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.
Odysseus
Francesco Guccini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
che, certo, non appartenevo al mare
anche se Dei d’Olimpo e umana gente
mi sospinsero un giorno a navigare,
e se guardavo l'isola petrosa,
sopra ogni collina c'erano lì idealmente
il mio cuore al sommo d'ogni cosa,
c'era l'anima mia che è contadina
senza le vele senza pescatori
il sudore e la terra erano argento
il vino e l'olio erano i miei ori
Ma se tu guardi un monte che è di faccia,
senti che ti sospinge un altro monte
un'isola col mare che l'abbraccia
ti chiama un'altra isola di fronte
e diedi un volto a quelle mie chimere
le navi costruii di forma ardita,
concavi navi dalle vele nere
e nel mare cambiò quella mia vita
e il mare trascurato mi travolse:
seppi che il mio futuro era sul mare
con un dubbio però che non si sciolse
senza futuro era il mio navigare
Ma nel futuro trame di passato
si uniscono a brandelli di presente,
ti esalta l’acqua e al gusto del salato
brucia la mente
e ad ogni viaggio reinventarsi un mito
a ogni incontro ridisegnare il mondo
e perdersi nel gusto del proibito
sempre più in fondo
E andare in giorni bianchi come arsura,
soffio di vento e forza delle braccia,
mano al timone e sguardo nella pura
schiuma che lascia effimera una traccia;
andare nella notte che ti avvolge
scrutando delle stelle il tremolare
in alto l’Orsa e un segno che ti volge
diritta verso il nord della Polare.
E andare come spinto dal destino
verso una guerra, verso l’avventura
e tornare contro ogni vaticino
contro gli Dei e contro la paura.
E andare verso isole incantate,
verso altri amori, verso forze arcane,
compagni persi e navi naufragate;
per mesi, anni, o soltanto settimane
La memoria confonde e dà l’oblio,
chi era Nausicaa, e dove le sirene
Circe e Calypso perse nel brusio
di voci che non so legare assieme.
Mi sfuggono il timone, velam remo,
la frattura fra inizio ed il finire,
l’urlo dell’accecato Polifemo
ed il mio navigare per fuggire.
E fuggendo si muore e la mia morte
sento vicina quando tutto tace
sul mare, e maledico la mia sorte
non trovo pace
forse perché sono rimasto solo
ma allora non tremava la mia mano
e i remi mutai in ali al folle volo
oltre l’umano.
La vita del mare segna false rotte,
ingannevole in mare ogni tracciato,
solo leggende perse nella notte
perenne di chi un giorno mi ha cantato
donandomi però un’eterna vita
racchiusa in versi, in ritmi, in una rima,
dandomi ancora la gioia infinita
di entrare in porti sconosciuti prima".
The song "Odysseus" by Francesco Guccini speaks of his personal journey as a farmer who is pulled towards the sea by the influence of gods and humans. He describes a rocky island where his heart is rooted and his soul is that of a farmer. He imagines idealistically that he could live there with his crops and harvests, and the sweat and the land would suffice for him. However, he cannot resist the call of the sea, and he embarks on a journey that changes his life forever. He builds magnificent ships that travel through unknown waters and reimagines his world with every encounter. He speaks of going to enchanted islands, experiencing forbidden pleasures, encountering lost friends, and having his life marked by false routes and deceptive maps. He acknowledges that his destiny lies in the sea, but this realization comes at the cost of his peace of mind.
Through the song, Guccini paints a vivid portrayal of his personal journey, which is both physical and metaphorical. He draws parallels between his life and that of the mythical figure, Odysseus, who is known for his enduring travels and encounters with deities, monsters, and human beings. The song speaks to the human desire to explore the unknown and to grow and evolve through one's travels. At the same time, it highlights the inevitable sacrifices and struggles that come with such journeys.
Line by Line Meaning
Bisogni che lo affermi fortemente
I need to firmly affirm it
che, certo, non appartenevo al mare
that, certainly, I didn't belong to the sea
anche se Dei d'Olimpo e umana gente
even though both Olympian Gods and human beings
mi sospinsero un giorno a navigare,
pushed me one day to sail
e se guardavo l'isola petrosa,
and if I looked at the stony island,
sopra ogni collina c'erano lì idealmente
on top of every hill, there they were ideally
il mio cuore al sommo d'ogni cosa,
my heart at the top of everything
c'era l'anima mia che è contadina
there was my soul that is peasant
un'isola d'aratro e di frumento
an island of plows and wheat
senza le vele senza pescatori
without sails or fishermen
il sudore e la terra erano argento
sweat and soil were silver
il vino e l'olio erano i miei ori
wine and oil were my golds
Ma se tu guardi un monte che è di faccia,
But if you look at a mountain face to face,
senti che ti sospinge un altro monte
you can feel another mountain pushing you
un'isola col mare che l'abbraccia
an island with the sea embracing it
ti chiama un'altra isola di fronte
calls you to another island in front of you
e diedi un volto a quelle mie chimere
and I gave a face to my fantasies
le navi costruii di forma ardita,
I built ships of bold shape
concavi navi dalle vele nere
concave ships with black sails
e nel mare cambiò quella mia vita
and in the sea my life changed
e il mare trascurato mi travolse:
and the neglected sea overwhelmed me:
seppi che il mio futuro era sul mare
I knew that my future was on the sea
con un dubbio però che non si sciolse
with a doubt that didn't dissolve
senza futuro era il mio navigare
my sailing was without a future
Ma nel futuro trame di passato
But in the future, plots of the past
si uniscono a brandelli di presente,
unite with shreds of the present,
ti esalta l'acqua e al gusto del salato
the water excites you and the taste of salty
brucia la mente
burns the mind
e ad ogni viaggio reinventarsi un mito
and reinvent a myth with every journey
a ogni incontro ridisegnare il mondo
redefine the world on every encounter
e perdersi nel gusto del proibito
and get lost in the taste of the forbidden
sempre più in fondo
deeper and deeper
E andare in giorni bianchi come arsura,
And go on white days like burning heat,
soffio di vento e forza delle braccia,
a gust of wind and the strength of the arms,
mano al timone e sguardo nella pura
hand on the helm and gaze into the pure
schiuma che lascia effimera una traccia;
foam leaving a ephemeral trace;
andare nella notte che ti avvolge
go into the night that envelops you
scrutando delle stelle il tremolare
scrutinizing the trembling of the stars
in alto l'Orsa e un segno che ti volge
up there the Bear and a sign that turns you
diritta verso il nord della Polare.
straight to the north of Polaris.
E andare come spinto dal destino
And go as pushed by destiny
verso una guerra, verso l'avventura
toward a war, toward adventure
e tornare contro ogni vaticino
and return against every prediction
contro gli Dei e contro la paura.
against the Gods and against the fear.
E andare verso isole incantate,
And go towards enchanted islands,
verso altri amori, verso forze arcane,
toward other loves, toward arcane forces,
compagni persi e navi naufragate;
lost companions and shipwrecked ships;
per mesi, anni, o soltanto settimane
for months, years, or just weeks
La memoria confonde e dà l'oblio,
Memory confuses and gives forgetfulness,
chi era Nausicaa, e dove le sirene
who was Nausicaa, and where were the sirens
Circe e Calypso perse nel brusio
Circe and Calypso lost in the whisper
di voci che non so legare assieme.
of voices that I can't tie together.
Mi sfuggono il timone, velam remo,
The helm, the sail, and the oar escape me,
la frattura fra inizio ed il finire,
the fracture between the beginning and the end,
l'urlo dell'accecato Polifemo
the scream of the blinded Polyphemus
ed il mio navigare per fuggire.
and my sailing to escape.
E fuggendo si muore e la mia morte
And in fleeing, one dies and my death
sento vicina quando tutto tace
I feel it close when everything is silent
sul mare, e maledico la mia sorte
on the sea, and curse my fate
non trovo pace
I don't find peace
forse perché sono rimasto solo
perhaps because I have remained alone
ma allora non tremava la mia mano
but then my hand didn't tremble
e i remi mutai in ali al folle volo
and I turned the oars into wings for a crazy flight
oltre l'umano.
beyond the human.
La vita del mare segna false rotte,
The life of the sea marks false routes,
ingannevole in mare ogni tracciato,
deceptive every path on the sea,
solo leggende perse nella notte
only legends lost in the night
perenne di chi un giorno mi ha cantato
eternal of the one who sang to me one day
donandomi però un'eterna vita
giving me, however, an eternal life
racchiusa in versi, in ritmi, in una rima,
enclosed in verses, rhythms, in one rhyme,
dandomi ancora la gioia infinita
still giving me infinite joy
di entrare in porti sconosciuti prima.
of entering ports unknown before.
Contributed by Lillian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ouvuvue
Io ogni volta che l'ascolto ho i brividi, ancora dopo decenni, ma non mi aspetto che voi proviate lo stesso. Vi carico la canzone per completezza, lo so che la musica non è granché. Guccini è un cantastorie, non un musicista o un cantante
flavio facchinelli
questa canzone mi descrive molto!!!!!
Davide Morassut
No CAP QUESTA È UNA HITTTTTTTTTT
Luca Piaggesi
Troppo bella!
fly2breathe
Grazie =D