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.
Canzone della bambina portoghese
Francesco Guccini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gente viene qui e ti dice
Di saper gia'
Ogni legge delle cose
E tutti, sai, vantano un orgoglio cieco,
Di verita' fatte di formule vuote.
E tutti, sai, ti san dire come fare
Quali leggi rispettare, quali regole osservare
E poi, e poi,
Tutti chiusi in tante celle
Fanno a chi parla piu' forte
Per non dire che stelle e morte fan paura.
Al caldo del sole, al mare scendeva,
La bambina portoghese.
Non c'eran parole, rumori soltanto,
Come voci sorprese;
Il mare soltanto e il suo primo bikini amaranto
Le cose piu' belle e la gioia del caldo alla pelle.
Gli amici vicino sembravan sommersi
Dalla voce del mare;
O sogni o visioni, qualcosa la prese
E si mise a pensare.
Senti' che era un punto al limite di un continente,
Senti' che era un niente,
L'Atlantico immenso di fronte;
E in questo sentiva qualcosa di grande
Che non riusciva a capire, che non poteva intuire;
Che avrebbe spiegato se avesse capito
Lei e l'oceano infinito,
Ma il caldo l'avvolse, si senti' svanire,
E si mise a dormire;
E fu solo del sole, come di mani future,
Restaron soltanto il mare e un bikini amaranto.
E poi, e poi,
Se ti scopri a ricordare, ti accorgerai
Che non te ne importa niente.
E capirai che una sera o una stagione
Son come lampi, luci accese e dopo spente
E capirai che la vera ambiguita'
E' la vita che viviamo, il qualcosa che chiamiamo
Esser uomini;
E poi, e poi,
Che quel vizio che ti uccidera' non sara' fumare o bere
Ma il qualcosa che ti porti dentro
Cioe' vivere
E poi, vivere, vivere
E poi, poi, vivere..
The lyrics of Francesco Guccini's song Canzone della bambina portoghese describe the experience of a Portuguese girl who goes to the beach and reflects on life and the meaning of existence. The song is a commentary on the human condition, the search for truth, and the fleeting nature of life. Guccini portrays the girl as someone who is open to the world and curious about everything around her. She is not burdened by preconceived notions of how things should be or the need to conform to social norms. Instead, she is free to explore and discover things for herself, without the constraints of convention.
The first verse of the song criticizes those who claim to know everything about life and are blind to the truth. The second verse describes the girl's experience at the beach, where she realizes that life is a fleeting experience that is difficult to understand. Despite her confusion, she is captivated by the beauty of the world around her, and she embraces life's ambiguity and uncertainty. The third verse is a reflection on the transience of human existence and the importance of living life to the fullest.
Line by Line Meaning
E poi, e poi
And then, and then
Gente viene qui e ti dice
People come here and tell you
Di saper gia'
That they already know
Ogni legge delle cose
All the laws of things
E tutti, sai, vantano un orgoglio cieco,
And everyone, you know, boasts a blind pride,
Di verita' fatte di formule vuote.
Of truths made of empty formulas.
E tutti, sai, ti san dire come fare
And everyone, you know, can tell you how to do it
Quali leggi rispettare, quali regole osservare
Which laws to respect, which rules to observe
Qual'e' il vero vero;
What is the true true;
E poi, e poi,
And then, and then,
Tutti chiusi in tante celle
Everyone locked in so many cells
Fanno a chi parla piu' forte
They compete to speak the loudest
Per non dire che stelle e morte fan paura.
Not to admit that stars and death are scary.
Al caldo del sole, al mare scendeva,
Under the warmth of the sun, she went down to the sea,
La bambina portoghese.
The Portuguese girl.
Non c'eran parole, rumori soltanto,
There were no words, only noises,
Come voci sorprese;
Like surprised voices;
Il mare soltanto e il suo primo bikini amaranto
Just the sea and her first amaranth bikini
Le cose piu' belle e la gioia del caldo alla pelle.
The most beautiful things and the joy of warmth on her skin.
Gli amici vicino sembravan sommersi
The friends nearby seemed drowned out
Dalla voce del mare;
By the voice of the sea;
O sogni o visioni, qualcosa la prese
Either dreams or visions, something took her over
E si mise a pensare.
And she began to think.
Senti' che era un punto al limite di un continente,
She felt that she was at the edge of a continent,
Senti' che era un niente,
She felt that she was nothing,
L'Atlantico immenso di fronte;
The immense Atlantic in front of her;
E in questo sentiva qualcosa di grande
And in this she felt something great
Che non riusciva a capire, che non poteva intuire;
That she couldn't understand, that she couldn't grasp;
Che avrebbe spiegato se avesse capito
That would have explained if she had understood
Lei e l'oceano infinito,
Her and the infinite ocean,
Ma il caldo l'avvolse, si senti' svanire,
But the warmth enveloped her, she felt herself vanish,
E si mise a dormire;
And she went to sleep;
E fu solo del sole, come di mani future,
And she was only of the sun, like of future hands,
Restaron soltanto il mare e un bikini amaranto.
Only the sea and an amaranth bikini remained.
E poi, e poi,
And then, and then,
Se ti scopri a ricordare, ti accorgerai
If you discover yourself remembering, you will realize
Che non te ne importa niente.
That you don't care about it.
E capirai che una sera o una stagione
And you will understand that one evening or one season
Son come lampi, luci accese e dopo spente
Are like flashes, lights turned on and then off
E capirai che la vera ambiguita'
And you will understand that the true ambiguity
E' la vita che viviamo, il qualcosa che chiamiamo
Is the life we live, the something we call
Esser uomini;
Being human;
E poi, e poi,
And then, and then,
Che quel vizio che ti uccidera' non sara' fumare o bere
That vice that will kill you won't be smoking or drinking,
Ma il qualcosa che ti porti dentro
But the something that you carry inside
Cioe' vivere
That is, living
E poi, vivere, vivere
And then, living, living
E poi, poi, vivere..
And then, then, living..
Contributed by Isaac S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
andrea sibilio
I primi versi, specialmente la frase "E tutti, sai, vantano un orgoglio cieco di verità fatte di formule vuote" mi fa pensare ai milioni di opinionisti del web e non solo, che si improvvisano economisti, politologi, CT della Nazionale ecc.. L'ultima frase, invece "Quel vizio che ti ucciderà non sarà fumare o bere,
ma il qualcosa che ti porti dentro, cioè vivere", mi fa venire in mente "La morte si sconta vivendo" di Ungaretti. Capolavoro dal primo all'ultimo verso.
Monika Righi
La trovo ancora veritiera dopo 45 anni. Vero, che parole, sembrano scritte oggi.
cinzia q
Chapeau!
sandro 989
La prima frase Guccini l’ha scritta pensando alle Brigate Rosse, agli estremisti che in quegli anni urlavano slogan e sembrava avessero la verità in tasca, ma la gente non cambia mai e oggi si può tranquillamente riferire alle persone che hai citato tu
Roberta Dinno
Una poesia. Un testo unico. La mia preferita💖
Luca Stanzu'
La bambina portoghese
Ricordi di una gioventù quando andavo in giro con la mia compagnia.
Ricordo anche di una vacanza estiva in Portogallo ad Albufeira.
Di sera andavamo in spiaggia e davanti a noi l'Oceano infinito, che emozione stare tutta la notte con un falò acceso a cantare le canzoni di Guccini tutti in compagnia
Adesso ognuno di noia ha preso la sua strada ma quei momenti mi resteranno impressi per tutta la vita.
Grande Guccini.
OssodiSeppia _
"Gli amici vicino sembravan sommersi dalla voce del mare...
O sogni o visioni, qualcosa la prese e si mise a pensare,
sentì che era un punto al limite di un continente,
sentì che era un niente, l'Atlantico immenso di fronte..."
oltre la musica
Burt472
Commovente e profonda........
roberto benedetti
ma chi può mettere non mi piace ad un capolavoro del genere?
marco scocci
Misteri gloriosi......