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).

Hypnananna
Fiamma Fumana Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sleep, sleep
Close your eyes and fly away
Sleep, sleep
I am here with you

Here comes the wolf, howling at the door
Here comes the wolf to carry you away
But he hears my song and runs back to his wood

He will come back no more

Sleep, sleep..

Here comes Death, with her blood-stained skull
Here comes Death to carry you away
But she hears my song and cannot get through
She will come back no more

Sleep, sleep...

(hòro ninni hòro ninni hòro)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Fiamma Fumana's Hypnananna convey a soothing message of comfort and protection. The song opens with an invitation to sleep and fly away, suggesting a journey away from the worries and troubles of the waking world. The singer assures the listener that they are not alone, that they are there with them to offer solace and companionship.

The image of a wolf howling at the door and Death coming to carry the listener away suggests the presence of danger and mortality lurking outside. However, the singer's song has a magical power that repels both the wolf and Death. The wolf, who may represent the wild and uncontrollable aspects of nature, is frightened off by the singer's song and retreats to the safety of the woods. Death, who may represent the ultimate foe of all living beings, is also powerless against the singer's song and cannot claim the listener.

The song's refrain of "hòro ninni" evokes the traditional lullabies of southern Italy, where Fiamma Fumana originates from. It reinforces the idea that the song is a lullaby meant to soothe and calm the listener, even in the face of danger and death.

Line by Line Meaning

Sleep, sleep
Close your eyes and enter the dream world

Close your eyes and fly away
Shut your eyes and let your mind wander

I am here with you
I am here to protect you and keep you safe

Here comes the wolf, howling at the door
A danger is approaching

Here comes the wolf to carry you away
The danger will take you away

But he hears my song and runs back to his wood
The danger is frightened away by my voice

He will come back no more
The danger is gone and you are safe

Here comes Death, with her blood-stained skull
Death is near

Here comes Death to carry you away
Death will take you away

But she hears my song and cannot get through
My voice can stop even Death

She will come back no more
Death cannot harm you