Fiamma Fumana were formed in 1999 by three people who shared a love for the… Read Full Bio ↴Fiamma Fumana were formed in 1999 by three people who shared a love for the musical tradition of Northern Italy in general and their native Emilia Romagna in particular, but had otherwise very diverse backgrounds. Alberto Cottica, accordionist guitarist and pianist, has been active in the Italian folk-rock music scene, for over ten years as co-founder of the highly successful (well over 350000 albums sold) Modena City Ramblers; Marco Bertoni is an electronic musician and record producer who cooperates regularly with top-rank Italian deejays such as Santos; Fiamma Orlandi, at 22, was then an absolute beginner who had been brought up musically in the Emilian countryside, by her mother and grandmother. Her singing is a unique blend of traditional style and modern sensitivity. The elements had been carefully selected and balanced: Fiamma Fumana was to be a tribute to the tradition of female vocals of Emilia and Italy in general (like the choirs of mondine, the rice gatherers who were all young girls), and that tradition was to be revitalised by a new generation and its musical culture: hence, electronica, the most natural musical expression for Fiamma and people her age in post-industrial and affluent Italy. The result was an intriguing blend of old Italian dance tunes played to new Italian dance grooves, traditional ballads and state-of-the art electronica.

FF’s first album, 1.0, was released in 1999 in Italy by Mescal and soon travelled beyond national borders. Universal Music Japan engineered a Japanese release in 2000, and Omnium Recordings an American/Canadian/Mexican one in early 2001, to a wide acclaim. In the mean time, Fiamma and Alberto had built up a permanent (and predominantly female and very young, consistently with the attitude of the project) live band. This includes the versatile Lady Jessica Lombardi, here (Emilian bagpipes, flutes, electric bass) and Italian-Eritrean female dj Medhin Paolos (loops and samples). The band has been invited to WOMAD 2001 in Palermo; to the CMJ Music Marathon in New York in the same year (the event cancelled because of the Twin Towers tragedy); to the Detroit Festival of the Arts in 2002 and to many festivals and gigs in Italy and abroad.

In September 2003 FF signed to American label Omnium Recordings and released their second album, Home. The new release is even more focused on northern Italian roots than the former one (almost all of the 11 tracks are traditionals, and traditional artists of the old generations feature prominently), but it is also more extreme in sound, with a harder, more “live” approach to electronica. The album was accompanied by a contract with an agent in the USA, SRO Artists, and an American tour, which saw FF perform on the most important American world music festivals and clubs of the period (Chicago, Detroit, Bloomington, Minneapolis, St. Louis...). Since January 2004 Home is in distribution in Sweden (by CDA); since March in the UK (by Discovery); on April 16th it will be released in Italy, too (by Mescal).

Angiolina
Fiamma Fumana Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

O Angiolina, bell'Angiolina
Innamorato io son di te
Innamorato dall'altra sera quando venni a ballar con te

E la g'aveva la veste rossa
(Mi vesto per uscire con te)
E la g'aveva la veste rossa
(Mi vesto per vederti

Ma se mi vuoi mi dovrai conquistare
Spero che ci riuscirai
Io spero che tu mi conquisterai)

O Angiolina, bell'Angiolina
Un bacio solo vorrei da te
(Mi dovrai conquistare
Spero che ci riuscirai)

E vieni pure mio dolce amore
Ogni spasimo sarà per te

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Fiamma Fumana's song "Angiolina" speak of a man, who is deeply in love with Angiolina. The singer fell in love with her on the previous evening when the two of them went out dancing. Angiolina was wearing a red dress that caught the singer's attention, and he hopes to win her heart. However, he makes it clear that she must earn his love, saying, "But if you want me, you'll have to conquer me. I hope you succeed. I hope you will conquer me." The singer longs for a single kiss from Angiolina and asks her to come to him, promising that every suffering will be worth it for her. Throughout the song, the singer's love for Angiolina is clear, but he also makes it clear that he will not be won over easily.

The singer's passion and his willingness to be won over are evident in the lyrics. The song's repeated theme is that love is something that must be earned, and both parties must be willing to put forth the effort to conquer each other's hearts. The singer's desire for Angiolina is direct, and he makes it clear that he will not be easily swayed. Regardless of how interested Angiolina may be in him, the singer will only reward her with affection if she proves herself worthy.

Line by Line Meaning

O Angiolina, bell'Angiolina
Addressing Angiolina with admiration

Innamorato io son di te
I have fallen in love with you

Innamorato dall'altra sera quando venni a ballar con te
I fell in love with you the other night when I came to dance with you

E la g'aveva la veste rossa
She wore a red dress

(Mi vesto per uscire con te)
(I dress up to go out with you)

E la g'aveva la veste rossa
She wore a red dress

(Mi vesto per vederti
(I dress up to see you

Ma se mi vuoi mi dovrai conquistare
But if you want me, you will have to win me over

Spero che ci riuscirai
I hope you will succeed

Io spero che tu mi conquisterai)
I hope you will win me over)

O Angiolina, bell'Angiolina
Addressing Angiolina with admiration