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.
La Vie
Renato Zero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Venivi al mondo tu
Avessi potuto scegliere
Sarei nato anch'io lassù
Parigi da comprendere
Raggiungerti vorrei
Tornare a scuola
Almeno per un "je t'aime"
La vie la vie la vie la vie la vie
La vie la vie la vie la vie la vie
La vie la vie la vie la vie la vie
Ci fa commuovere la vie...
Chissà se come me ti volti mai
A immaginare i giorni che non hai
I fiori che non sbocceranno più
Non vuoi lasciarli neanche tu
In questo temporale dove sei
A chi regalerai i sospiri tuoi
In quale letto ti farai ingannare senza me
Che ti continuo a perdere e rimpiangere
Inseguendo chi non c'è
Forse ti ho vista scendere
Da un treno e andare via
Forse di fretta in un caffè
In questa Roma mia
Se fossi stato un angelo
Ti avrei seguita ma
Cosa avrei detto a questa città
Che non mi ha mai tradito
La vie la vie la vie la vie la vie
La vie la vie la vie la vie la vie
La vie la vie la vie la vie la vie
C' est difficile à dire la vie
Adieu chéri adieu mon île au loin
Adieu mon grand amour confondu
Avec tous les amours que j'ai perdu
Et que je ne reverrai jamais
Mais c'est seulement le vent qui nous emporte
Pareil à une page ou aux feuilles mortes
Pareil au train qui passe
Et que je perdrai toujours
D'une mer à l'autre je voudrais te dire
Que toi seulement tu seras l'amour
L' amour... l'amour...
Je t'adore
The lyrics of La Vie by Renato Zero seem to be a lamenting song about the fleeting nature of life and the missed opportunities that come with it, as well as on a personal level the missed chances with a loved one. The opening lines reference the Tiber River in Rome, and how the person singing the song believes that if they had the choice, they would have been born on the other side of the river, in what is likely a reference to being born in a more affluent, desirable part of the city. This could be perceived as a metaphor for the singer's overall outlook on life. The singer then expresses a desire to visit Paris, to demonstrate their love for the object of their affection. They mention wanting to at least say "je t'aime" to the person that they love. It seems that the person they love might not reciprocate these feelings, as the singer references "in quale letto ti farai ingannare senza me" - which is Italian for "in which bed will you deceive yourself without me." They continue to pine for the person, wondering if that person will look back on their life and consider the missed opportunities that they shared. The song ends with the singer declaring their love for the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
Proprio al di là del Tevere
Right beyond the Tiber
Venivi al mondo tu
You came into the world
Avessi potuto scegliere
If I could have chosen
Sarei nato anch'io lassù
I would have been born up there too
Parigi da comprendere
Paris to understand
Raggiungerti vorrei
I would like to reach you
Tornare a scuola
Going back to school
E d'obbligo ormai
It's mandatory now
Almeno per un "je t'aime"
At least for an "I love you"
La vie la vie la vie la vie la vie
Life life life life life
Ci fa commuovere la vie...
Life makes us emotional
Chissà se come me ti volti mai
Who knows if like me, you ever turn
A immaginare i giorni che non hai
To imagine the days you don't have
I fiori che non sbocceranno più
The flowers that will no longer bloom
Non vuoi lasciarli neanche tu
You don't want to leave them either
In questo temporale dove sei
In this storm that you're in
A chi regalerai i sospiri tuoi
To whom will you give your sighs
In quale letto ti farai ingannare senza me
In which bed will you let yourself be deceived without me
Che ti continuo a perdere e rimpiangere
That I continue to lose you and miss you
Inseguendo chi non c'è
Chasing someone who isn't here
Forse ti ho vista scendere
Maybe I saw you descend
Da un treno e andare via
From a train and leave
Forse di fretta in un caffè
Maybe in a hurry in a cafe
In questa Roma mia
In this Rome of mine
Se fossi stato un angelo
If I had been an angel
Ti avrei seguita ma
I would have followed you but
Cosa avrei detto a questa città
What would I have said to this city
Che non mi ha mai tradito
That has never betrayed me
C' est difficile à dire la vie
It's difficult to say, life
Adieu chéri adieu mon île au loin
Goodbye darling, goodbye my distant island
Adieu mon grand amour confondu
Goodbye my great love confused
Avec tous les amours que j'ai perdu
With all the loves I have lost
Et que je ne reverrai jamais
And that I will never see again
Mais c'est seulement le vent qui nous emporte
But it's only the wind that carries us away
Pareil à une page ou aux feuilles mortes
Like a page or dead leaves
Pareil au train qui passe
Like the train that passes
Et que je perdrai toujours
And that I will always lose
D'une mer à l'autre je voudrais te dire
From one sea to another, I want to tell you
Que toi seulement tu seras l'amour
That you alone will be love
L' amour... l'amour...
Love... love...
Je t'adore
I adore you
Contributed by Emma S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.