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.
Primavera '59
Francesco Guccini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
poi, con un gesto lieve, in aria li gettò,
al volo di piccioni che, planando piano,
con remiganti aperte al suolo si allargò...
La piazza di San Marco si fermò un istante,
Firenze, in primavera, quasi scomparì
e rimanesti solo, là, nell'inquietante
E andasti ad aspettarla con il cuore in gola
e dentro un'emozione antica ti bruciò...
Sciamavano ragazze fuori dalla scuola
riempiendo quella strada che s'illuminò
di voci, risa, grida, gioventù e richiami,
ma la sua voce chiara il nome tuo chiamò:
ti corse incontro accesa, ti afferrò le mani,
vi guardaste silenziosi e poi forte ti abbracciò...
E credevate che
sarebbe stato eterno quell'amore,
quel fiore non avrebbe mai visto l'inverno,
quel giorno non sarebbe mai mutato in sera,
per voi sarebbe stata sempre, sempre primavera...
Adesso dove sei, bimba d'allora,
con i tuoi sedici anni e il tuo sorriso ?
Chissà se senti che ti pensa in questo autunno,
che consuma ora piano
anche il ricordo del tuo viso ?
Ma i giovani s'illudono d'essere immortali
e che ogni storia duri per l'eternità;
non sanno quanti fili, trame occasionali,
si tessono o svaniscono in casualità...
Una stagione muore, un'altra prende il volo,
sai quando inizia, non se e quando finirà,
ma è bella l'illusione di un momento solo,
quella luce che ti abbaglia, anche se si spegnerà...
Ma allora, a pranzo in una trattoria,
scrutando ansiosi il tempo che passava,
poi un cinemino, persi in galleria,
per qualche bacio che però bastava...
Di corsa al treno per il tuo ritorno,
l'ultimo bacio lungo il marciapiede:
tanto veloce volò via quel giorno,
poco quel tempo da passare assieme...
Di ritornare forse le giurasti
mentre era ferma, immobile nel pianto:
parole perse, so che non tornasti
da quella donna allora amata tanto...
E tutto è solo un episodio, un giorno,
un uscio chiuso che non si aprirà,
una partenza che non ha ritorno
come il tempo in questo autunno,
che la nebbia scioglierà...
... ed io rimasi solo, là, nell'inquietante
atmosfera dell'autunno, che quest'anima ferì...
The song "Primavera '59" by Francesco Guccini tells the story of a young man who falls in love with a Japanese girl who throws seeds into the air, creating a flock of birds above them, in the square of San Marco in Venice. They begin a relationship, which he believes will be eternal, but as time passes, they grow apart. The song describes the feelings of nostalgia, regret, and the passing of time that the man experiences as he looks back on that spring of 1959, when he was consumed by the passion of young love.
The use of imagery in the song is vivid and evocative. The act of throwing seeds and watching them transform into a flock of birds represents the beauty and impermanence of life. In contrast, the passing of time is described as a cruel and relentless force that inevitably separates us from the people and experiences we love. The man's reminiscing about the past serves as a powerful reminder of the transience of human experience.
Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the fleeting nature of life, love, and memory. It is a statement on the human condition that resonates with anyone who has ever experienced the loss of a loved one or reflected on the passing of time.
Line by Line Meaning
La giapponese rise con i semi in mano
A Japanese woman laughed with seeds in her hand
poi, con un gesto lieve, in aria li gettò,
Then, with a slight gesture, she threw them into the air,
al volo di piccioni che, planando piano,
To the flight of pigeons which, gliding slowly,
con remiganti aperte al suolo si allargò...
Expanded with open wings towards the ground ...
La piazza di San Marco si fermò un istante,
The San Marco square stopped for a moment,
Firenze, in primavera, quasi scomparì
Florence, in spring, almost disappeared
e rimanesti solo, là, nell'inquietante
And you remained alone there, in the unsettling
primavera dei vent'anni che nell'anima fiorì...
Spring of the twenties that blossomed in the soul ...
E andasti ad aspettarla con il cuore in gola
And you went to wait for her with your heart in your throat
e dentro un'emozione antica ti bruciò...
And an ancient emotion burned inside you ...
Sciamavano ragazze fuori dalla scuola
Girls were streaming out of school
riempiendo quella strada che s'illuminò
Filling up the street that lit up
di voci, risa, grida, gioventù e richiami,
With voices, laughter, screams, youth and beckoning,
ma la sua voce chiara il nome tuo chiamò:
But her clear voice called out your name:
ti corse incontro accesa, ti afferrò le mani,
She ran towards you, lit up, and grabbed your hands,
vi guardaste silenziosi e poi forte ti abbracciò...
You looked at each other silently, and then she hugged you tightly...
E credevate che
And you believed that
sarebbe stato eterno quell'amore,
That love would be eternal,
quel fiore non avrebbe mai visto l'inverno,
That flower would never see winter,
quel giorno non sarebbe mai mutato in sera,
That day would never turn into evening,
per voi sarebbe stata sempre, sempre primavera...
For you it would always be, always spring ...
Adesso dove sei, bimba d'allora,
Where are you now, little girl from before,
con i tuoi sedici anni e il tuo sorriso ?
With your sixteen years and your smile?
Chissà se senti che ti pensa in questo autunno,
Who knows if you feel that he is thinking of you in this autumn,
che consuma ora piano
That now slowly consumes
anche il ricordo del tuo viso ?
Even the memory of your face?
Ma i giovani s'illudono d'essere immortali
But young people delude themselves to be immortal
e che ogni storia duri per l'eternità;
And that every story lasts for eternity;
non sanno quanti fili, trame occasionali,
They don't know how many threads, occasional plots,
si tessono o svaniscono in casualità...
Are woven or vanish within chance ...
Una stagione muore, un'altra prende il volo,
One season dies, another takes flight,
sai quando inizia, non se e quando finirà,
You know when it begins, but not if or when it will end,
ma è bella l'illusione di un momento solo,
But the illusion of a single moment is beautiful,
quella luce che ti abbaglia, anche se si spegnerà...
That light that dazzles you, even if it will go out ...
Ma allora, a pranzo in una trattoria,
But then, at lunch in a restaurant,
scrutando ansiosi il tempo che passava,
Scanning anxiously the passing time,
poi un cinemino, persi in galleria,
Then a small cinema, lost in a gallery,
per qualche bacio che però bastava...
For some kisses that were enough though...
Di corsa al treno per il tuo ritorno,
Running to the train for your return,
l'ultimo bacio lungo il marciapiede:
The last kiss along the sidewalk:
tanto veloce volò via quel giorno,
So quickly that day flew away,
poco quel tempo da passare assieme...
So little time to spend together ...
Di ritornare forse le giurasti
Perhaps you promised to come back
mentre era ferma, immobile nel pianto:
While she was still, motionless in tears:
parole perse, so che non tornasti
Lost words, I know you didn't return
da quella donna allora amata tanto...
To that woman you once loved so much ...
E tutto è solo un episodio, un giorno,
And everything is just an episode, a day,
un uscio chiuso che non si aprirà,
A closed door that will not open,
una partenza che non ha ritorno
A departure that has no return
come il tempo in questo autunno,
Like the time in this autumn,
che la nebbia scioglierà...
That the fog will dissolve ...
... ed io rimasi solo, là, nell'inquietante
... and I remained alone there, in the unsettling
atmosfera dell'autunno, che quest'anima ferì...
atmosphere of autumn, which wounded this soul ...
Contributed by Ellie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.