Paolo Conte (born 6 January 1937 in Asti, Piedmont, Italy) is a craggy-voic… Read Full Bio ↴Paolo Conte (born 6 January 1937 in Asti, Piedmont, Italy) is a craggy-voiced italian singer, pianist and composer. He both writes and performs his own material and his grainy, resonant voice redolent of Francophone singers like Jacques Brel adds a certain charm to his wistful, sometimes melancholic lyrics.

His performing career began as a vibraphone player in local and touring bands. He began songwriting with his brother Giorgio Conte early on and eventually began writing songs of his own. As a poet, painter and lawyer as well as a musician, he first earned attention during the late '60s and early '70s as the creative force behind hits from Adriano Celentano and Patty Pravo. Conte began his solo career with a 1974 self-titled LP, with subsequent efforts like 1987's Aguaplano and 1990's Parole D'Amore Scritte a Macchina enjoying considerable success throughout Europe. 1998's Paolo Conte, a greatest-hits collection, was his first U.S. release. His compilation album is titled The Best of Paolo Conte.

Some of his hits were used in many movies, for example "Come di" (1999), "Via con me" in French Kiss (1995), Welcome to Collinwood (2002) , "Sparring Partner" in 5x2 (2004), "Chiamami Adesso" in The Lake House (2006), and the "Fritz" Coca Cola commercial that was widely shown in US movie theaters in early 2006. French humourist Pierre Desproges used both in his Chroniques de la haine ordinaire. The lyrics of "Insieme a te non ci sto più" was performed by Caterina Caselli in the Italian 2001 hit-at-Cannes La Stanza del Figlio.

Paolo Conte was a lawyer for years and has only retired recently.

Bamboolah
Paolo Conte Lyrics

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Bamboolah
Sono un pesce da friggere
Bamboolah
Sono pazzo di te
Bamboolah
Come è inutile dirtelo
Bamboolah
Ma è più forte di me

Bamboolah
Sono nato per perdere
Ciondola la mia sagoma e va
Ciondola
Come palma che dondola
Bamboolah
Sulla grande città

Tutte così le storie dell'amore
Passa di qui come un incantatore
Brucia un sogno
E il vuoto è il suo splendore

Bamboolah
Ero un libro da leggere
Bamboolah
Lo capivi anche tu
Bamboolah
Meritava anche leggerlo

Bamboolah
E non sorriderci su

Overall Meaning

In Paolo Conte's song 'Bamboolah', the lyrics speak of the singer's intense and uncontrollable love for someone else. The repeated use of the word 'Bamboolah' is a nonsensical term used to express the irrationality of the singer's emotions, as though they are in a trance-like state. The opening lines, 'I am a fish to fry' and 'I am crazy about you' show the singer's vulnerability and their complete surrender to their love for the other person. They know that their love may not be reciprocated or may be unattainable, but they cannot help feeling the way they do.

The lyrics go on to describe the singer's sense of futility as they try to explain the intensity of their feelings. They feel as though they were born to lose, and their path through life is uncertain and unsteady, like a swaying palm tree. The final stanza laments the fact that the singer's love was not appreciated for what it was, a story worth reading, and instead was dismissed with a smile.

'Bamboolah' is an example of Paolo Conte's signature style of combining elements of jazz, blues, and cabaret with poetic and evocative lyrics that speak to the human experience. The repetitive use of the nonsense word 'Bamboolah' is reminiscent of scat singing, a technique used in jazz music to convey emotion through sound rather than words. The song's melancholic tone and wistful lyrics have made it a beloved classic in Italian music.

Line by Line Meaning