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.
Le piogge d'aprile
Francesco Guccini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Che in mezz'ora lavavano un'anima o una strada
E lucidavano in fretta un pensiero o un cortile
Bucando la terra dura e nuova come una spada
Ma dove quelle piogge in primavera quando dormivi supina
E se ti svegliavo ridevi,
Poi piano facevi ridere anche me con i tuoi giochi lievi
Senza sapere la parola nostalgia
Solo colore verde di ramarri e bambine
E in bocca lo schioccare secco di epifania
Ma dove quelle stagioni smisurate
Quando ogni giorno figurava gli anni a venire
E dove a ogni autunno quando finiva l'estate
Trovavi la voglia precisa di ripartire
Che ci farai ora di questi giorni che canti
Dei dubbi quasi doverosi che ti sono sorti
Dei momenti svuotati, ombre incalzanti di noi rimorti
Che ci potrai fare di quelle energie finite
Di tutte quelle frasi storiche da dopocena
Consumato per sempre il tempo di sole e ferite
Basta vivere appena, basta vivere appena
E ora viviamo in questa stagione di mezzo
Spaccata e offesa da giorni agonizzanti e disperati
Lungo i quali anche i migliori si danno un prezzo
E ti si seccano attorno i vecchi amori sciagurati
Dove senza più storia giriamo il mondo ricercando soltanto un momento sincero
Col desiderio inconscio di arrivare più in fondo per essere più vero
Ma dove sono andate quelle piogge d'aprile
Io qui le aspetto come uno schiaffo improvviso
Come un gesto, un urlo o un umore sottile fino ad esserne intriso
Io chiedo che cadano ancora sul mio orizzonte angusto
E avaro di queste voglie corsare
Per darmi un'occasione ladra, un infinito o un ponte per ricominciare
The lyrics of Francesco Guccini's song "Le piogge d'aprile" express the singer's nostalgia for past times that seem to have faded away. He longs for the spring rain that used to wash away all the impurities in the world and make everything look new and fresh. The rain used to have the power to make people smile and feel happy, but now it seems to have disappeared. He also laments the passing of endless summers and the carefree days of youth. He asks himself what he will do with the memories and experiences of the past, now that they seem to have lost their vitality and meaning. He wonders whether there will be another chance to start anew, to find a new way of being in the world that will give him the joy and peace that he once knew.
The singer seems to be addressing his words to someone he loves or has loved in the past. He talks about the times they spent together, the games they played, and the happy moments they shared. He also talks about the difficult times, the doubts, and the insecurities they faced. He seems to be seeking a connection with this person, a way to bridge the gap between the past and the present. He wants to recapture the happiness they once had, to find a way to live a meaningful life once again.
Overall, the lyrics of "Le piogge d'aprile" convey a sense of loss and longing for a time that seems to have disappeared forever. The singer expresses his desire to return to a time of innocence and joy, and to find a way to make sense of the present. The song is a poignant reminder that life is fleeting, and that we must cherish the moments we have while we can.
Line by Line Meaning
Ma dove sono andate quelle piogge d'aprile
Where have the April rains gone?
Che in mezz'ora lavavano un'anima o una strada
That washed away a soul or a road in half an hour
E lucidavano in fretta un pensiero o un cortile
And quickly brightened a thought or a courtyard
Bucando la terra dura e nuova come una spada
Piercing the hard and new earth like a sword
Ma dove quelle piogge in primavera quando dormivi supina
Where are those rains in spring when you slept on your back
E se ti svegliavo ridevi,
And if I woke you up, you laughed,
Poi piano facevi ridere anche me con i tuoi giochi lievi
Then you made me laugh with your gentle games
Ma dove quelle estati senza fine
Where are those endless summers
Senza sapere la parola nostalgia
Without knowing the word 'nostalgia'
Solo colore verde di ramarri e bambine
Only the green color of lizards and children
E in bocca lo schioccare secco di epifania
And the dry clicking sound of the epiphany in your mouth
Ma dove quelle stagioni smisurate
Where are those immeasurable seasons
Quando ogni giorno figurava gli anni a venire
When each day represented the years to come
E dove a ogni autunno quando finiva l'estate
And where, every fall, when summer ended
Trovavi la voglia precisa di ripartire
You found the exact desire to start over
Che ci farai ora di questi giorni che canti
What will you do now with these days you sing about
Dei dubbi quasi doverosi che ti sono sorti
Of the almost obligatory doubts that have arisen in you
Dei momenti svuotati, ombre incalzanti di noi rimorti
Of the emptied moments, pressing shadows of our dead selves
Che ci potrai fare di quelle energie finite
What will you do with those energies that have run out
Di tutte quelle frasi storiche da dopocena
With all those historic phrases from after dinner
Consumato per sempre il tempo di sole e ferite
The time of sun and wounds has been forever consumed
Basta vivere appena, basta vivere appena
Just living a little, just living a little
E ora viviamo in questa stagione di mezzo
And now we live in this in-between season
Spaccata e offesa da giorni agonizzanti e disperati
Split and offended by agonizing and desperate days
Lungo i quali anche i migliori si danno un prezzo
Along which even the best pay a price
E ti si seccano attorno i vecchi amori sciagurati
And the old disastrous loves dry up around you
Dove senza più storia giriamo il mondo ricercando soltanto un momento sincero
Where, without a story anymore, we roam the world searching only for a sincere moment
Col desiderio inconscio di arrivare più in fondo per essere più vero
With the unconscious desire to go further to be more true
Io qui le aspetto come uno schiaffo improvviso
I'm waiting for them here like a sudden slap
Come un gesto, un urlo o un umore sottile fino ad esserne intriso
Like a gesture, a scream, or a subtle mood, until it is soaked in it
Io chiedo che cadano ancora sul mio orizzonte angusto
I ask for them to fall again on my narrow horizon
E avaro di queste voglie corsare
And greedy for these corsair desires
Per darmi un'occasione ladra, un infinito o un ponte per ricominciare
To give me a stolen opportunity, an infinite or a bridge to start again
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Francesco Guccini
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind