Renato Fiacchini was born in Rome in the Via di Ripetta, next to the Via del Corso.
He quit his studies early to devote himself to his true passion, playing music and singing - though initially with little success. He replied to the criticisms (including the recurring insult Sei uno zero! - "You're a zero!") by assuming the alter-ego of Renato Zero. After several different jobs, including an appearance in an advertisement for ice-cream, he recorded his first singles in 1965: "Tu, sì", "Il deserto", "La solitudine", which were never issued. His first published single, "Non basta sai/In mezzo ai guai" (1967), sold a total of 20 copies.
In the late 1960s Zero's career was favoured by the glam-rock fashion, which he had somehow presaged with his sexual ambiguity and androgynous appearance. At the same time, this led him to be accused of cloning characters like David Bowie. In 1973 he issued his first LP, No! Mamma, no! (live), but with little success. The follow-up Invenzioni met the same fate.
Birth of the "Zerophilia"
It was not until 1976 that he scored his first hit with the single "Madame". "Madame" and the album including it, Trapezio, established a regular and loyal audience for Zero. This was to increase exponentially in the following years, until he could boast a huge following of die-hard fans that he dubbed "Sorcini" ("Little Mice").
The late 1970s were indeed years of great success for Zero's character, with the LPs Zerofobia ("Zerophobia", 1977), Zerolandia (1978) and Erozero (1979) topping the Italian charts. At this time Renato Zero was amongst the two or three most popular singers in Italy and his song "Il Carrozzone" was already regarded, also by critics, as one of the best Italian songs ever.
In 1979 Zero played himself in the movie "Ciao Nì" (his usual greeting to his fans, which can be roughly translated as "Hi pal!"). In Italy this film was to be more successful than the blockbuster "Superman".
The 1980s
In the 1980s he began to abandon make-up and greasepaint, but this did not rid Zero of his mania for grandeur: in the 1980 tour, for example, he entered the scene riding a white horse. In 1982 he began a collaboration with the opera director Renato Serio, who was to write the string arrangements for almost all of Zero's following LPs. In late 1983 he took part in RAI's Fantastico 3, then the most popular Italian TV show.
His career continued to be successful until 1984, with top-charts songs like "Amico" ("Friend") and "Spiagge" ("Beaches"). That year, however, his album Leoni si nasce and the tour of the same name, in which he appeared disguised as a lion and escorted by four aborigines, were commercial failures. The album Zero of 1987 marked the low point of his career: instead of playing in arenas and stadiums, Zero had to sing almost for free in the piazzas and discos of Italy's minor cities.
1990s and 2000s: the Comeback
In 1991 Renato Zero participated to the Sanremo Music Festival with "Spalle al muro", and from that moment on his career began to rise again. In 1993 he was nr.1 in the Italian charts with the LP Quando non sei più nessuno. The following year Imperfetto repeated this success. During his tour concerts would regularly sell out, and he returned to his famous dress changes during the spectacles, although in a less kitsch and more balanced style.
In 2004 his tour "Cattura il sogno/Il sogno continua" (Catch the dream/The dream continues) was awarded from Pollstar magazine as the most successful of the year in Italy and as well as one of the most successful worldwide (#30). The recording af the Roman concerts, held at Olimpico Stadium in June, was the best selled musical DVD of 2004. In 2005 he took part to the Italian stage of Live 8, in the Circo Massimo. In November his new album Il dono ("The Gift") topped the charts and maintained #1 until the end of the year. In December 2005 he performed in the Vatican with a song dedicated to Pope John Paul II. Renato Zero's most recent tour started in February 2006 and is entitled Zero movimento. During some concerts held at the time of the campaign for the April 2006 elections he declared himself against former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Che bella libertà
Renato Zero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Libertà
Ubriaca di parole e di bandiere….
Chi dirà…
Che il silenzio in fondo è libertà…
Chi dirà…
Che di troppa libertà si muore…
Qui in città
Tutto va, se non si arrestano i motori.
Mentre poi,
Libertà, non si respira mai!
Chi lo sa
Quanto costa fare andare il cuore…
E pagherò i miei debiti,
Voglio acquistare solo cieli limpidi,
Tentare ancora di confondermi,
Con le montagne, con il mare, con chi sia…
Con questa vita tornare in sintonia…
Fare l'amore con chi voglio io …
Avere un sogno che sia solo mio…
Ridere o piangere soltanto se mi andrà!
Usciamo fuori, non restiamo chiusi qua…
Nelle prigioni di cristallo
In questo mondo, sempre quello…che bella libertà!
Pioverà…
Non pioverà…
Anche qui, qualcuno ha già previsto tutto.
Ma chi è
Questo dio che poi Dio non è!
Come può…
Un uomo solo fare tanto male.
Mentre poi, libertà
Non ci somiglia mai.
Chi lo sa,
Quanto costa fare andare il cuore.
Il mondo sfoggia i suoi tentacoli.
Vite vendute senza troppi miracoli…
Un ululare di sirene e poi…
Solo domani scopriranno chi sei…
Sui muri la tua rabbia scrivi tu…
Quello che ami, ciò che odi di più..
Cerchiamo un posto a questa libertà,
Vestirla, amarla, andarci a letto, chissà…
Chissà non torni un'altra volta
Libertà, questa tua voglia di abbracciarmi,
Questa mia voglia di seguirti.
Che bella libertà!
The lyrics of Renato Zero's Che bella libertà address the concept of freedom and how it is perceived in society. The opening lines ask where true freedom can be found, as it seems to be inebriated with words and flags, suggesting that freedom has been oversimplified and reduced to mere symbols. The song questions whether silence can also be considered freedom, as too much freedom can lead to one's demise. In the city, everything seems to be going, but true freedom cannot be breathed in. The lyrics speak of the cost of making one's heart beat, implying that true freedom is not cheap and requires effort.
The second stanza speaks of wanting to pay one's debts to acquire clear skies and to blend in with mountains, sea, or whoever one is. The singer wants to come back to life and make love with whoever they want. They want to have a dream that is entirely theirs and laugh or cry whenever they feel like it. The lyrics advise stepping out of the crystal prisons of the world and finding a place to wear, love, and possibly sleep with freedom. The song speaks about the world's problems, blaming it on a single man asking how one person can cause so much harm. It seems that people's versions of freedom do not resemble true freedom. It alludes to the cost of making one's heart beat and the spread of society's tentacles. The song concludes with a desire to embrace and follow freedom, as it represents a beautiful and desirable concept.
Line by Line Meaning
Dove sei
Asking where freedom is
Libertà
The main theme of the song, freedom
Ubriaca di parole e di bandiere….
Describing freedom as being drunk on words and flags
Chi dirà…
Asking who will say
Che il silenzio in fondo è libertà…
Questioning if silence can also be considered freedom
Chi dirà…
Asking who will say
Che di troppa libertà si muore…
Questioning if too much freedom can be deadly
Qui in città
Showing the setting of the song, the city
Tutto va…
Describing everything going on in the city
Tutto va, se non si arrestano i motori.
Everything goes on if the engines aren't stopped
Mentre poi,
While, in the meantime
Libertà, non si respira mai!
Saying that freedom can never be fully experienced in the city
Chi lo sa
Asking who knows
Quanto costa fare andare il cuore…
Questioning the price of following one's heart
E pagherò i miei debiti,
Saying that one will pay their debts
Voglio acquistare solo cieli limpidi,
Wanting to acquire only clear skies
Tentare ancora di confondermi,
Trying to confuse oneself
Con le montagne, con il mare, con chi sia…
Trying to become one with nature and everything around oneself
Con questa vita tornare in sintonia…
Wanting to be in tune with one's life
Fare l'amore con chi voglio io …
Being free to love whomever one wants
Avere un sogno che sia solo mio…
Having a dream that is only for oneself
Ridere o piangere soltanto se mi andrà!
Laughing or crying only when one feels like doing so
Usciamo fuori, non restiamo chiusi qua…
Encouraging to go outside and not stay closed in
Nelle prigioni di cristallo
Describing the city as a prison of glass
In questo mondo, sempre quello…
Saying that the world always remains the same
che bella libertà!
Exclaiming how beautiful freedom is
Pioverà…
Saying it will rain
Non pioverà…
Saying it will not rain
Anche qui, qualcuno ha già previsto tutto.
Saying that someone has already predicted everything
Ma chi è
Asking who is it
Questo dio che poi Dio non è!
Questioning the existence of a god that is not really a god
Come può…
Asking how it can be
Un uomo solo fare tanto male.
Questioning how much harm one person can cause
Mentre poi, libertà
While, in the meantime, freedom
Non ci somiglia mai.
Saying that freedom is never the same
Chi lo sa,
Asking who knows
Quanto costa fare andare il cuore.
Questioning the price of following one's heart
Il mondo sfoggia i suoi tentacoli.
Saying that the world shows its claws
Vite vendute senza troppi miracoli…
Saying that lives are sold without much magic
Un ululare di sirene e poi…
Describing the sound of sirens
Solo domani scopriranno chi sei…
Saying that they will only discover who you are tomorrow
Sui muri la tua rabbia scrivi tu…
Saying that one can write their anger on the walls
Quello che ami, ciò che odi di più..
Saying that one can write what they love, what they hate the most
Cerchiamo un posto a questa libertà,
Searching for a place for this freedom
Vestirla, amarla, andarci a letto, chissà…
Describing how to approach freedom
Chissà non torni un'altra volta
Wondering if freedom will come back again
Libertà, questa tua voglia di abbracciarmi,
Describing how freedom wants to embrace the singer
Questa mia voglia di seguirti.
Describing the singer's desire to follow freedom
Che bella libertà!
Exclaiming how beautiful freedom is
Contributed by Sydney R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
David "Sancho" Rossi
Un inno alla libertà, alla vita, alla voglia di evadere dal quotidiano e difenderci dalle catene. Grazie ancora una volta Renato!!! Ogni volta mi fai commuovere!!!
Rpalumbo68
Un disco denso di vita che trasmette emozioni vere
Luca Sotgiu
Stupenda ... L avrò ascoltata un centinaio di volte da quando è uscito il doppio Album, pelle d oca , emozioni.
duccio mulinacci
L' ascolto dopo quarant'anni e rimango sempre col fiato sospeso
Luigi Antenucci
Stessa sensazione... Testo e musica fantastica 🤩
Angelo Del Monte
Stupenda
Rosaria Lufrano
Le tue canzone sono la salvezza del mio cuore e della mia anima, grazie Renato
Terry Melani
"Come può un uomo solo fare tanto male"...
Passa il tempo, ma le tue parole sempre così vere...poesia assoluta 🙏
"Quanto costa fare andare il cuore"" ...tu lo sai, Willy❤
ORTOPEDIA LAURA
ho la pelle d'oca , ogni tua canzone mi riempie sempre di vita!!!
ettore alterio
COME SI FA' AD ESSERE COSI' GRANDI, TUTTO QUELLO CHE PASSA PER LA SUA UGOLA E' FANTASTICO.