He was the composer of Caruso (1986), which has been covered by numerous international artists. A version of Caruso sung by Luciano Pavarotti sold over 9 million copies and the song was a track on Andrea Bocelli's first international album Romanza which has sold over 16 million albums world wide thus far; the song is a tribute to the emblematic opera tenor Enrico Caruso.
He began to play the clarinet at an early age, in a jazz band in Rome. The singer-songwriter Gino Paoli noticed Dalla's vocal qualities and suggested he attempt a solo career as an Italian soul singer. In 1964, at age 21, Dalla recorded his first 45 rpm containing "Lei (non è per me)" and "Ma questa sera". However, Dalla's debut at the Cantagiro festival in 1965 was unsuccessful probably due to his appearance and to his music, which was considered too experimental for the time. His first album, 1999, was released the following year. His next album, Terra di Gaibola (from the name of a suburb of Bologna), was released in 1970 and contained some early Dalla classics.
His first hit was "4 Marzo 1943", which garnered some success at the Sanremo Festival. Regardless of its title, the song became popularly known as "Gesu bambino". Also successful was "Piazza grande", which Dalla would sing again at Sanremo.
At this point, Dalla made a decisive move in his career, starting a collaboration with the Bolognese poet Roberto Roversi. Roversi wrote the lyrics to Dalla's next three albums Il giorno aveva cinque teste (The Day Had Five Heads) (1973), Anidride solforosa (1975) and Automobili (Automobiles) (1976) Although these albums did not sell in large numbers, they were noted by critics for the unusual mix of Roversi's weird lyrics with Dalla's improvisatory, and sometimes experimental, compositional abilities.
The duo had already broken up by the time the concept album Automobili was released. Roversi, who had been against the album's release, chose the pseudonym "Norisso" when it was time to register the songs. The album, however, included one of Dalla's most popular songs, "Nuvolari", named after the famous 1930s Italian racer.
Affected by the end of the collaboration, Dalla decided to write the lyrics of his next albums himself. This decision proved to be surprisingly good, and he soon emerged as one of the most intelligent and musically cultured of the Italian singer-songwriters. The first album of this new phase was Com'è profondo il mare (1977), in which Dalla was accompanied by some members of the future pop band Stadio. The title track or "Quale allegria" are today ranked among the best Italian songs.
Dalla's poetic inspiration was confirmed by the following albums, all entitled Lucio Dalla or Dalla and all best-sellers. They contain classics like "Anna e Marco", "L'anno che verrà", "Futura", and "Cara".
In 1979, his popularity was confirmed by the success of the Banana Republic tour and album of 1979 together with singer-songwriter Francesco De Gregori, his band, and his friend Ron.
The hit single Attenti al Lupo (1990) gave him wider success in Europe.
He was invited for duetting on Pavarotti and friends, singing his own hit "Caruso" with Luciano Pavarotti.
He died from a heart attack in 1 March 2012 while on tour at Switzerland.
tango
Lucio Dalla Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Io alle dieci avevo lezione di tango
Quanta brillantina e coraggio mi mettevo
Guarda oggi come piango
Hai più preso il treno
Quella donna che tangava con furore nei locali della croce rossa
Fuori era la guerra nel suo cuore tanto tango
Hai più preso il treno
Mi son guardato intorno
Ho viaggiato cento notti per arrivare di giorno
Ho letto libri antichi preoccupanti
Poi arrivati a Torino ci siamo commossi in tanti
Per quel tango ballato dal bambino
Col coltello tra i denti un fiore in mano
Ballava con aria di questura e l'occhio lontano
Stava per accadere il miracolo, il cielo da nero a rosso
Ma il treno si è fermato lì, non si è piu' mosso
Hai più preso il treno
Ci siamo spinti senza avere fretta
Ci siamo urlati nelle orecchie senza darci retta
Mentre il tango si perdeva in un mare lontano
Dov'è la tua testa da accarezzare, dov'è la tua mano?
Ora ci mostrano i denti e i coltelli, ci bucano gli occhi
Non ci sono tanghi da ballare
Bisogna fare in fretta per ricominciare
Per tutte le stelle del mondo, per un pezzo di pane
Per la tua donna da portare in campagna a ballare
Per un treno con tanta gente che parta davvero
Per un tango da ballare tutti insieme
Ad occhi aperti senza mistero
Morena è lontana e aspetta
Suona il suo violino ed è felice
Nel sole è ancora più bella e non ha fretta
E sabato è domani e sabato è domani, ooh
The lyrics of Lucio Dalla's Tango are elegantly crafted and poetically describe the emotions of the singer as they reminisce upon their past experiences with tango. The song's title refers to the type of dance known as the Argentine tango, which is characterized by its passion and emotion. The first stanza sets the scene for the rest of the song, with the singer commenting on how they used to embrace tango with courage and confidence, but now they are crying. The next stanza draws a contrast between the singer's past experiences with tango and the present, noting how someone they used to dance with fervently during the war has now taken the train away. The third stanza focuses on the singer's journey to Torino, where they finally found themselves moved to tears by the beauty of the tango as it was performed by a young boy in the streets. The fourth stanza is filled with imagery, with the singer describing the beauty of the dance as well as the abrupt end brought about by the train's unexpected stop. The fifth stanza is a call to action, with the singer urging the listener to take advantage of every opportunity to dance the tango, no matter how hard and fraught with danger the process may be.
Line by Line Meaning
Hai già preso il treno
You have already caught the train.
Io alle dieci avevo lezione di tango
I had a ten o'clock tango lesson.
Quanta brillantina e coraggio mi mettevo
I used to put on so much glitter and courage.
Guarda oggi come piango
Look at me now, how I cry.
Quella donna che tangava con furore
That woman who danced the tango with fury.
Nei locali della croce rossa
In the Red Cross bars.
Fuori era la guerra nel suo cuore
The war was raging in her heart.
Nel suo cuore tanto tango
So much tango in her heart.
Da unire il cielo con la terra
To connect the sky and the earth.
Ho viaggiato cento notti
I have travelled a hundred nights.
Per arrivare di giorno
To arrive during the day.
Ho letto libri antichi e preoccupanti
I have read ancient and disturbing books.
Poi arrivati a Torino
Then, when we arrived in Turin.
Ci siamo commossi in tanti
We were all moved by it.
Ballato dal bambino
Danced by a child.
Coltello fra i denti
Knife between the teeth.
Fiori in mano
Flowers in hand.
Ballava con aria di questura
He danced with the air of a police station.
E l'occhio lontano
And his eye was distant.
Stava per accadere il miracolo
The miracle was about to happen.
Il cielo da nero a rosso
The sky went from black to red.
Ma il treno si è fermato lì
But the train stopped there.
E non si è piu' mosso
And it never moved again.
Ci siamo spinti senza avere fretta
We pushed ourselves without hurry.
Ci siamo urlati nell'orecchio
We shouted in each other's ears.
Mentre il tango si perdeva
While the tango was getting lost.
In un mare lontano
In a distant sea.
Dov'è la tua testa da accarezzare
Where is your head to caress?
Dov'è la tua mano
Where is your hand?
Ora ci mostrano i denti e i coltelli
Now they show us their teeth and knives.
Ci bucano gli occhi
They poke our eyes out.
Non ci sono tanghi da ballare
There are no tangos left to dance.
Bisogna fare in fretta per ricominciare
We need to hurry up to start over again.
Tutte le stelle del mondo
All the stars in the world.
Per un pezzo di pane
For a piece of bread.
Per la tua donna
For your woman.
Da portare in campagna a ballare
To take to the countryside to dance.
Per un treno con tanta gente
For a train with so many people.
Che parte davvero
That really leaves.
Per un tango da ballare tutti insieme
For a tango to dance all together.
Ad occhi aperti senza mistero
With open eyes without mystery.
Morena è lontana e aspetta
Morena is far away and is waiting.
Suona il suo violino ed è felice
She plays her violin and is happy.
Nel sole è ancora più bella e non ha fretta
In the sun, she is even more beautiful and not in a hurry.
E sabato è domani, e sabato è domani
And Saturday is tomorrow, and Saturday is tomorrow.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Lucio Dalla
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Loretta Orini
Anche se fa parte della sua produzione cosiddetta minore (ma minore di che?), è un capolavoro senza tempo, di quelli che oggi nessuno riesce più a produrre.
alessandro natali
è UNA delle sue canzoni più belle altro che minore
the shitty birb
@omar777 ha un testo fortissimo
omar777
@the shitty birb Meri Luis è la mia preferita, e sai una cosa? È anche la preferita dallo stesso Dalla!
Loretta Orini
@the shitty birb Dove si nota la perfetta fusione tra musica e testo, poiché la musica e gli arrangiamenti si sposano alla perfezione con un testo così delicatamente ironico.
the shitty birb
@Loretta Orini ah ok, in quel senso. Pensa che una delle mie preferite è meri luis :)
꧁ঔৣᾋʀἔҭὗṩᾄঔৣ꧂
Un genio della musica andato via troppo presto... Lucio, qui avevamo ancora bisogno di te e delle tue canzoni 😢😢❤️
nicoletta dadda
Momenti bellissimi che non torneranno più 😘
PIER FRANCESCO FERRARIS
Una delle più belle di sempre.
ʝ ٥
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