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.
L'altra Sponda
Renato Zero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Un atlante il corpo mio
Qui è passato il mondo
Riconosco il marchio suo
Spavaldo ed insolente
Delicato non direi
Credi a lui
E non a me
Mai nessun lamento
Fermo e zitto lì
Incassando e pazientando
Vedi è tutto scritto qui
Tanto accanimento
Un giorno speri finirà
Non conosci il mondo, o non ti ami
L'altra sponda
Non passarci mai
Stanne fuori
Fidati di noi
Una landa
Dove tutto irreale è
Non c'è luce non c'è pace
Affonda
Ogni dignità
L'altra sponda
Uomini a metà e Dio, che fa
Trappole e serpenti
Da qui non si esce più
Pensieri delinquenti
Errori di una gioventù
Stanchi professori
Avete vinto voi
Noi restiamo ai margini del cuore
L'altra sponda
Per non chiedere
Alla gogna
Chi vuol vivere
Se mi senti
Non pensare che hai vinto tu
Un sussulto e passi
All'altra sponda
Terra d'incerti eroi
Che vergogna
Se ti salvi tu è perché gli mentirai
L'altra sponda
Una macchia che non va via
Un sospetto e sei
Dell'altra sponda
Un gioco ignobile
Chi ti manda
Ha morbosità da vendere
The lyrics of Renato Zero's song "L'altra Sponda" are infused with a sense of distrust, pain, and despair. The lines "Guarda quanti segni / Un atlante il corpo mio / Qui è passato il mondo / Riconosco il marchio suo" speak of the physical and emotional scars that the singer has accumulated throughout his life. He acknowledges that he has seen the world's passing and recognizes its brand, but he resents it for its arrogance and brutality.
The chorus, "L'altra sponda / Non passarci mai / Stanne fuori / Fidati di noi / Una landa / Dove tutto irreale è / Non c'è luce non c'è pace / Affonda / Ogni dignità," warns the listener of the dangers of the other side, a place where everything is unreal, devoid of light and peace, and haunts away one's dignity. The singer urges the listener to stay away from this treacherous place, to trust them and avoid being lured into its delusions.
The lines "Uomini a metà e Dio, che fa / Trappole e serpenti / Da qui non si esce più" signify the presence of half-men, lost souls whose fate is uncertain, and whose lives are embroiled in a game of traps and snakes. The singer points out that once you enter this place, you cannot get out, and the thoughts that plague you there never truly leave you. The song's somber message conveys a sense of vulnerability, exposing the frailties of human nature and its eternal search for hope and light.
Line by Line Meaning
Guarda quanti segni
Look at how many signs
Un atlante il corpo mio
My body is like an atlas
Qui è passato il mondo
The world has passed through here
Riconosco il marchio suo
I recognize its mark
Spavaldo ed insolente
Bold and insolent
Delicato non direi
I wouldn't say delicate
Credi a lui
Believe in him
E non a me
Not in me
Come puoi gente
How can one people
Mai nessun lamento
Never any complaints
Fermo e zitto lì
Still and silent
Incassando e pazientando
Taking it in and being patient
Vedi è tutto scritto qui
See, it's all written here
Tanto accanimento
So much hostility
Un giorno speri finirà
One day you hope it will end
Non conosci il mondo, o non ti ami
You don't know the world, or you don't love yourself
L'altra sponda
The other shore
Non passarci mai
Never go there
Stanne fuori
Stay outside
Fidati di noi
Trust us
Una landa
A wasteland
Dove tutto irreale è
Where everything is unreal
Non c'è luce non c'è pace
There is no light, no peace
Affonda
Sinks
Ogni dignità
All dignity
Uomini a metà e Dio, che fa
Half men and a silent God
Trappole e serpenti
Traps and snakes
Da qui non si esce più
You can't get out from here
Pensieri delinquenti
Criminal thoughts
Errori di una gioventù
Mistakes of youth
Stanchi professori
Tired of professors
Avete vinto voi
You have won
Noi restiamo ai margini del cuore
We remain on the margins of the heart
Per non chiedere
So as not to ask
Alla gogna
To the pillory
Chi vuol vivere
Whoever wants to live
Se mi senti
If you hear me
Non pensare che hai vinto tu
Don't think you've won
Un sussulto e passi
A shudder and you pass
Terra d'incerti eroi
Land of uncertain heroes
Che vergogna
What a shame
Se ti salvi tu è perché gli mentirai
If you save yourself, it's because you lied to them
Una macchia che non va via
A stain that won't go away
Un sospetto e sei
A suspicion and you are
Dell'altra sponda
From the other shore
Un gioco ignobile
A despicable game
Chi ti manda
Whoever sends you
Ha morbosità da vendere
Has morbidity to sell
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Claudio Guidetti, Graham Gouldman, Renato Fiacchini
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind