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.
Il Matto
Francesco Guccini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
da giullare, da pazzo, con un'allegria infinita.
D'altra parte è assai meglio, dentro questa tragedia,
ridersi addosso, non piangere e voltarla in commedia.
Quando mi hanno chiamato per la guerra, dicevo:
"Beh, è naja, soldato!" e ridevo, ridevo.
Mi han marchiato e tosato, mi hanno dato un fucile,
Facevo scherzi, mattane, naturalmente ai fanti,
agli osti e alle puttane, ma non risparmiavo i santi.
E un giorno me l'han giocata, mi han ricambiato il favore
e dal fucile mi han tolto l' intero caricatore.
Mi son trovato il nemico di fronte e abbiamo sparato,
chiaramente io a vuoto, lui invece mi ha centrato.
Perchè quegli occhi stupiti, perchè mentre cadevo
per terra, la morte addosso, io ridevo, ridevo?
Ora qui non sto male, ora qui mi consolo,
ma non mi sembra normale ridere sempre da solo, ridere sempre da solo!
The lyrics of Francesco Guccini's song Il Matto describe the life of a man who was considered a fool because he took life lightly, with infinite joy and a sense of playfulness. He found it better to laugh at himself and turn tragedy into comedy rather than cry. When he was called to go to war, he joked around, taking life in stride even though he was assigned a rifle, unpleasant food and the rigorous demands of a soldier. He played jokes on people, including soldiers, prostitutes, and even saints. But one day, he was outwitted and his weapon was confiscated. When he found himself facing an opponent and was shot, he continued laughing and smiling. He survived but realized it was strange to always be laughing alone.
In essence, the song is a reflection of the singer/songwriter's own philosophy of life expressed through a character, the fool or il matto, who is not afraid to laugh at his own follies and challenges in life. The lyrics suggest that life is uncertain and it is better to find joy and humor in the face of adversity rather than dwell on pain and sorrow. The song ultimately raises the question of what it means to be happy in life and whether we should let life's challenges take away our laughter and joy.
Line by Line Meaning
Mi dicevano il matto perchè prendevo la vita
da giullare, da pazzo, con un'allegria infinita.
People used to call me a fool because I lived my life like a jester or a madman, with infinite joy.
D'altra parte è assai meglio, dentro questa tragedia,
ridersi addosso, non piangere e voltarla in commedia.
However, it's much better, even inside this tragedy, to laugh at oneself instead of crying, and turn it all into a comedy.
Quando mi hanno chiamato per la guerra, dicevo:
"Beh, è naja, soldato!" e ridevo, ridevo.
When they called me up for the war, I said "Well, it's mandatory service, soldier!" and laughed and laughed.
Mi han marchiato e tosato, mi hanno dato un fucile,
rancio immondo, ma io allegro, ridevo da morire.
They branded and sheared me, gave me a rifle and disgusting rations, but I was still happy, laughing until it hurt.
Facevo scherzi, mattane, naturalmente ai fanti,
agli osti e alle puttane, ma non risparmiavo i santi.
I played tricks and pranks on everyone, including the soldiers, innskeepers, and prostitutes, but even the saints didn't escape my humor.
E un giorno me l'han giocata, mi han ricambiato il favore
e dal fucile mi han tolto l' intero caricatore.
Then one day they got me back, and took the entire magazine out of my rifle.
Mi son trovato il nemico di fronte e abbiamo sparato,
chiaramente io a vuoto, lui invece mi ha centrato.
I found myself facing the enemy, and we both started shooting, but I missed my mark, and he hit me.
Perchè quegli occhi stupiti, perchè mentre cadevo
per terra, la morte addosso, io ridevo, ridevo?
Why were my eyes still surprised, and why was I laughing while I fell to the ground with death approaching?
Ora qui non sto male, ora qui mi consolo,
ma non mi sembra normale ridere sempre da solo, ridere sempre da solo!
Now I'm not in pain, and I find solace here, but it doesn't seem normal to always be laughing alone, to always be laughing alone!
Contributed by Gabriella V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.