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).

Mondo grande
Fiamma Fumana Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tu mi saluti con la mano
Ti fermi quando non ti seguo
Tu mi sopporti quando sbaglio
Mi ritrovi se poi mi perdo

Poi mi indichi le cose e io sorrido
Sorrido e rido perchè

E' grande il mondo grande
E c'è tanta Tanta gente
Grande

Tu non perdi mai la calma
Se urlo alzi gli occhi al cielo
Tu mi fai sentire bella
Poi succede che anche io ci credo

Sei il mio specchio che cammina e
Io sorrido sorrido e rido perchè

E' grande il mondo grande

Ma se tu non ci sei io ci sto scomoda
Ma se tu non ci sei io ci scivolo
Ma se tu non ci sei io ci scivolo su
Questo

Grande mondo grande
Con tanta tanta gente...

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are from the song "Mondo grande" by Fiamma Fumana, which translates to "Big World." The song speaks to the immense size of the world, with so many people and experiences to be had. The singer is speaking to someone who is a constant support system in their life, someone who greets them with a wave, stops to check on them when they don't follow and supports them even when they make mistakes. This person helps the singer find their way when they feel lost, and points out things for them to smile about even in the face of difficulty. The world is big and overwhelming, but this person makes it feel manageable and beautiful.

Throughout the song, there is a sense of joy and gratitude for having someone like this in their life. The singer feels comfortable and confident with this person, who is like a mirror reflecting their own goodness back to them. However, they also acknowledge that without this person, they would feel uncomfortable and out of place in the big, chaotic world. It is clear that this person is a cornerstone of the singer's life, and without them, everything would feel off balance.

The song speaks to the universality of human experience and the importance of having a support system. No matter where we go or who we meet, the world will always be big and overwhelming, but having someone in our corner can make all the difference.

Line by Line Meaning

Tu mi saluti con la mano
You greet me with a wave

Ti fermi quando non ti seguo
You pause when I don't follow

Tu mi sopporti quando sbaglio
You tolerate me when I make a mistake

Mi ritrovi se poi mi perdo
You find me if I get lost

Poi mi indichi le cose e io sorrido
Then you point things out to me and I smile

Sorrido e rido perchè
I smile and laugh because

E' grande il mondo grande
The world is big, really big

E c'è tanta Tanta gente
And there's so much, so many people

Tu non perdi mai la calma
You never lose your cool

Se urlo alzi gli occhi al cielo
If I yell, you look up at the sky

Tu mi fai sentire bella
You make me feel beautiful