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.
La Ballata Del Miché
Fabrizio De André Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Era già tardi perché
Con una corda sul collo
Freddo pendeva Michè
Tutte le volte che un gallo
Sento cantar penserò
A quella notte in prigione
Stanotte Michè
S'è impiccato a un chiodo perché
Non poteva restare vent'anni in prigione
Lontano da te
Nel buio Michè
Se n'è andato sapendo che a te
Non poteva mai dire che aveva ammazzato
Perché amava te
Io so che Michè
Ha voluto morire perché
Ti restasse il ricordo del bene profondo
Che aveva per te
Vent'anni gli avevano dato
La Corte decise così
Perché un giorno aveva ammazzato
Chi voleva rubargli Marì
Lo avevan perciò condannato
Vent'anni in prigione a marcir
Però adesso che lui s'è impiccato
La porta gli devono aprir
Se pure Michè
Non ti ha scritto spiegando perché
Se n'è andato dal mondo tu sai che l'ha fatto
Soltanto per te
Domani alle tre
Nella fossa comune sarà
Senza il prete e la messa perché di un suicida
Non hanno pietà
Domani alle tre
Nella terra bagnata sarà
E qualcuno una croce col nome e la data
Su lui pianterà
E qualcuno una croce col nome e la data
Su lui pianterà
In Fabrizio De André's song "La ballata del miché," the singer tells the story of a man named Miché who has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for murdering someone who wanted to steal his lover, Marì. However, one night, Miché hangs himself in his cell with a rope, leaving behind a message for Marì that he did it all for her. The lyrics evoke a sense of tragedy and lost love, telling the story of a man who was willing to give up everything, including his life, for the person he loved.
The lyrics are laden with powerful symbolism and imagery that contribute to the emotional impact of the song. The reference to a rooster crowing each morning becomes a poignant reminder of Miché's suicide, and the fact that he was willing to hang himself with a rope suggests a sense of desperation and isolation. The repetition of the names "Miché" and "Marì" throughout the song reinforces the sense of a love story gone terribly wrong.
At its core, "La ballata del miché" is a song about the power of love and the lengths people will go to protect it. It is a tragic tale of a man who loved too deeply and paid the ultimate price for it. But it is also a testament to the enduring nature of love and the ways in which it can shape and define our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Quando hanno aperto la cella
When they opened the cell
Era già tardi perché
it was already too late because
Con una corda sul collo
with a rope around his neck
Freddo pendeva Michè
Michè was hanging lifeless and cold
Tutte le volte che un gallo
Every time a rooster
Sento cantar penserò
I hear singing, I'll think
A quella notte in prigione
of that night in prison
Quando Michè s'impiccò
when Michè hanged himself
Stanotte Michè
Tonight, Michè
S'è impiccato a un chiodo perché
he hanged himself on a nail because
Non poteva restare vent'anni in prigione
he couldn't stay in prison for twenty years
Lontano da te
away from you
Nel buio Michè
In the darkness, Michè
Se n'è andato sapendo che a te
went away knowing that to you
Non poteva mai dire che aveva ammazzato
he could never say he had killed
Perché amava te
because he loved you
Io so che Michè
I know that Michè
Ha voluto morire perché
wanted to die because
Ti restasse il ricordo del bene profondo
so you can keep the memory of the profound love
Che aveva per te
that he had for you
Vent'anni gli avevano dato
they sentenced him to twenty years
La Corte decise così
that's how the court decided
Perché un giorno aveva ammazzato
because one day he had killed
Chi voleva rubargli Marì
who wanted to steal his Marì
Lo avevan perciò condannato
so they had him sentenced
Vent'anni in prigione a marcir
to rot for twenty years in prison
Però adesso che lui s'è impiccato
But now that he hanged himself
La porta gli devono aprir
they must open the door for him
Se pure Michè
Even if Michè
Non ti ha scritto spiegando perché
didn't write to you explaining why
Se n'è andato dal mondo tu sai che l'ha fatto
he left this world, you know he did it
Soltanto per te
just for you
Domani alle tre
Tomorrow at three
Nella fossa comune sarà
he will lie in a common grave
Senza il prete e la messa perché di un suicida
without a priest or Mass because for a suicide
Non hanno pietà
they have no mercy
Nella terra bagnata sarà
he will be in the wet soil
E qualcuno una croce col nome e la data
and someone will plant a cross with the name and date
Su lui pianterà
on him
E qualcuno una croce col nome e la data
and someone will plant a cross with the name and date
Su lui pianterà
on him
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Fabrizio De Andre'
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@10superstar1
Quando hanno aperto la cella
era già tardi perché
con una corda sul collo
freddo pendeva Miché
tutte le volte che un gallo
sento cantar penserò
a quella notte in prigione
quando Miché s'impiccò
stanotte Miché
s'è impiccato a un chiodo perché
non poteva restare vent'anni in prigione
lontano da te
io so che Miché
ha voluto morire perché
ti restasse il ricordo del bene profondo
che aveva per te
se pure Miché
non ti ha scritto spiegando perché
se n'è andato dal mondo tu sai che l'ha fatto
soltanto per te
vent'anni gli avevano dato
la corte decise così
perché un giorno aveva ammazzato
chi voleva rubargli Marì
l'avevan perciò condannato
vent'anni in prigione a marcir
però adesso che lui s'è impiccato
la porta gli devono aprir
nel buio Michè
se n'è andato sapendo che a te
non poteva mai dire che aveva ammazzato
perchè amava te
domani alle tre
nella fossa comune cadrà
senza il prete e la messa perché d'un suicida
non hanno pietà
domani Miché
nella terra bagnata sarà
e qualcuno una croce col nome la data
su lui pianterà
e qualcuno una croce col nome e la data
su lui pianterà
@jj2157
When they opened his cell
It was already late
Because hanging with a rope around his neck
Miché was cold
Every time I hear the song
Of a rooster, I'll think
About that night in jail
When Miché hung himself
Tonight Miché
Hung himself to a nail because
He didn't want to spend twenty years in jail
Far away from you
I know that Miché
Has chosen to die so that you
Would be left with the memory of the great love
He felt for you
Although Miché
Didn't write to you to explain why
He left the world, you know he did it
Only for you
They sentenced him to twenty years
That was the court's verdict
Because one day he killed
The one who wanted to steal his Marì
That's why they sentenced him
To rot in jail for twenty years
But now that he hung himself
They'll have to open his door
In darkness Miché
Flew away knowing that he
Could never tell you he had killed
Only for you
Tomorrow at three
He will be put in a mass grave
Without a priest or a mass because
They have no mercy for suicides
Tomorrow Miché
Will be in the wet ground
And someone will put upon him
A cross with his name and the date
@john58paul
Tratto dal libro “Anche le parole sono nomadi”
«Con
questa canzone siamo in periodo umidissimo, non si poteva coltivare un orto e i
dinosauri si magnavano tutto… siamo praticamente al Pleistocene. […]
Questa è la mia
prima canzone, la prima canzone che ho scritto, ed è anche il primo grossolano
errore di consecutio temporum:
“Tutte le volte che un gallo / sento cantare penserò”. D’altra parte quel
“sentirò” del futuro proprio non mi ci stava, quindi errore, sì, ma
consapevole.»
@antoniogambardella785
solo un genio come il maestro faber poteva fare questa canzone di una bellezza indescrivibile
@francescovalentino8912
E Clelia Petracchi, che scrisse il testo di questa canzone, che cos'era?
@dangi-np1xl
(è una bellissima cover di George Brassens)
@pietropulizzi8417
La più struggente tra le canzoni 😢❤
@danieleporoli5164
Grazie Fabrizio per tutte le belle canzoni..🍇🍷🌈🌻che ci hai lasciato...,sei stato un grande Faber.. forse il piu grande
..,perche" pur essendo di origini alquanto borghesi ..., hai sempre scritto e suonato canzoni ...,per gli ultimi.dei ultimi.( drogati/alcolizzati/prostitute/disadattati ecc...!!) GRAZiE Ancora per tutto FABER ..., OVUNQUE TU SIA RIPOSA IN PACE ....,E continua a cantare le tue belle ⚘️🌈canzoni...,molte altre cose andrebbero dette per il momento ti saluto🙋👐👍è salute🍇🍷Daniele Poroli da Losone Svizzera🇨🇭 el 🐧/🐣ma anche 🦔.., a risentirci...
@alle9042
la cosa che adoro di De Andrè è il mondo in cui riesce a cantare con una melodia tanto spensierata terribili tragedie come questa
@pequoda
Questa versione in stile cantastorie rende uno squisito omaggio al poeta DeAndrè e strappa emozioni genuine. Michè avrà un sorriso ancora, sulla sua tomba. Complimenti. Ottimo. Cordiali saluti.
@88Gattamatta
io non piango quasi mai, ma con le sue conazoni non riesco a trettenere le lacrime. parlava di vita, di persone, di emozioni... ma una persona come fa ad essere così tanto grande? :) io trovo terribile che ci sia ancora gente che faccia differenze tra nord e sud, ma che cosa cambia? il mondo è sempre uno, il sole è sempre lo stesso per tutti, l'aria è la stessa che respira un milanese o un siciliano che siano. io credo che dentro le sue canzoni ci stava anche questo. :)
@davidetorretta7089
Tranquilla, mo sono tutti impegnati a guardare il colore della pelle piuttosto che nord o sud.. Pensa te che gran progresso, negli ultimi anni..
@LinoTer
Ho i brividi ogni volta che l'ascolto....Grazie di esserci stato Faber...