As recalled by a verse of one of his songs, "it was the fate that in three … Read Full Bio ↴As recalled by a verse of one of his songs, "it was the fate that in three months" moved his family out of Modena because of war. Guccini spent his childhood and part of his youth at his grandparents' place in a small village in the Apennine Mountains called Pàvana, a fraction of the commune Sambuca Pistoiese in the province of Pistoia (Toscana). The memory of the youth years spent in the somewhat archaic society of the mountains of central Italy was to be always present in his songs and books.

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.

Mondo Nuovo
Francesco Guccini Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Corre veloce, ma in che senso
il nostro tempo sconosciuto e strano
e i nostri occhi spaventati
guardano ciò che ci circonda
e non sanno credere ad un tecnico sortilegio che
pian piano e indifferente ci rapina
e ci trascina verso una realtà
che non vedremo mai (fra entità sconosciute e computers)

che non vedremo mai (fra le schede cifrate e le città)
che non vedremo mai...
E corre l' uomo confuso verso
ciò che neanche lui capisce,
chi ha programmato la sua vita
non sa chi sia e dove; ma che
importa, se solo questo lo fa
già dubitare del suo equilibrio
e aperta è già la strada oscuramente
verso una nuova realtà
che non capirà mai ( fra entità sconosciute e computers )
che non capirà mai ( fra le schede cifrate e le città )
che non capirà mai...
E non sapremo perchè e come
siamo di un' era in transizione
fra una civiltà quasi finita
ed una nuova inconcepita.
Se quasi nessuno ormai più crede,
quale mai sarà la nuova fede,
quali mai saran le nuove mete
che spegneranno la nostra eterna sete
di poter essere sé...
Anche se poi qualcuno soccomberà
io non so dire chi fra noi due sarà
quest' uomo nuovo
che avvince anche me
nel mondo nuovo che
noi non vedremo mai ( fra entità sconosciute e computers )

noi non vedremo mai ( fra le schede cifrate e le città )
noi non vedremo mai...

Overall Meaning

"Mondo Nuovo" or "New World" explores the unknown realities of our present time and the future that we are heading towards. The opening lines of the song "Corre veloce, ma in che senso il nostro tempo sconosciuto e strano" meaning, "It's running fast, but in what sense our unknown and strange time?" create a sense of uncertainty and confusion. The song talks about how technology, computers, and encryption in every aspect of our lives have shaken up the balance of our social and physical world. The line "pian piano e indifferente ci rapina e ci trascina" translates to "slowly and indifferently rob us and drag us," which denotes the idea that we are losing the control we once had as we move towards the new world.

The song highlights the confusion, fear, and apprehension people experience while trying to keep pace with the changing world. Guccini emphasizes how the seemingly positive advancements of technology have lowered our ability to differentiate between the real and the fake. He says that "Corre l' uomo confuso verso ciò che neanche lui capisce" which means "The confused man runs towards what he himself doesn't understand." Guccini suggests that we could be heading towards a new reality that we don't understand, and no matter how hard we try, we will never comprehend it.

Line by Line Meaning

Corre veloce, ma in che senso
Our unfamiliar and strange time rushes ahead, but in what direction?

il nostro tempo sconosciuto e strano
Our time is unknown and strange to us.

e i nostri occhi spaventati
Our frightened eyes

guardano ciò che ci circonda
Look at what surrounds us

e non sanno credere ad un tecnico sortilegio che
And cannot believe in a technical spell that

pian piano e indifferente ci rapina
slowly and indifferently robs us

e ci trascina verso una realtà
And drags us towards a reality

che non vedremo mai (fra entità sconosciute e computers)
That we will never see (between unknown entities and computers)

che non vedremo mai (fra le schede cifrate e le città)
That we will never see (between encrypted cards and cities)

che non vedremo mai...
That we will never see...

E corre l' uomo confuso verso
The confused man runs towards

ciò che neanche lui capisce,
What he himself does not understand,

chi ha programmato la sua vita
Who programmed his life

non sa chi sia e dove; ma che
Does not know who he is or where he is; but what

importa, se solo questo lo fa
Does it matter, if only this makes him

già dubitare del suo equilibrio
Already doubt his balance

e aperta è già la strada oscuramente
And the path is already darkly open

verso una nuova realtà
Towards a new reality

che non capirà mai (fra entità sconosciute e computers)
That he will never understand (between unknown entities and computers)

che non capirà mai (fra le schede cifrate e le città)
That he will never understand (between encrypted cards and cities)

che non capirà mai...
That he will never understand...

E non sapremo perchè e come
And we will not know why or how

siamo di un' era in transizione
We are in a transitional era

fra una civiltà quasi finita
Between an almost finished civilization

ed una nuova inconcepita.
And a newly inconceivable one.

Se quasi nessuno ormai più crede,
If almost no one believes anymore,

quale mai sarà la nuova fede,
What will the new faith be,

quali mai saran le nuove mete
What will be the new goals

che spegneranno la nostra eterna sete
That will quench our eternal thirst

di poter essere sé...
To be oneself...

Anche se poi qualcuno soccomberà
Even if someone succumbs

io non so dire chi fra noi due sarà
I cannot say who among us it will be

quest' uomo nuovo
This new man

che avvince anche me
That captivates me too

nel mondo nuovo che
In the new world that

noi non vedremo mai (fra entità sconosciute e computers)
We will never see (between unknown entities and computers)

noi non vedremo mai (fra le schede cifrate e le città)
We will never see (between encrypted cards and cities)

noi non vedremo mai...
We will never see...

Contributed by Lucas H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Antonella Raso

4y↑4

E non sapremo perché e come
Siamo di un' era in transizione
Fra una civiltà quasi finita
Ed una nuova inconcepita.
Se quasi nessuno ormai più crede,
Quale mai sarà la nuova fede,
Quali mai saran le nuove mete
Che spegneranno la nostra eterna sete
Di poter essere sé...
Anche se poi qualcuno soccomberà
Io non so dire chi fra noi due sarà
Quest' uomo nuovo
Che avvince anche me