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.
Venerdì Santo
Francesco Guccini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Venerdì Santo, le chiese aperte mostrano in viola che Cristo è morto;
Venerdì Santo, piene d'incenso sono le vecchie strade del centro
o forse è polvere che in primavera sembra bruciare come la cera.
Venerdì Santo, stanchi di gente, siamo in un buio fatto di niente
Venerdì Santo, anche l'amore sembra languore di penitenza
Venerdì Santo, muore il Signore, tu muori amore fra le mie braccia,
Venerdì Santo, prima di sera, c'era l'odore di primavera;
Venerdì Santo, le chiese aperte mostrano in viola che Cristo è morto;
Venerdì Santo, piene d'incenso sono le vecchie strade del centro
o forse è polvere che in primavera sembra bruciare come la cera.
Venerdì Santo, stanchi di gente, siamo in un buio fatto di niente
Venerdì Santo, anche l'amore sembra languore di penitenza
Venerdì Santo, muore il Signore, tu muori amore fra le mie braccia,
poi viene sera resta soltanto dolce un ricordo: Venerdì Santo...
The lyrics of Francesco Guccini's song Venerdì Santo express the heavy and somber atmosphere that characterizes the day of Good Friday. The singer describes the spring scent in the air, signaling the season of renewal and rebirth, but contrasts it with the violet color that fills the churches, symbolizing the death of Christ. The streets of the old town are either filled with the smell of incense or the dust that seems to burn like wax in the spring.
The singer then explores the emptiness and darkness of the day, where even love seems devoid of joy and reduced to a form of penance. The death of the Lord is also the death of love, and the only thing left at the end of the day is a sweet memory of Good Friday.
The lyrics convey the solemnity and introspection of the occasion, but also evoke the beauty and fragrance of the season. The juxtaposition of life and death, joy and sadness, creates a powerful contrast that captures the essence of the day.
Line by Line Meaning
Venerdì Santo, prima di sera, c'era l'odore di primavera;
On Good Friday, before evening, there was a scent of spring in the air;
Venerdì Santo, le chiese aperte mostrano in viola che Cristo è morto;
On Good Friday, the open churches show in purple that Christ has died;
Venerdì Santo, piene d'incenso sono le vecchie strade del centro
o forse è polvere che in primavera sembra bruciare come la cera.
On Good Friday, the old streets in the center are filled with incense, or perhaps it is dust that in spring seems to burn like wax.
Venerdì Santo, stanchi di gente, siamo in un buio fatto di niente
On Good Friday, tired of people, we are in a darkness made of nothingness
Venerdì Santo, anche l'amore sembra languore di penitenza
On Good Friday, even love seems like the languishing of penance
Venerdì Santo, muore il Signore, tu muori amore fra le mie braccia,
On Good Friday, the Lord dies, and with him, love dies in my arms,
poi viene sera resta soltanto dolce un ricordo: Venerdì Santo...
then evening comes, and only a sweet memory remains: Good Friday...
Contributed by Cooper A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
francesca teruzzi
...Come spesso accade chi si definisce non credente ha uno sguardo profondo, intenso e spirituale...canzone d'amore...trasversale...
ETERE RADIOASCOLTO
Invariabilmente piango quando ascolto questo piccolo gioiello carico di autentico misticismo.
Emma tacca
parole e musica ti entrano nel cuore e ti arrichiscono lo spirito.Grazie Francesco!
anita bowie
Qui ad ascoltarla il venerdì santo del 2018, la magia laica di questa canzone evoca immagini straordinarie. E' incredibile come il Guccio sia stato capace di cantare profumi, ricordi, malinconia tra queste righe.
Valerio Rapone
Canzone che ha i miei anni... Guccini..un grande..grazie Francesco!!!!!
DOOM ART
C'e' tutta l'italia tradizionalista in questo gioiello di canzone
nick carter
Canzone bellissima, che fa ricordare scusate il gioco di parole le nostre radici
Fabrizio Garbarino
Venerdì santo 2023. Quasi 60 anni da quando è stata incisa.. sempre stupenda
Monica Di Virgilio
Un capolavoro.
Althea Vallenberg
Stupenda evocativa poesia in musica. Buona Pasqua di Resurrezione interiore a chi legge