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).
L.i.l.t
Fiamma Fumana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Welcome to the end titles
No past, no future
Only an eternal present
Ring roads, hypermarkets
Cars slowing down to pick up prostitutes
But if I listen to the stones paving the streets
Lingua Italiana Locale Trasparente
L.I.L.T.
Voice of the world, voice of the earth
Time over time marking the beat
Song of the people, song of history
Does it come from the outside or the inside?
Cradle song to lull to sleep
Serenade to stir passion
Working song, partisan hymn
I want to sing them different but the same
Local Italian language
I want to speak it different but the same
Live in my time without ever forgetting
Mothers, grandmothers, lands, peoples
Local Italian See-through Languages
Old sounds, new meanings
We are still here
The lyrics of Fiamma Fumana's song L.i.l.t. take the listener on a journey to the end of a story, presenting the idea that there is no past or future, only the present. The song describes the mundane setting of ring roads lined with hypermarkets, where cars slow down to pick up prostitutes. However, the singer finds something worth cherishing amidst the industrial noise - a different, older song that resonates from the stones paving the streets. This is the song of the people, the song of history, marking the beat of time over time. The singer acknowledges that this song could come from both the outside and the inside world, expressing the collective consciousness of humanity.
The song celebrates language as an expression of local pride, using Lingua Italiana Locale Trasparente (L.I.L.T.) as a metaphor for transparent local Italian dialects. The singer longs to sing the historical songs of the "Cradle song to lull to sleep," "Serenade to stir passion," and "Working song, partisan hymn" differently, yet the same as before. This reflects the desire to keep the historical authenticity of the song while adjusting it to our current times. The singer embraces this sentiment, "Live in my time without ever forgetting," and pays homage to the "Mothers, grandmothers, lands, peoples," who are the guardians of local culture and its ancient sounds with new meanings.
Line by Line Meaning
Last pages, end of the story
The end of the journey, where everything sums up.
Welcome to the end titles
Acknowledging the conclusion of everything.
No past, no future
The only thing that exists is the present moment.
Only an eternal present
The present moment is infinite and timeless.
Ring roads, hypermarkets
Symbolic of modern, urban development.
Cars slowing down to pick up prostitutes
The seedy underbelly that lurks beneath the surface of urban development.
But if I listen to the stones paving the streets
There is another, older story to be heard.
I hear a different, older song
An ancient melody that echoes through the ages.
Lingua Italiana Locale Trasparente
Transparent Local Italian Language.
Voice of the world, voice of the earth
A universal sound.
Time over time marking the beat
A rhythm that continues through time.
Song of the people, song of history
An anthem of the human experience.
Does it come from the outside or the inside?
The source of inspiration is ambiguous and dynamic.
Cradle song to lull to sleep
A melodic comfort to soothe and calm.
Serenade to stir passion
An emotional stirring that evokes passion.
Working song, partisan hymn
A melody of hope and perseverance in the face of adversity.
I want to sing them different but the same
A desire to reinvent the timeless classics while still honoring their origins.
Local Italian language
The regional dialect that reflects a sense of place and time.
I want to speak it different but the same
A desire to preserve tradition while also allowing for innovation and progress.
Live in my time without ever forgetting
A balance of the past and present.
Mothers, grandmothers, lands, peoples
Honoring the roots and connections that shape identity.
Local Italian See-through Languages
Translucent local languages that embody a sense of place and history.
Old sounds, new meanings
A timeless essence that transcends time and language.
We are still here
The unity and resilience of a people and culture that have survived countless generations.
Contributed by Cameron A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.