi. At the end of August, De André and Ghezzi were kidnapped for ransom by a gang of Sardinian bandits, and held prisoner in the inaccessible Supramonte mountains. The couple was released four months later; no ransom was paid. When the bandits were apprehended by the police, and De André was called as witness before the Court, he refused to denounce his kidnappers and declared his own solidarity with them: «They were the real prisoners, not I», he said.
This dramatic episode, and the hard life of the Sardinian people, gave him inspiration for his following album, released in 1981. The album is anonymous, but, from the image of a native American appearing on the cover, the mass-media called it L'indiano (The Indian). The album contains one of his most famous songs, Fiume Sand Creek: it relates the massacre of defenceless native Americans of 29th November 1864 by U.S. Army troops.
In 1984 Fabrizio De André turned to his native Genoese dialect and wrote, together with former PFM member Mauro Pagani, one of his most celebrated albums, Crêuza de mä("Path to the sea", the term "Crêuza" actually indicates a narrow road bordered by low walls, typical of Genoa and its surroundings). The songs were a tribute to traditional music from every Mediterranean country.The album was awarded an unending series of prizes and was greeted as "the best Italian album of the 1980s". It was named by David Byrne as one of his favourite albums. As Pagani has repeatedly stated, De Andrè wrote the lyrics for the album, while the music was almost entirely Pagani's.
In 1989 Fabrizio De André married Dori Ghezzi; the following year a new album was issued, Le nuvole ("The clouds"), which included two more songs in the Genoese dialect, one in the Gallurese dialect of Northern Sardinia (Monti di Mola), and one in the Neapolitan dialect, the highly ironic Don Raffae'. A new series of live concerts followed, from which a double LP (1991 Concerti[) was drawn. In 1992 he started a new series of live concerts.
In 1997 De André started a new tour of theatre concerts and a new song collection, called
Mi innamoravo di tutto ("I fell in love with everything") was issued. This tribute album included a version of La canzone di Marinella in duet with Mina. The Anime salve concert tour went on up to the late summer of 1998, when De André stopped at the first symptoms of a serious disease, which was later diagnosed as cancer.
He died in Milan on 11th January 1999. Two days later, he was buried in his native town, Genoa; the ceremony was attended by an immense crowd of about 20,000. Fabrizio De André rests in the monumental Staglieno cemetery, in the De André family chapel.
Dolcenera
Fabrizio De André Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Amiala cum'â l'aria ch'â l'è lê ch'â l'è lê
Amiala cum'â l'aria amìa amia cum'â l'è
Amiala ch'â l'arìa amia ch'â l'è lê ch'â l'è lê
Guardala che arriva guarda com'è com'è
Guardala come arriva guarda che è lei che è lei
Guardala come arriva guarda guarda com'è
Nera che porta via che porta via la via
Nera che non si vedeva da una vita intera così dolcenera nera
Nera che picchia forte che butta giù le porte
Nu l'è l'aegua ch'à fá baggiá
Imbaggiâ imbaggiâ
Non è l'acqua che fa sbadigliare
(ma) chiudere porte e finestre chiudere porte e finestre
Nera di malasorte che ammazza e passa oltre
Nera come la sfortuna che si fa la tana dove non c'è luna luna
Nera di falde amare che passano le bare
Âtru da stramûâ
 nu n'á â nu n'á
Altro da traslocare
Non ne ha non ne ha
Ma la moglie di Anselmo non lo deve sapere
Ché è venuta per me
È arrivata da un'ora
E l'amore ha l'amore come solo argomento
E il tumulto del cielo ha sbagliato momento
Acqua che non si aspetta altro che benedetta
Acqua che porta male sale dalle scale sale senza sale sale
Acqua che spacca il monte che affonda terra e ponte
Nu l'è l'aaegua de 'na rammâ
'n calabà 'n calabà
Non è l'acqua di un colpo di pioggia
(ma) un gran casino un gran casino
Ma la moglie di Anselmo sta sognando del mare
Quando ingorga gli anfratti si ritira e risale
E il lenzuolo si gonfia sul cavo dell'onda
E la lotta si fa scivolosa e profonda
Amiala cum'â l'aria amìa cum'â l'è cum'â l'è
Amiala cum'â l'aria amia ch'â l'è lê ch'â l'è lê
Guardala come arriva guarda com'è com'è
Guardala come arriva guarda che è lei che è lei
Acqua di spilli fitti dal cielo e dai soffitti
Acqua per fotografie per cercare I complici da maledire
Acqua che stringe I fianchi tonnara di passanti
Âtru da camallâ
 nu n'à â nu n'à
Altro da mettersi in spalla
Non ne ha non ne ha
Oltre il muro dei vetri si risveglia la vita
Che si prende per mano
A battaglia finita
Come fa questo amore che dall'ansia di perdersi
Ha avuto in un giorno la certezza di aversi
Acqua che ha fatto sera che adesso si ritira
Bassa sfila tra la gente come un innocente che non c'entra niente
Fredda come un dolore Dolcenera senza cuore
Atru de rebellâ
 nu n'à â nu n'à
Altro da trascinare
Non ne ha non ne ha
E la moglie di Anselmo sente l'acqua che scende
Dai vestiti incollati da ogni gelo di pelle
Nel suo tram scollegato da ogni distanza
Nel bel mezzo del tempo che adesso le avanza
Così fu quell'amore dal mancato finale
Così splendido e vero da potervi ingannare
Amìala ch'â l'arìa amìa cum'â l'é
Amiala cum'â l'aria ch'â l'è lê ch'â l'è lê
Amiala cum'â l'aria amìa amia cum'â l'è
Amiala ch'â l'arìa amia ch'â l'è lê ch'â l'è lê
Guardala che arriva guarda com'è com'è
Guardala come arriva guarda che è lei che è lei
Guardala come arriva guarda guarda com'è
The lyrics to Fabrizio De André's song "Dolcenera" are open to interpretation but are heavily influenced by the recurrent theme of water, which serves as a metaphor for the unpredictability and uncontrollable nature of life. The lyrics open with the repetition of the phrase "amiala ch'â l'arìa," which can be loosely translated as "love her like the air," further emphasizing the essential nature of water and air in sustaining life. The following lines describe the arrival of a dark, mysterious figure, referred to as "Nera," who brings with her destruction and misfortune. The verses that follow contrast Nera with the image of water that is expected and welcomed, such as rain or a calm sea. However, the song ends by acknowledging that even the expected water can cause chaos and destruction, just like the unpredictability of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Amìala ch'â l'arìa amìa cum'â l'é
Love her like the air that she is, for what she is
Amiala cum'â l'aria ch'â l'è lê ch'â l'è lê
Love her like the air that she is, for who she is
Amiala cum'â l'aria amìa amia cum'â l'è
Love her like the air that she is, for as she is
Amiala ch'â l'arìa amia ch'â l'è lê ch'â l'è lê
Love her like the air that she is, for her unique self
Guardala che arriva guarda com'è com'è
Watch her as she arrives and see how she is
Guardala come arriva guarda che è lei che è lei
See that it's her, see her for who she is
Guardala come arriva guarda guarda com'è
Watch her as she arrives and see how she is
Guardala che arriva che è lei che è lei
See that it's her, see her for who she is
Nera che porta via che porta via la via
Blackness that takes away, takes away the way
Nera che non si vedeva da una vita intera così dolcenera nera
Blackness that was unseen for a lifetime, so sweet blackness
Nera che picchia forte che butta giù le porte
Blackness that hits hard, knocks down doors
Nu l'è l'aegua ch'à fá baggiá imbaggiâ imbaggiâ
It's not the water that makes you yawn, close the doors and windows
Non è l'acqua che fa sbadigliare (ma) chiudere porte e finestre chiudere porte e finestre
It's not the water that makes you yawn, but closing the doors and windows
Nera di malasorte che ammazza e passa oltre
Blackness of bad luck that kills and goes on
Nera come la sfortuna che si fa la tana dove non c'è luna luna
Blackness like misfortune that makes a den where there's no moon moon
Nera di falde amare che passano le bare
Blackness of bitter slopes where coffins pass by
Âtru da stramûâ
Something to move out
 nu n'á â nu n'á
There isn't any, there isn't any
Altro da traslocare
Something else to move out
Non ne ha non ne ha
Doesn't have any, doesn't have any
Ma la moglie di Anselmo non lo deve sapere
But Anselmo's wife mustn't know
Ché è venuta per me
'Cause she came for me
È arrivata da un'ora
She arrived an hour ago
E l'amore ha l'amore come solo argomento
And love has only love as a topic
E il tumulto del cielo ha sbagliato momento
And the turmoil of the sky was mistaken in timing
Acqua che non si aspetta altro che benedetta
Water that expects nothing but to be blessed
Acqua che porta male sale dalle scale sale senza sale sale
Water that brings bad luck, climbs the stairs without salting
Acqua che spacca il monte che affonda terra e ponte
Water that breaks the mountain, sinks land and bridge
Nu l'è l'aaegua de 'na rammâ 'n calabà 'n calabà
It's not water from a rainstorm, a calabash, a calabash
Non è l'acqua di un colpo di pioggia (ma) un gran casino un gran casino
It's not water from a rainstorm, but a big mess, a big mess
Ma la moglie di Anselmo sta sognando del mare
But Anselmo's wife is dreaming of the sea
Quando ingorga gli anfratti si ritira e risale
When it fills the crevices, it withdraws and rises again
E il lenzuolo si gonfia sul cavo dell'onda
And the sheet swells on the hollow of the wave
E la lotta si fa scivolosa e profonda
And the struggle becomes slippery and deep
Amiala cum'â l'aria amìa cum'â l'è cum'â l'è
Love her like the air that she is, for what she is
Amiala cum'â l'aria amia ch'â l'è lê ch'â l'è lê
Love her like the air that she is, for her unique self
Guardala come arriva guarda com'è com'è
Watch her as she arrives and see how she is
Acqua di spilli fitti dal cielo e dai soffitti
Water with needles pouring from the sky and the ceiling
Acqua per fotografie per cercare I complici da maledire
Water for photographs, to search for accomplices to curse
Acqua che stringe I fianchi tonnara di passanti
Water that tightens the hips, tuna of passers-by
Âtru da camallâ
Something else to put on one's back
 nu n'à â nu n'à
There isn't any, there isn't any
Altro da mettersi in spalla
Something else to put on one's back
Oltre il muro dei vetri si risveglia la vita
Beyond the wall of glass, life awakens
Che si prende per mano
That takes each other's hand
A battaglia finita
After the battle is won
Come fa questo amore che dall'ansia di perdersi
Just like this love that, from the fear of losing each other
Ha avuto in un giorno la certezza di aversi
Had the certainty of having each other in one day
Acqua che ha fatto sera che adesso si ritira
Water that made evening, that now withdraws
Bassa sfila tra la gente come un innocente che non c'entra niente
It flows low among people like an innocent that has nothing to do with it
Fredda come un dolore Dolcenera senza cuore
Cold like a pain, heartless dolcenera
Atru de rebellâ
Something else to drag along
Altro da trascinare
Something else to drag along
E la moglie di Anselmo sente l'acqua che scende
And Anselmo's wife feels the water that's dripping
Dai vestiti incollati da ogni gelo di pelle
From clothes stuck to every cold skin
Nel suo tram scollegato da ogni distanza
In her tram disconnected from every distance
Nel bel mezzo del tempo che adesso le avanza
Right in the middle of time she has left
Così fu quell'amore dal mancato finale
Thus was that love with the missed ending
Così splendido e vero da potervi ingannare
So splendid and true that it could deceive you
Guardala come arriva guarda guarda com'è
Watch her as she arrives and see how she is
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Fabrizio De Andre, Ivano Fossati
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Alastorian88
Fabrizio De André – voce, chitarra classica
Cristiano De André – chitarre, violino, armonie vocali
Ellade Bandini – batteria
Stefano Cerri – basso
Mario Arcari – fiati
Rosario Jermano – percussioni
Mark Harris – direzione musicale, tastiere
Michele Ascolese – chitarra
Giorgio Cordini – chitarra
Luvi De André – cori, armonie vocali
Laura De Luca – cori, armonie vocali, flauto
Danila Satragno – cori, armonie vocali, fisarmonica, tastiere
<3 <3<3
@mircomirone4281
Tra 100 anni, se ci sarà anche soltanto una persona che ascolterà questa canzone , vorrà dire che il mondo sarà salvo.
@leonardoluccerini3644
Ditemi che non sono l'unico che è qui a leggere i commenti ed a emozionarsi come voi! 🙏🏻
@zioeffendi
presente
@stefanoburlando1162
Siamo in due. Genovese, Genoano, una emozione unica, un cuore che batte ancora dopo 25 anni. Grazie Faber.
@woods3827
Bravo viva gli anni 60. 70 e tutti i Cantautori del tempo 😊
@soniamacri2604
Avevo 16 anni (sono del 1966) quando sono andata al mio primo concerto di Fabrizio, nel sentirlo e vederlo mi pare di essere ancora lì! Queste musiche, la fisarmonica mi fa venire i brividi perché tocca corde antiche e lui, lui immenso, immortale come la sua musica!
@mirko7000
Questa non è una canzone, questa è un'opera d'arte.
@silviofacelli6667
MarioAng è poesia pura 💚
@giuseppaocchipinti6552
E una canzone così perfetta da consegnarsi alla immortalità
@gustavovernazza4949
Un grande capolavoro che rimarrá per l´immortalitá.