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.
Sandwich man
Paolo Conte Lyrics
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È un peccato che non mi ami, questo almeno lo so
Sandwich man, sandwich man
Cartellone di cinema che passeggia per la città
Sandwich man
Sono io, sono io caricato di immagini
Che mi dan le vertigini, sono io
Sì, ma l'ho già visto e non mi piace questo film
C'era musica e pianto e lui diceva, "È colpa tua"
C'era sogno e possesso e lei diceva, "È colpa mia"
Voglio gli indiani, non voglio l'amor
Ha parlato lui prima e adesso lei parla per due
"Sì, non sono una cima, forse sì", parole sue
Voglio gli indiani, non voglio l'amor
È peccato che non mi ami, è peccato però
Stanno lì mani nella mani senza dire di no
Parli tu, parlo io, trascinando per la città
Le parole del cinema
Parlo io
Parla tu, parla tu
Tanto io mi nascondo qui
In un sandwich della reclame
Parlo io
La domanda è rosso fuoco e la risposta è blu
La domanda è rosso fuoco e la risposta è blu
Sandwich man, sandwich man
Sandwich man, sandwich man
Paolo Conte's song "Sandwich man" is a melancholic and introspective reflection on love and life, infused with the imagery of cinema and advertising. The singer, the sandwich man, is a walking billboard, a human canvas on which ads and movie posters come to life. He is burdened by the weight of all the images and emotions he carries, consumed by a sense of disconnection and disillusionment. The opening lines of the song set the tone for this internal struggle: "If you tell me you love me, I won't believe it, but it's a pity you don't love me, at least I know that." This paradoxical statement reveals the character's paradoxical nature: he longs for love but doesn't believe in it; he craves authenticity but is trapped in a world of illusions.
The chorus, "Sandwich man, sandwich man, cinema billboard walking through the city," reinforces this duality by juxtaposing the mundane reality of the character's job with the imaginative power of cinema. The sandwich man is both a symbol of commercialization and a conduit for transcendence. Through him, the city becomes a cinematic universe, a place where dreams and realities collide. The verse "I am the one loaded with images that make me dizzy, I am the one feeling his life becoming a movie, yes, but I've already seen it, and I don't like this movie," encapsulates the character's sense of ennui and frustration. He feels trapped in a story he didn't write, a role he didn't choose. He longs to break free and live his own adventure, to find his own identity beyond the scripts and slogans he carries.
Line by Line Meaning
Se mi dici che tu mi ami non ci credo però
If you tell me you love me, I won't believe it though
È un peccato che non mi ami, questo almeno lo so
It's a pity that you don't love me, but at least I know that
Sandwich man, sandwich man
Sandwich man, the man with a billboard walking around the city
Cartellone di cinema che passeggia per la città
A cinema billboard walking around the city
Sono io, sono io caricato di immagini
It's me, it's me loaded with images
Che mi dan le vertigini, sono io
That make me dizzy, it's me
Sento la mia vita che sta diventando un film
I feel like my life is becoming a movie
Sì, ma l'ho già visto e non mi piace questo film
Yes, but I've already seen it, and I don't like this movie
C'era musica e pianto e lui diceva, 'È colpa tua'
There was music and crying, and he said, 'It's your fault'
C'era sogno e possesso e lei diceva, 'È colpa mia'
There was a dream and possession, and she said, 'It's my fault'
Voglio gli indiani, non voglio l'amor
I want Indians, I don't want love
Ha parlato lui prima e adesso lei parla per due
He spoke first, and now she's speaking for both
'Sì, non sono una cima, forse sì', parole sue
'Yes, I'm not the best, maybe so', these are his words
Stanno lì mani nella mani senza dire di no
They're standing there holding hands without saying no
Parli tu, parlo io, trascinando per la città
You talk, I talk, as we drag our words through the city
Le parole del cinema
The words from the movie
Parlo io
I talk
Parla tu, parla tu
You talk, you talk
Tanto io mi nascondo qui
Anyway, I'm hiding here
In un sandwich della reclame
In a sandwich of advertisements
La domanda è rosso fuoco e la risposta è blu
The question is red fire, and the answer is blue
Sandwich man, sandwich man
Sandwich man, the man with a billboard walking around the city
Sandwich man, sandwich man
Sandwich man, the man with a billboard walking around the city
Lyrics © Sugarmusic s.p.a.
Written by: Paolo Conte
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David D Acunzo
Un genio infinito... grazie Paolo Conte! Ti voglio bene!!
said bel
magnifique chanson
Giorgio Rizzi
Come si fa' a fare una canzone cosi' bella?
Lex
genio
freddy di giovanni
meraviglioso..........
Giuseppa S
Bella canzone
ArnoldVeeman
finally for this item is not available on spotify
Luther Blister
VOGLIO gli INDIANI non voglio l'AmooRRR .... (la domanda è rosso fuoco la risposta è blu). genio, punto
Luther Blister
o magari la domanda è rosso fuoco la risposta è blu (blue - blues, malinconia) perchè il suddetto omino si è preso un 2 di picche :D
Luther Blister
@Ali As forse sanguitch man è l'omino-cartellone con le pubblicità dei film, come si vede in certe vecchie pellicole. magari la canzone è scritta dal suo punto di vista. grazie della conversazione, buona serata!