PFM introduced new sounds, such as the synthesizer, to the Italian musical world. They were also among the first to combine symphonic classical and traditional Italian musical influences in a rock music context. Such innovations and their longevity have made them among the most important bands in the international Progressive rock genre.
The original core members of PFM (Franco Mussida, Franz Di Cioccio, Flavio Premoli, and Giorgio Piazza) came together in the mid 1960's while playing together as backup musicians for many different Italian pop, rock and folk singers such as Lucio Battisti, Mina, Adriano Celentano and Fabrizio De André. They appeared on many recordings for other artists during this period and quickly established themselves as top players on the Italian rock and pop scene. Mussida, Premoli, Piazza and Di Cioccio then formed the group "I quelli" (English translation "Them", or "Those Guys") in 1968. I quelli released one album and some successful Italian singles.
Premiata Forneria Marconi was officially formed in Milan, Italy in 1970 when the members of I quelli met Mauro Pagani from the group Dalton. Pagani helped the group expand their sound to include violin and flute. By this time they were already highly experienced musicians and easily able to play the kind of complex progressive heavy rock played by the leading English and American groups. Their early live performances included covers by groups such as King Crimson and Jethro Tull. Other early influences included Chicago, Ekseption, and The Flock.
They had a long name, as Italian progressive bands tended to have back then, and so were usually referred to as "La Premiata", and later "PFM". After rejecting Isotta-Fraschini (an Italian car maker) the group finally settled on Pagani's suggestion, "Forneria Marconi" (meaning "Marconi Bakery"), borrowed from the sign of a shop in the small town of Chiari, near Brescia. However, record producer and friend Alessandro Colombini suggested the name was not strong enough, so the title "Premiata" (award-winning) was added. Some objected that "Premiata Forneria Marconi" was too long a name, but the group's philosophy stated that the more difficult to remember a band's name, the more difficult to forget it.
The most recent line-up of PFM follows:
- Franco Mussida: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, 12 string guitar, mandolin, vocals (1970–present)
- Franz Di Cioccio: drums, percussion, lead and backing vocals (1970–present)
- Patrick Djivas: bass, programming (1974–present)
- Lucio Fabbri: violin, keyboards (1979–1987, 2000–present )
- Gianluca Tagliavini: piano, Hammond, Minimoog, other keyboards (2005–present)
- Piero Monterisi: additional drums (2006–present)
Former members of PFM follows:
- Flavio Premoli: piano, keyboards, Mellotron, Moog synthesizer, lead vocals (1970–1980, 1997–2005)
- Giorgio Piazza: bass (1970–1974)
- Mauro Pagani: flute, piccolo, violin, vocals (1970–1976)
- Bernardo Lanzetti: lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1975–1977)
- Gregory Bloch: violin (1976–1977)
- Walter Calloni: additional drums (1982–1987)
- Roberto Gualdi: additional drums (1997–2005)
Automaticamente
Premiata Forneria Marconi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Che lei mi telegrafò:
Ti amo stop
Ti giuro stop
Davvero stop
Due ore di luce
È tutto il tempo che ho
Ancora limpido
E' chiaro mi piace
La sua sinteticità
È una premessa implicita
Sei calamita e calamità
Sei tu che avrò o niente
E non posso cambiare idea
Automaticamente
Tuo per sempre Celito lindo…
...........................................................Automaticamente, cosa molto particolare
Sei tu che avrò o niente
E non posso cambiare idea
Telegraficamente
Tuo per sempre Celito lindo
The lyrics of Premiata Forneria Marconi's song Automaticamente are a nostalgic reflection of a brief encounter with someone the singer deeply loves. The song describes the encounter with the woman in two stanzas, framed by the refrain that repeats the central dilemma. The first stanza describes a telegraphed message received from the woman, consisting of only two lines: "I love you. I swear it. Truly." These simple lines contain a complex and emotional meaning, communicated with a clear and concise language that the singer admires. The second stanza describes the limited time the singer had in the woman's presence, only two hours, yet they were enough to make the sky seem clear and the world more beautiful. The singer's decision is made up in his mind, he cannot change it "automatically", he will have the woman he loves, or nothing. The refrain repeats this idea with a poetic reference to an old Brazilian song, "Celito Lindo", which some interpret as meaning a long-lost love: "Yours forever, Celito lindo, whether automatically or telegraphically."
Line by Line Meaning
Due righe veloci
Two quick lines
Che lei mi telegrafò:
That she telegraphed to me:
Ti amo stop
I love you stop
Ti giuro stop
I swear stop
Davvero stop
Really stop
Due ore di luce
Two hours of light
È tutto il tempo che ho
It's all the time I have
Per rivedere il cielo
To see the sky again
Ancora limpido
Still clear
E' chiaro mi piace
It's clear I like
La sua sinteticità
Her succinctness
È una premessa implicita
It's an implicit premise
Sei calamita e calamità
You are a magnet and a calamity
Sei tu che avrò o niente
You are what I'll have or nothing
E non posso cambiare idea
And I can't change my mind
Automaticamente
Automatically
Tuo per sempre Celito lindo...
Yours forever, beautiful sky...
Contributed by Gianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.