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.
Piccola città
Francesco Guccini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
appena nato ti compresi o fu il fato che in tre mesi mi spinse via;
piccola città io ti conosco,
nebbia e fumo non so darvi il profumo del ricordo che cambia in meglio,
ma sono qui nei pensieri le strade di ieri, e tornano
visi e dolori e stagioni, amori e mattoni che parlano...
Piccola città, io poi rividi
mia nemica strana sei lontana
coi peccati fra macerie e fra giochi consumati dentro al Florida:
cento finestre, un cortile, le voci, le liti e la miseria;
io, la montagna nel cuore, scoprivo l' odore del dopoguerra...
Piccola città, vetrate viola,
primi giorni della scuola, la parola ha il mesto odore di religione;
vecchie suore nere che con fede
in quelle sere avete dato a noi il senso di peccato e di espiazione:
gli occhi guardavano voi, ma sognavan gli eroi, le armi e la bilia,
correva la fantasia verso la prateria, fra la via Emilia e il West...
Sciocca adolescenza, falsa e stupida innocenza,
continenza, vuoto mito americano di terza mano,
pubertà infelice, spesso urlata a mezza voce,
a toni acuti, casti affetti denigrati, cercati invano;
se penso a un giorno o a un momento ritrovo soltanto malinconia
e tutto un incubo scuro, un periodo di buio gettato via...
Piccola città, vecchia bambina
che mi fu tanto fedele, a cui fui tanto fedele tre lunghi mesi;
angoli di strada testimoni degli erotici miei sogni,
frustrazioni e amori a vuoto mai compresi;
dove sei ora, che fai, neghi ancora o ti dai sabato sera?
Quelle di adesso disprezzi, o invidi e singhiozzi se passano davanti a te?
Piccola città, vecchi cortili,
sogni e dei primaverili, rime e fedi giovanili, bimbe ora vecchie;
piango e non rimpiango, la tua polvere, il tuo fango, le tue vite,
le tue pietre, l'oro e il marmo, le catapecchie:
così diversa sei adesso, io son sempre lo stesso, sempre diverso,
cerco le notti ed il fiasco, se muoio rinasco, finchè non finirà...
"Piccola città" by Francesco Guccini is a song that reflects upon the singer's personal experiences growing up in a small town. The song begins with the recognition of how he quickly realized he didn't belong in that place, and shortly after his birth, he was pushed away from it due to fate. The town is familiar to him, but it lacks the scent of fond memories because he's always left as an outsider. Memories of familiar faces, heartbreaks, seasons, and bricks that "speak" come flooding back to haunt him even though he's away. The title "Piccola città" meaning "small town," accurately describes the town's complex and suppressive nature that doesn't allow the singer to grow and explore his potential fully.
The song continues to paint both nostalgia and melancholy, as he also remembers his teenage years in the same town. He describes himself as stupid, wanting to adopt the American lifestyle, seeking love and passion that he didn't get. The singer left the place, but the place didn't leave him. He intimately remembers its old and abandoned buildings, imagining the fear present in his childhood while he sat in school as black-clad nuns taught them about sin and atonement. The theme of innocence robbed becomes more prevalent with lines like "casti affetti denigrati" ("chaste affections disparaged") and "pubertà infelice" ("unhappy puberty").
The second to last stanza is an inquiry about the present-day of the small town, wondering if it has changed, become better, worse or remained the same. The song ends with a somewhat bittersweet note that he doesn't regret his time spent growing up in this town, but it's clear the memories still occupy a place in his mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Piccola città, bastardo posto, appena nato ti compresi o fu il fato che in tre mesi mi spinse via;
The singer is expressing his dislike for the small town in which he was born and soon left after only three months.
piccola città io ti conosco, nebbia e fumo non so darvi il profumo del ricordo che cambia in meglio, ma sono qui nei pensieri le strade di ieri, e tornano visi e dolori e stagioni, amori e mattoni che parlano...
Despite his hatred for it, the singer still has vivid memories of the town and its streets, people, and buildings.
Piccola città, io poi rividi le tue pietre sconosciute, le tue case diroccate da guerra antica; mia nemica strana sei lontana coi peccati fra macerie e fra giochi consumati dentro al Florida:
Years later, the singer returned to the town and found it in ruins, a victim of old wars and corruption.
cento finestre, un cortile, le voci, le liti e la miseria; io, la montagna nel cuore, scoprivo l' odore del dopoguerra...
The artist remembers the town as a place of poverty and struggle, but also feels deeply connected to its mountains and post-war atmosphere.
Piccola città, vetrate viola, primi giorni della scuola, la parola ha il mesto odore di religione; vecchie suore nere che con fede in quelle sere avete dato a noi il senso di peccato e di espiazione:
The artist recalls his early days in school, where religion played a big role and the stern nuns instilled a sense of guilt and atonement in the students.
gli occhi guardavano voi, ma sognavan gli eroi, le armi e la bilia, correva la fantasia verso la prateria, fra la via Emilia e il West...
Despite the oppressive atmosphere, the singer dreamed of adventure and excitement, imagining himself as a cowboy or a warrior.
Sciocca adolescenza, falsa e stupida innocenza, continenza, vuoto mito americano di terza mano, pubertà infelice, spesso urlata a mezza voce, a toni acuti, casti affetti denigrati, cercati invano;
The singer reflects on his teenage years, filled with false ideals and a sense of unfulfilled yearning.
se penso a un giorno o a un momento ritrovo soltanto malinconia e tutto un incubo scuro, un periodo di buio gettato via...
Thinking back to those times fills the artist with sadness and a sense of darkness that he has since overcome.
Piccola città, vecchia bambina che mi fu tanto fedele, a cui fui tanto fedele tre lunghi mesi;
Referring to the town as an old childhood friend, the artist acknowledges the brief time he spent there but still feels a sense of loyalty.
angoli di strada testimoni degli erotici miei sogni, frustrazioni e amori a vuoto mai compresi; dove sei ora, che fai, neghi ancora o ti dai sabato sera?
The town's streets hold memories of the artist's unfulfilled romantic and sexual desires, leaving him wondering what happened to the town and its people.
Quelle di adesso disprezzi, o invidi e singhiozzi se passano davanti a te?
Asking whether the singer would despise or envy the current residents of the town if he were to see them.
Piccola città, vecchi cortili, sogni e dei primaverili, rime e fedi giovanili, bimbe ora vecchie;
Remembering the town's old courtyards and youthful dreams and beliefs, the artist sees the town's faded beauty.
piango e non rimpiango, la tua polvere, il tuo fango, le tue vite, le tue pietre, l'oro e il marmo, le catapecchie:
The singer mourns and cherishes the town's imperfections and struggles, from its dust and mud to its people and buildings.
così diversa sei adesso, io son sempre lo stesso, sempre diverso, cerco le notti ed il fiasco, se muoio rinasco, finchè non finirà...
The town has changed but the singer has stayed the same, always searching for new experiences and a sense of rebirth.
Contributed by Isaac Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.