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.

Dragon
Paolo Conte Lyrics

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you are a long, long train
we go away
we go away
You are, you are
you are a rail road wind
we go away
we go away
ouha - ouha - ouha - ouha ...

Tu vuoi farmi un ritratto in forma di piano...
e me lo vuoi fare in forma di treno...
ouha - ouha - ouha - ouha ...
Vuoi un titolo al quadro o alla sua imitazione...?

Un consiglio lo accetti...? E' da grande illusione....
"The dragon"..."the dragon"... That's the dragon.. Yeah...

Overall Meaning

The Paolo Conte song "Dragon" is a mysterious and enigmatic piece that requires some interpretative skill to unravel. The song is composed of two main parts: a repetitive chorus that uses the sound of a train as a metaphor for a journey or retreat, and a spoken word section that reflects on the nature of art and the difficulties of capturing its essence. Conte describes his subject as a "dragon," a creature that is often associated with power, danger, and mythology. The dragon could be seen as a symbol of the artistic process itself or as a metaphor for the elusive nature of creativity.

In the "Dragon" chorus, Conte sings that "You are a long, long train, we go away." This suggests that the dragon could be seen as a force that carries us away from our familiar surroundings or into the unknown. The repetition of the phrase "we go away" emphasizes the idea of movement and progression. The dragon is also described as a "rail road wind" that propels the train forward, adding to the sense of urgency and excitement.

The spoken word section of the song adds another layer of complexity. Conte mentions a "portrait in the form of a piano" and a desire to create a portrait "in the form of a train." The idea of creating a portrait suggests an artist's attempt to capture something in a tangible form, but the choice of a piano or a train as the subject is curious. The dragon is also referred to as a "quadro" or painting, but the choice of a dragon as a subject is similarly unusual. The final line of the song confirms that "the dragon" is the title of the work in question, but it remains unclear what this dragon actually represents.

Line by Line Meaning

you are a long, long train
You represent a never-ending, elongated means of transport.

we go away
We move from our present state to another location.

we go away
We continue to move, leaving our current situation behind us.

You are, you are
You signify a permanent entity, recognizable and unchanging.

you are a rail road wind
You are a force that propels us forward, like a gust of wind on a train track.

we go away
We move on, as if following the track laid out ahead of us.

we go away
We leave behind our current world and embark on a journey to an unknown destination.

ouha - ouha - ouha - ouha ...
Expressive sounds that convey the sensation of movement and speed.

Tu vuoi farmi un ritratto in forma di piano...
You wish to depict me in the form of a musical score.

e me lo vuoi fare in forma di treno...
And you want to do so by picturing me as a train.

ouha - ouha - ouha - ouha ...
Expressive sounds that convey the sensation of motion and velocity.

Vuoi un titolo al quadro o alla sua imitazione...?
Do you want a title for the picture, or is its resemblance enough?

Un consiglio lo accetti...? E' da grande illusione....
Do you accept advice? It's a great illusion to think that you can create an accurate depiction.

"The dragon"..."the dragon"... That's the dragon.. Yeah...
The entity that you have depicted is not me, but the dragon that represents chaos and mischief.

Contributed by Jayce W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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