He was the son of an Italian father and a Scottish mother. Born in Rome after the return of the Prodan family from China because of the Japanese invasion, where Luca's father had settled a prosper bussines becoming an expert in ancient chinese pottery. Prodan attended Gordonstoun School, a private boarding school in Scotland, and for some time drifted in Manchester and London. In 1981, after a heroin crisis in the late 70's London, he moved to an old anglo-argentinan (Timmy McKern) friend's farm in the central hills of Cordoba Province Argentina seeking peace to try kicking his heroin addiction.
After some time at the farm in the Traslasierra valley, he settled in Hurlingham (a suburb of Buenos Aires), where he founded and led Sumo and the Hurlingham Reggae Band.
Prodan died either of a heart attack or cirrhosis of the liver in Buenos Aires shortly before Christmas 1987.
After his death, he became one of the most recognized icons of Argentine rock culture. Graffiti stating "Luca Not Dead" have been spotted around the world, especially in South America and Europe.
Two posthumous records of pre-Sumo recordings are available and show us an 'insider's' view of the artist. Recorded mostly in the Traslasierra region of Cordoba, Argentina (his initial dwelling place), they bear testimony to his musical inspiration and inspirators: Peter Hammill, Nick Drake, Lou Reed,Joy Division and Bob Marley.
After Luca Prodan's death, two bands were formed from former Sumo members: Divididos and Las Pelotas. These names were taken from Luca's comments about Sumo's dissolution, when he said "Divididos, las pelotas", which translates as "separated, bollocks!".
Billy
Luca Prodan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We grew up together ever since we were nine
We went to school, he was my best friend
And I thought our friendship would never end
Then we left school and went up to collage
He studied medicine, while I studied foilage
He made touch-downs, while I played pool
Then war broke out and he had to go
But not me, I was mentally unfit or so they say, so, so
When he came back, he wasn't quite the same
He wasn't the guy I knew, it was like talking to a wall
Billy was a friend of mine
We grew up together ever since we were nine
We went to school, he was my best friend
And I thought our friendship would never end
Come on Billy boy, Go, Go, GO
The lyrics to Luca Prodan's song "Billy" tell the story of a friendship between two people named Billy and the singer. The two grew up together, went to school together, and were best friends. They went their separate ways after school, with Billy studying medicine and the singer studying "foilage" (presumably horticulture or agriculture). Despite their different paths, the two remained close friends.
However, the friendship was tested when war broke out and Billy had to go and fight. The singer was deemed "mentally unfit" and did not have to go. When Billy returned from the war, he was a changed man. He was no longer the person the singer had known and talking to him was like "talking to a wall".
Throughout the song, the singer reminisces about the friendship he had with Billy and the different paths they took. The repeated lines "Billy was a friend of mine, we grew up together ever since we were nine" underscore the importance of their long-standing relationship, while the change in Billy after the war highlights the impact war can have on individuals and relationships.
Overall, "Billy" is a poignant and introspective song about friendship, change, and the toll of war.
Line by Line Meaning
Billy was a friend of mine
Luca Prodan had a friend named Billy
We grew up together ever since we were nine
Luca Prodan and Billy had been friends since they were nine years old
We went to school, he was my best friend
Luca Prodan and Billy attended school together, and Billy was Luca's closest friend
And I thought our friendship would never end
Luca Prodan assumed that he and Billy's friendship would last forever
Then we left school and went up to collage
After finishing school, Luca Prodan and Billy both attended college
He studied medicine, while I studied foilage
Billy pursued a degree in medicine, while Luca Prodan studied horticulture
He made touch-downs, while I played pool
Billy was successful in sports, especially football, while Luca was more interested in billiards
And no one could figure out, which one of us was the fool
It was difficult for their peers to determine who was more foolish, Billy or Luca
Then war broke out and he had to go
When war started, Billy had to enlist in the military
But not me, I was mentally unfit or so they say, so, so
Luca Prodan, for some reason, was not deemed mentally stable enough to join the armed forces
When he came back, he wasn't quite the same
When Billy returned from war, he had changed significantly
He wasn't the guy I knew, it was like talking to a wall
Billy was so different from his previous self that Luca found it difficult to communicate with him
Come on Billy boy, Go, Go, GO
Luca Prodan exclaims in encouragement to Billy
Contributed by Maya O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.