He then moved back to his family in Modena and attended the local "istituto magistrale". He worked for a couple otf years as a reporter for a local newspaper Gazzetta di Modena. In 1960 the Guccinis moved to Bologna where Francesco studied at the local university. From 1965 to 1985 he held italian courses at the Dickinson College (an American school) in Bologna.
He played in local bands such as The Hurricanes and Gatti and achieved success in the 1960s writing songs for a legendary Italian band, Nomadi, also from Modena. Some of these successes include "Noi non ci saremo" and "Dio è morto". In the 1970s, Nomadi recorded two albums of Guccini's songs as well as a live album, Album Concerto, featuring him. Guccini's debut album was Folkbeat, No. 1 (1967).
Guccini always declared his first two works, Folk Beat n.1 and Due anni dopo, being merely tentatives, a nature probably noticeable in the quite essential musical arrangements. The latter, however, contained classics like the title-track and "La primavera di Praga" ("Prague Spring"). His first mature album is therefore L'Isola Non Trovata ("The Not Found Island") of 1970, which shows many the themes which were to be present in the future releases: a certain melancholy for a perceived nearness of death, as well as the portrait of outcasts figures like "Il frate" ("The Friar").
Radici ("Roots", 1972), is one of Guccini's finest works, and contains some of his most famous songs. These include: the title-track, a nostalgic declaration of love for Guccini's youth spent in the Appennine mountains; "La locomotiva", a long ballad about the solitary, unlucky revolt of a Bolognese railwayman during the 19th century; "Il vecchio e il bambino", a melancholic story about the dreams of an old man, and the different way in which they are perceived by the boy accompanying him; "Piccola città" ("Small City"), about Guccini's early years in the Emilia-Romagna provincial world.
Stanze di vita quotidiana ("Stanzas of Everyday Life") of 1974 deals with more private themes, sometimes with nearly desperate accents. The album contains at least one masterwork, the yearning "Canzone delle osterie di fuori porta".
In 1976 Guccini scored his greatest commercial success with the album Via Paolo Fabbri 43. The title is his residence street in Bologna. He declared this choice was an error, because many of his fans made true pilgrimages there to meet and talk with him. The album features the famous "L'avvelenata", a catchy ballad in which Guccini unleashes his rage against musics critics and people perceiving in a distorted way his career ans popularity as singer-songwriter.
Amerigo (1978), whose title-track is about the story of the emigration of Guccini's Pavanese uncle to the United States, Metropolis (1981), and Guccini (1983), showed that the Bolognese singer's inspiration was left untouched by the general switch to the more commercial themes that characterized the Italian musical world starting from the end of 1970s.
The 1984 live tournée was highly successful, and was soon collected in a double live LP, Fra la Via Emilia e il West ("Between the Via Aemilia and the West"). Emilia Romagna and the Old West symbolize well the double ties of Guccini to his native land and to America. Guccini declared to have knwown the latter soon in his life, through the comics and magazines imported by US soldiers during World War 2, but also through his uncle's tales. After the war, like many Italians of the period, he was of course influenced by American songs and Hollywood movies, and finally managed to touch with hand this kind of myth during his personal voyages to US (including a love story with an American girl).
Last album of 1980s was Signora Bovary (1987), containing notable pieces like "Scirocco". After several interlocutory albums in the 1990s, Guccini returned at his best with Stagioni ("Seasons") of 2000: the title-track is an effective, merciless accusation against media invadence and moral corruption of Italy.
Guccini's last studio release is Ritratti of 2004.
Autunno
Francesco Guccini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
un cane che abbaia a comando,
la pioggia che cade e non cade
le nebbie striscianti che svelano e velano strade...
Profilo degli alberi secchi,
spezzarsi scrosciante di stecchi,
sul monte, ogni tanto, gli spari
L'autunno ti fa sonnolento,
la luce del giorno è un momento
che irrompe e veloce è svanita:
metafora lucida di quello che è la nostra vita...
L'autunno che sfuma i contorni
consuma in un giorno più giorni,
ti sembra sia un gioco indolente,
ma rapido brucia giornate che appaiono lente...
Odori di fumo e foschia,
fanghiglia di periferia,
distese di foglia marcita
che cade in silenzio lasciando per sempre la vita...
Rinchiudersi in casa a aspettare
qualcuno o qualcosa da fare,
qualcosa che mai si farà,
qualcuno che sai non esiste e che non suonerà...
Rinchiudersi in casa a contare
le ore che fai scivolare
pensando confuso al mistero
dei tanti "io sarò" diventati per dempre "io ero"...
Rinchiudersi in casa a guardare
un libro, una foto, un giornale
e ignorando quel rodere sordo
che cambia "io faccio" e lo fa diventare "io ricordo"...
La notte è di colpo calata,
c'è un'oscurità perforata
da un'auto che passa veloce
lasciando soltanto al silenzio la buia sua voce...
Rumore che appare e scompare,
immagine crepuscolare
del correre tuo senza scopo,
del tempo che gioca con te come il gatto col topo...
Le storie credute importanti
si sbriciolano in pochi istanti:
figure e impressioni passate
si fanno lontane e lontana così è la tua estate...
E vesti la notte incombente
lasciando vagare la mente
al niente temuto e aspettato
sapendo che questo è il tuo autunno...
che adesso è arrivato...
The lyrics of Francesco Guccini’s song Autunno paint a vivid picture of the season and its impact on life, both in a literal sense and as a metaphor for the human experience. The first stanza describes the sights and sounds of rural life in autumn – a goose splashing in the mud, a dog obeying commands, rain and mist obscuring the roads, and the cracking of dry twigs. The second stanza switches to a more somber tone, with the imagery of gunshots on a mountain and the cries of dying animals creating a sense of violence and loss.
The middle section reflects on the drowsiness that autumn induces, with the fleeting moments of daylight symbolizing the fleeting nature of life. The third stanza addresses the melancholy and nostalgia that often come with the season, with decaying leaves and the sense of time slipping away. The last two stanzas paint a picture of isolation and introspection, with the singer closing off from the world and reflecting on the passing of time and the fading of memories. Ultimately, the song suggests that autumn is a time for both embracing and accepting the transience of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Un'oca che guazza nel fango,
A duck wallowing in the mud,
un cane che abbaia a comando,
A dog barking on command,
la pioggia che cade e non cade
The rain falling but not really falling,
le nebbie striscianti che svelano e velano strade...
The crawling mists that reveal and hide the roads...
Profilo degli alberi secchi,
Silhouette of the dry trees,
spezzarsi scrosciante di stecchi,
Crashing snapping of branches,
sul monte, ogni tanto, gli spari
The gunshots sometimes heard on the mountain,
e cadono urlando di morte gli animali ignari...
And the unsuspecting animals fall, screaming in death...
L'autunno ti fa sonnolento,
Autumn makes you sleepy,
la luce del giorno è un momento
The daylight is a moment,
che irrompe e veloce è svanita:
That bursts, and quickly disappears:
metafora lucida di quello che è la nostra vita...
Lucid metaphor of what our life is...
L'autunno che sfuma i contorni
Autumn that blurs the outlines,
consuma in un giorno più giorni,
Consumes more days in a day,
ti sembra sia un gioco indolente,
Seems to be an effortless game,
ma rapido brucia giornate che appaiono lente...
But quickly burns days that seem slow...
Odori di fumo e foschia,
Smells of smoke and mist,
fanghiglia di periferia,
Mud of the suburbs,
distese di foglia marcita
Spreading of rotten leaves
che cade in silenzio lasciando per sempre la vita...
That silently falls, leaving life forever...
Rinchiudersi in casa a aspettare
Locking yourself at home waiting,
qualcuno o qualcosa da fare,
For someone or something to do,
qualcosa che mai si farà,
Something that will never be done,
qualcuno che sai non esiste e che non suonerà...
Someone you know doesn't exist and won't call...
Rinchiudersi in casa a contare
Locking yourself at home counting,
le ore che fai scivolare
The hours slipping away,
pensando confuso al mistero
Thinking confusedly about the mystery,
dei tanti 'io sarò' diventati per dempre 'io ero'...
Of the many 'I will be' that have become forever 'I was'...
Rinchiudersi in casa a guardare
Locking yourself at home watching,
un libro, una foto, un giornale
A book, a photo, a newspaper,
e ignorando quel rodere sordo
And ignoring that dull gnawing,
che cambia 'io faccio' e lo fa diventare 'io ricordo'...
That changes 'I'm doing' and makes it 'I remember'...
La notte è di colpo calata,
Night suddenly descends,
c'è un'oscurità perforata
There's an infused darkness,
da un'auto che passa veloce
By a car that quickly passes
lasciando soltanto al silenzio la buia sua voce...
Leaving only its dark voice in the silence...
Rumore che appare e scompare,
Noise that appears and disappears,
immagine crepuscolare
Twilight image,
del correre tuo senza scopo,
Of your aimless running,
del tempo che gioca con te come il gatto col topo...
Of time that plays with you like a cat with a mouse...
Le storie credute importanti
The stories thought to be important,
si sbriciolano in pochi istanti:
Crumbles in a few moments:
figure e impressioni passate
Past figures and impressions,
si fanno lontane e lontana così è la tua estate...
Become distant and far away, and so is your summer...
E vesti la notte incombente
And dress for the looming night,
lasciando vagare la mente
Letting the mind wander,
al niente temuto e aspettato
To the feared and awaited nothingness,
sapendo che questo è il tuo autunno...
Knowing that this is your autumn...
che adesso è arrivato...
That has now arrived...
Contributed by Elliot V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.