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.
Dal mare
Renato Zero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Non emarginarmi no
A capirti imparerò
Eccomi
Privo di ogni volontà
Non ho un nome, non ho età
Un Dio
Il tuo o il mio
Vita che
Si ricicla come può
Se ho fortuna sbarcherò
Anch'io
Ho fame anch'io
Ho freddo come hai freddo tu
Se vuoi
Comprendimi
Ti rispetterò
Io ti ripagherò
Dal mare arriverò
Con i fratelli miei
Ne ho persi tanti che
Se guardi il cielo capirai
Non si è sicuri mai
Stipati siamo qui
Potrei lasciarmi andare
Finirla anch'io così
Davvero una pazzia
Con questa alta marea
Sperare di raggiungere la riva
Quella mia
Né fiori né bandiere
Almeno un sogno che
Io possa ritrovare in me
Penso a te
E di colpo l'armonia
Hai una casa tutta tua
Non c'è
Chi aspetta me
Neppure chi mi piangerà
Se vuoi
Ricordami
In fondo a quell'indifferenza
Annego io
Il mare che sfidai
Riempie gli occhi miei
Speranza almeno tu
Non ti sei dileguata mai
La pace che vorrei
Non la conoscerò
Ma almeno a questo mondo non mi consegnerò
Non c'è più libertà
Né solidarietà
Le differenze offendono chi non le capirà
Un posto accanto a te
È un lusso casomai
Io non riesco ad odiarti!
Avrei potuto amarti
Ma un onda viene su
Io non avrò più un nome
Mai più
(Grazie a etciuuu per questo testo)
The song "Dal Mare" by Renato Zero is a poignant reflection on the struggles of refugees who flee their home country in search of a better life. The lyrics depict the journey of a refugee who crosses the sea hoping to find a new home. Though he is nameless and without a place in the world, he remains a human being in search of compassion and understanding.
The opening lines of the song, "Salvami / Non emarginarmi no / A capirti imparerò / Eccomi," which translates to "Save me / Don't exclude me / I will learn to understand you / Here I am," express the desperate plea of the refugee for help as he faces the unknown on his journey. The repetition of the phrase "Dal mare arriverò," which translates to "I will arrive from the sea," gives a sense of hope to the listener that the refugee will find a new home.
Throughout the song, the refugee asks for compassion and understanding from those around him, saying "Se vuoi, comprendimi" or "If you want, understand me," and painting a picture of the difficult journey he has faced to arrive in a new place. The song ends with the devastating line, "Io non avrò più un nome / Mai più," which translates to "I will never have a name again," leaving the listener with a sense of the hopelessness that refugees feel when they flee their homes.
Overall, "Dal Mare" is a beautiful and emotional song that highlights the struggles of refugees and the importance of compassion and understanding for those who are seeking a better life.
Line by Line Meaning
Salvami
Save me
Non emarginarmi no
Don't marginalize me
A capirti imparerò
I will learn to understand you
Eccomi
Here I am
Privo di ogni volontà
Devoid of all will
Non ho un nome, non ho età
I have no name, I have no age
Un Dio
A God
Il tuo o il mio
Yours or mine
Non può volere tutto ciò
Cannot want all of this
Vita che
Life that
Si ricicla come può
Recycles itself as best it can
Se ho fortuna sbarcherò
If I'm lucky I'll land
Anch'io
Me too
Ho fame anch'io
I'm hungry too
Ho freddo come hai freddo tu
I'm as cold as you are
Se vuoi
If you want
Comprendimi
Understand me
Ti rispetterò
I will respect you
Io ti ripagherò
I will repay you
Dal mare arriverò
I will arrive from the sea
Con i fratelli miei
With my brothers
Ne ho persi tanti che
I have lost so many that
Se guardi il cielo capirai
If you look at the sky you'll understand
Non si è sicuri mai
You're never really sure
Stipati siamo qui
We are packed in here
Potrei lasciarmi andare
I could let myself go
Finirla anch'io così
End it like this too
Davvero una pazzia
Truly madness
Con questa alta marea
With this high tide
Sperare di raggiungere la riva
Hoping to reach the shore
Quella mia
My own
Né fiori né bandiere
No flowers or flags
Almeno un sogno che
At least a dream
Io possa ritrovare in me
I can rediscover in myself
Penso a te
I think of you
E di colpo l'armonia
And suddenly the harmony
Hai una casa tutta tua
You have a home of your own
Non c'è
There isn't
Chi aspetta me
Anyone waiting for me
Neppure chi mi piangerà
Not even anyone who will cry for me
Se vuoi
If you want
Ricordami
Remember me
In fondo a quell'indifferenza
At the bottom of that indifference
Annego io
I drown
Il mare che sfidai
The sea that I challenged
Riempie gli occhi miei
Fills my eyes
Speranza almeno tu
At least you hope
Non ti sei dileguata mai
You never disappeared
La pace che vorrei
The peace I wish for
Non la conoscerò
I will not know it
Ma almeno a questo mondo non mi consegnerò
But at least I will not surrender to this world
Non c'è più libertà
There is no more freedom
Né solidarietà
Nor solidarity
Le differenze offendono chi non le capirà
Differences offend those who don't understand them
Un posto accanto a te
A place next to you
È un lusso casomai
If anything, it's a luxury
Io non riesco ad odiarti!
I cannot hate you!
Avrei potuto amarti
I could have loved you
Ma un onda viene su
But a wave comes up
Io non avrò più un nome
I will no longer have a name
Mai più
Never again
Contributed by Matthew E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.