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'ultimo luna park
Renato Zero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
L'ultima storia,
l'ultimo luna Park...
E tu che sogni
Mentre la giostra va...
Se avrai mai
Tempo, tu
Per un giro in pi?...
fantasmi di un'et?...
E' amaro il girotondo
Che t'ha insegnato il mondo!
Dondolando dolcemente
S'abbandona la tua mente...
Non sei pi? grigio, non sei vecchio...
Sei quel bambino nello specchio!
Dondolando dolcemente
La vita ti sorprender?...
La musica
finisce qua!
Sul tuo cavallo
navighi il tempo
e non ricordi pi?
I morsi e il fiele
Ora che il male
Non ti fa male pi?...
Ora che un letto hai tu...
La purezza che vorrei
E anch'io
Finir come lui...
Dondolando dolcemente,
n? passato, n? presente...
Un mare calmo, senza vento
Nostalgia del primo grembo...
Dondolando dolcemente
Sul cavallo mio vincente...
Strappando alla mia fantasia
Un'occasione per fuggire via
"L'ultimo luna park" by Renato Zero is a song that tells a melancholic story about the last night of a person's life. The lyrics convey a sense of nostalgia and regret, reflecting on the passing of time and the fading of memories. The title refers to the last ride at an amusement park, which serves as a metaphor for the fleeting nature of life.
As the song begins, the singer describes this as the "last night" and the "last story," which suggests that the person is at the end of their life. The "last Luna Park" represents the final glimpse of the joys and pleasures of childhood, which are now just a memory. The singer encourages the listener to cherish their dreams, as they ride the carousel one last time. The white horses are "ghosts" of a bygone era and represent the fleeting nature of life. The "bitter merry-go-round" that taught us about the world is no longer there, and we are left with only our memories.
In the following lyrics, the song takes a reflective turn, as the person now realizes that the bitterness of life has affected them. However, as they ride the carousel, they feel a sense of calm and release, and the world seems less grey and less old. The song reminds the listener that, in the end, life is a journey, and it is worth taking the time to appreciate the good moments.
Line by Line Meaning
L'ultima sera
The final night
L'ultima storia,
The last story
l'ultimo luna Park...
the final amusement park ride
E tu che sogni
And you dream
Mentre la giostra va...
While the ride goes on
Se avrai mai
If you ever have
Tempo, tu
Time, you
Per un giro in pi?...
For one more ride
Cavalli bianchi,
White horses
fantasmi di un'et?...
Ghosts of a time gone by
E' amaro il girotondo
The carousel is bitter
Che t'ha insegnato il mondo!
That taught you about the world!
Dondolando dolcemente
Rocking softly
S'abbandona la tua mente...
Your mind wanders
Non sei pi? grigio, non sei vecchio...
You are no longer dull, you are not old...
Sei quel bambino nello specchio!
You are the child in the mirror!
Dondolando dolcemente
Rocking softly
La vita ti sorprender?...
Life will surprise you
La musica
The music
finisce qua!
ends here!
Sul tuo cavallo
On your horse
navighi il tempo
you sail through time
e non ricordi pi?
and you don't remember anymore
I morsi e il fiele
The bites and the bile
Ora che il male
Now that the pain
Non ti fa male pi?...
Doesn't hurt you anymore...
Ora che un letto hai tu...
Now that you have a bed...
La purezza che vorrei
The purity I would like
E anch'io
And me too
Finir come lui...
End up like him...
Dondolando dolcemente,
Rocking softly,
n? passato, n? presente...
neither past nor present...
Un mare calmo, senza vento
A calm sea, without wind
Nostalgia del primo grembo...
Nostalgia for the first womb...
Dondolando dolcemente
Rocking softly
Sul cavallo mio vincente...
On my victorious horse...
Strappando alla mia fantasia
Tearing from my imagination
Un'occasione per fuggire via
An opportunity to run away
Contributed by Leo G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Giuseppe Sottile
Un capolavoro assoluto, spero di sentirla dal vivo!
Zerolino64
Dondolando dolcemente s'abbandona la tua mente ,non sei più grigio ,non sei vecchio.. Sei quel bambino nello specchio...Bellissima..
Renato sei Unico!!
mariacristina paris
questa canzone è poesia allo stato puro... sei un poeta Renato da studiare a scuola, nei licei e nelle università. al pari di Ungaretti
OLIPSIO
@isidax esatto
isidax
Più Franca Evangelisti che Renato...
Franco Parello
Poeta dell'anima grazie dei bei momenti sei sempre e rimmarrai graànde.
ADELE ADELE
L’ultima giostra , l’ultimo Luna park , l’ultimo poeta Del Popolo , un abbracio dal Belgio ❤️💋
ALESSIO MARRETTI
ricordi meravigliosi di un tempo che purtroppo non tornera' piu.GRAZIE RENATO CON TUTTO IL CUORE, MI HAI FATTO PASSARE DEI MOMENTI BELLISSIMI.
Vito Escanderia
la riascolto oggi a 57 anni... forse non l'avevo mai ascoltata bene... oggi ho la maturità per capirla... bellissima
OLIPSIO
risentita qualche giorno fa in un bar . Mi ha fatto tornare indietro e di tanto, cosi, all improvviso. Grande Renato