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.
Volta La Carta
Fabrizio De André Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Volta la carta si vede il villano
Il villano che zappa la terra
Volta la carta viene la guerra
Per la guerra non c'è più soldati
A piedi scalzi son tutti scappati
Angiolina cammina cammina sulle sue scarpette blu
Carabiniere l'ha innamorata, volta la carta e lui non c'è più
C'è un bambino che sale un cancello
Ruba ciliege e piume d'uccello
Tira sassate non ha dolori
Volta la carta c'è il fante di cuori
Il fante di cuori che è un fuoco di paglia
Volta la carta il gallo ti sveglia
Angiolina alle sei di mattina s'intreccia i capelli con foglie d'ortica
Ha una collana di ossi di pesca, la gira tre volte intorno alle dita
Ha una collana di ossi di pesca, la conta tre volte in mezzo alle dita, ehi
Mia madre ha un mulino e un figlio infedele
Gli inzucchera il naso di torta di mele
Mia madre e il mulino son nati ridendo
Volta la carta c'è un pilota biondo
Pilota biondo camicie di seta
Cappello di volpe sorriso da atleta
Angiolina seduta in cucina che piange, che mangia insalata di more
Ragazzo straniero ha un disco d'orchestra, che gira veloce che parla d'amore
Ragazzo straniero ha un disco d'orchestra, che gira che gira che parla d'amore, ehi
Madamadorè ha perso sei figlie
Tra i bar del porto e le sue meraviglie
Madamadorè sa puzza di gatto
Volta la carta e paga il riscatto
Paga il riscatto con le borse degli occhi
Piene di foto di sogni interrotti
Angiolina ritaglia giornali, si veste da sposa, canta vittoria
Chiama i ricordi col loro nome, volta la carta e finisce in gloria
Chiama i ricordi col loro nome, volta la carta e finisce in gloria, ehi
The song "Volta La Carta" by Fabrizio de André is a reflection on the unpredictability and fleeting nature of life, told through a series of vignettes about different characters. The song begins with a woman who plants grains, but turning the card leads to the appearance of a villager who plows the land, leading to war. As a result, there are no soldiers left for the war, and they all flee on foot.
In the following verses, de André introduces other characters who are subject to the capriciousness of fate. For example, Angiolina, a woman who becomes enamored with a policeman who disappears when the card is turned; a boy who steals cherries and bird feathers, but when the card is turned, a jack of hearts is revealed; and a mother with an unfaithful son whose nose is sugared with apple pie, until the card is turned to reveal a blonde pilot. Even Madame Dorè is not immune to the vicissitudes of life, eventually paying the ransom with her eyes full of photos of broken dreams.
Through these various vignettes, de André reminds us that life is uncertain and unpredictable, and that we must cherish and make the most of our time while we have it. The chorus, which repeats after each verse, highlights this idea by saying, "Volta la carta," which means "turn the card." Each time the card is turned, the story changes, emphasizing the idea that life is constantly in flux.
Line by Line Meaning
C'è una donna che semina il grano
There is a woman who plants the wheat
Volta la carta si vede il villano
Turn the card and the villain appears
Il villano che zappa la terra
The villain who tills the soil
Volta la carta viene la guerra
Turn the card and the war comes
Per la guerra non c'è più soldati
For the war, there are no more soldiers
A piedi scalzi son tutti scappati
Barefoot, everyone has fled
Angiolina cammina cammina sulle sue scarpette blu
Angiolina walks and walks in her blue shoes
Carabiniere l'ha innamorata, volta la carta e lui non c'è più
The Carabiniere fell in love with her, turn the card and he's gone
C'è un bambino che sale un cancello
There is a child who climbs a fence
Ruba ciliege e piume d'uccello
He steals cherries and bird feathers
Tira sassate non ha dolori
He throws stones without pain
Volta la carta c'è il fante di cuori
Turn the card and there is the Jack of Hearts
Il fante di cuori che è un fuoco di paglia
The Jack of Hearts who is a flash in the pan
Volta la carta il gallo ti sveglia
Turn the card and the rooster wakes you up
Angiolina alle sei di mattina s'intreccia i capelli con foglie d'ortica
Angiolina at six in the morning braids her hair with nettle leaves
Ha una collana di ossi di pesca, la gira tre volte intorno alle dita
She has a necklace made of peach stones, she turns it three times around her fingers
Mia madre ha un mulino e un figlio infedele
My mother has a mill and an unfaithful son
Gli inzucchera il naso di torta di mele
She sweetens his nose with apple pie
Mia madre e il mulino son nati ridendo
My mother and the mill were born laughing
Volta la carta c'è un pilota biondo
Turn the card and there is a blond pilot
Pilota biondo camicie di seta
Blond pilot with silk shirts
Cappello di volpe sorriso da atleta
Fox fur hat, athlete's smile
Angiolina seduta in cucina che piange, che mangia insalata di more
Angiolina sitting in the kitchen crying, eating blackberry salad
Ragazzo straniero ha un disco d'orchestra, che gira veloce che parla d'amore
A foreign boy has an orchestra record that spins fast and speaks of love
Madamadorè ha perso sei figlie
Madamadorè has lost six daughters
Tra i bar del porto e le sue meraviglie
Among the bars of the port and its wonders
Madamadorè sa puzza di gatto
Madamadorè smells like a cat
Volta la carta e paga il riscatto
Turn the card and pay the ransom
Paga il riscatto con le borse degli occhi
Pay the ransom with bags under her eyes
Piene di foto di sogni interrotti
Full of photos of interrupted dreams
Angiolina ritaglia giornali, si veste da sposa, canta vittoria
Angiolina cuts out newspapers, dresses as a bride, sings victory
Chiama i ricordi col loro nome, volta la carta e finisce in gloria
Calls memories by their name, turn the card and it ends in glory
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FABRIZIO DE ANDRE, MASSIMO BUBOLA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@giorgiopozzobon6400
There is a woman who sows wheat
Once the card is seen, the villain is seen
The villain who hoes the earth
Once the card comes the war
There are no more soldiers for the war
They all ran barefoot Angiolina walks, walks on her blue shoes
The police officer fell in love with her, turns the paper over and is gone
The police officer fell in love with her, turns the paper over and is gone
There is a boy climbing a gate
Steal cherries and bird feathers
Throwing stones doesn't hurt
Once the card is there, the jack of hearts
The jack of hearts which is a straw fire
Once the card turns, the rooster wakes you up Angiolina at six in the morning braids her hair with nettle leaves
He has a peach bone necklace, turns it three times around his fingers
He has a peach bone necklace, he counts it three times between his fingers, hey
My mother has a mill and an unfaithful son
The Nose Of Apple Pie Sugar My mother and the mill were born laughing
Once the card is out there is a blonde driver Blonde pilot silk shirts
Fox hat with athlete smile Angiolina sitting in the kitchen crying, eating more salad
The foreign boy has an orchestral record, which runs fast and speaks of love
The foreign boy has an orchestral record, which turns that twist of love, hey
Madamadorè has lost six daughters Between the bars of the port and its wonders
Madamadorè has the smell of a cat Turn the card over and pay the ransom
Pay the ransom with eye bags Full of photos of broken dreams
Angiolina cuts the newspapers, dresses as a bride, sings the victory
Call the memories with their name, turn the card over and end up in glory
Call the memories by their name, turn the card over) and end up in glory, hey
(i'm sorry if there are any wrong words translate from the Italian).
@compagniaelvira
There’s a woman planting wheat
Turn the paper, here comes the peasant
The peasant digging the soil
Turn the paper, there is a war
For the war there are no soldiers any more
They run away, bare feet.
Angelina walks, walks
In her blue ballet shoes
An officer got her in love
Turn the paper, he’s gone
There is a child jumping the gate
He picks cherries and bird quills
He tosses rocks, painless
Turn the page, there the jack of hearts
Fox hat, sporty smile
...
@gusmeroli3823
Qualcuno la ascolta nel 2024?? Io
@samuelepadua3737
sempre
@natalinaottaiano5619
Io ! Marzo 2024
@sebastianoscuto7712
io😍
@serpico307
@@natalinaottaiano5619 idem
@albertopicchetticastellani616
Durante questo concerto hanno registrato l'album live che neanche in studio poteva venire così perfetto..
@lorycarbone
Miti così ne nasce 1 ogni mille anni, grazie mille per averci lasciato la tua eredità GRANDE FABRIZIO, lory 🌈🍀🙏🥰💋🦋🥰
@donatacrepaldi5139
Io questa canzone l'ascolterei 10000000000000. Di volte
@juvathebest
2024 ❤️ Faber manchi tantissimo grazie per la tua musica e poesia
@sergiocucchiarini5649
Come ho già detto nn. Vedremo più un artista così bravo e inoltre cantante bravissimo nn c'è proprio confrontarmi con quelli di oggi