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.
In Mezzo Ai Guai
Renato Zero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Che posso fare ?
Se ogni cosa mi va male !
Mi sembra inutile cercare
Di ignorare ,
Che qui c'è molto da cambiare...
Ho , tante mini donne che
Non mi danno mai pace .
Ma problemi io
Ne ho , a non finire ,
Meglio non pensare…
..
A questa età lo so ,
Vi sembra un poco strano ,
Che io mi trovi in mezzo ai guai…
Vi garantisco , che per me
Non è poi strano ,
Trovarmi in questa situazione .
Ho , tante mini donne che
Non mi danno mai pace .
E , non ho un soldo ,
Ma problemi io
Ne ho a non finire ,
Meglio non pensare…
………………
Mi trovo bene
In mezzo ai guai ,
Tanto che fare ?
Qui mi conviene non pensare.
Ho tante mini donne che
Non mi danno mai pace .
E , non ho un soldo ,
Ma problemi io
Ne ho a non finire ,
Meglio non pensare
The lyrics of Renato Zero's song In Mezzo Ai Guai describe the singer's troubled state and his struggle to find a way out. He feels like he is constantly in a state of difficulty with every aspect of his life going wrong. Despite knowing that there is a lot that needs to be changed, he finds it hard to ignore his problems. The singer talks about his many relationships with women that do not give him peace while being broke with an endless list of problems. However, at his age, he knows that his situation may seem strange to others, but to him, it is not uncommon to find himself in the middle of these difficulties.
The chorus of the song repeats that he finds himself "bene," or good, in the middle of his troubles. He does not want to think about his problems because it is better not to, and he is comfortable in the midst of a chaotic situation. The lyrics can be interpreted as a reflection of youth and its challenges, as young people often find themselves struggling to find their way in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Mi trovo sempre in mezzo ai guai ,
I find myself always in trouble,
Che posso fare ?
What can I do?
Se ogni cosa mi va male !
If everything goes wrong for me!
Mi sembra inutile cercare
It seems useless to try
Di ignorare ,
To ignore,
Che qui c'è molto da cambiare...
That there is a lot to change here...
Ho , tante mini donne che
I have many little women who
Non mi danno mai pace .
Never give me peace.
E , non ho un soldo ,
And, I don't have a penny,
Ma problemi io
But I have problems,
Ne ho , a non finire ,
I have them, without any end,
Meglio non pensare…
It's better not to think about them...
..
A questa età lo so ,
At this age, I know,
Vi sembra un poco strano ,
It may seem a bit strange to you,
Che io mi trovi in mezzo ai guai…
That I find myself in trouble...
Vi garantisco , che per me
I assure you, for me
Non è poi strano ,
It's not that strange,
Trovarmi in questa situazione .
To find myself in this situation.
Mi trovo bene
I feel good
In mezzo ai guai ,
In the middle of troubles,
Tanto che fare ?
What else is there to do?
Qui mi conviene non pensare.
It's better for me not to think.
Ho tante mini donne che
I have many little women who
Non mi danno mai pace .
Never give me peace.
E , non ho un soldo ,
And, I don't have a penny,
Ma problemi io
But I have problems,
Ne ho a non finire ,
I have them, without any end,
Meglio non pensare…
It's better not to think about them...
Contributed by Hannah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Debora Lunetti
Fantastico😍😍😍😍
Monica Galliera
Bellissima la voce di Renato giå da ragazzo e canzone profonda
Silvana Forte
Suo primo vinile. Aveva 17 anni. In foto è lui personalmente. Ho la doppia cassetta "Zero settanta" con questo pezzo e "non basta sai". Gli altri sono i suoi migliori pezzi degli anni '70 per un totale di 32 pezzi.
Gino P.
molto bello
Silvana Forte
Pezzo rarissimo. Da collezione. Ne ha fatta di strada il nostro Renato. Bravo Boncompagni che ha capito e trovato l'artista che era nascosto in lui. Ciao Ní
Giulio e Aurora 🙂
@Silvana Forte ciao Silvana buona domenica .ci risentiamo stasera se ti fa piacere .di parlare di renato il nostro angelo🤗.
Silvana Forte
@Giulio e Aurora 🙂 novità che non sapevo di questo disco. "Non basta sai" scritto da Jimmy Fontana con la super visione di Giannini Boncompagni, "In mezzo ai guai" pezzo di semisconosciuto Keith dal titolo "98.6". Le parole, però, sono completamente diverse
Giulio e Aurora 🙂
@Silvana Forte io su facebook ma ci vado pochissimo
Silvana Forte
@Giulio e Aurora 🙂 "chi" la conosco e ce l'ho in originale. Io non sono su Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter
Giulio e Aurora 🙂
@Silvana Forte io ad agosto 58 siamo possiamo dire coetanei 😀sai oggi su YouTube ho sentito una canzone di renato ,,,chi,. E lo messa su facebook ☺️ comunque la mia foto che vedi è di un anno fa, ne dimostrò molti di meno così mi dicono 🙄🤔🤭