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.
Lungara
Renato Zero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dietro la Lungara il sole,
C'è una stella ferma là
Fra una ragnatela e un trave…
Ovattata la città,
Con le voci sue si muove
E nel corridoio ormai
Cambia il passo del piantone…
Sui tuoi ricordi stanchi…
Tra un rimorso e un dubbio
S'insinuano i suoi fianchi…
Chi lo sa se sogni,
Quel Tevere vicino…
L'amore fra le canne
O il volto tuo, bambino…
Quattro mura, è una bottega
Dove spendi solo tu…
Una foto e qualche sega
Quando non ce la fai più!
La Lungara corre là,
Lunga per chi sconterà…
Chi lo sa se dormi…
Roma vecchia mamma
Ninna nanna…ninna nanna!
Dormi che la notte
Si porta via i pensieri
E chi ha soffiato…è fuori!
Lui no, non dormirà!
Dormi sui rancori!
La cicca fra le dita
Una tirata e consumi la vita, qui
The lyrics of Renato Zero’s song “Lungara” paint a vivid picture of a city street in Rome at sunset. The song’s protagonist observes the changing of the guards, the movement of the city’s voices, and the stillness of a star amidst the chaos. The city is wrapped in a quiet and dreamlike state, and the singer contemplates the possibility of the people around him dreaming of the Tiber River or their own memories. The scene shifts to a workshop, where the singer spends his time with his own thoughts, a photo, and some tools. The refrain brings the song back to the street scene and the call back to sleep: “Roma vecchia mamma, ninna nanna,” or “old Rome, mama, lullaby”. The song is a tribute to the city of Rome and reflects on the passage of time and the changing face of the city.
The verses of the song paint a picture of the passing of time in the city, with the singer observing the changing of the guard and the shift in pace of the city’s movements. The motifs of memory, time, and nostalgia run throughout the lyrics, as the singer contemplates the dreams of others and is consumed by his own thoughts in the workshop. The song is reflective and nostalgic, and the refrain of the lullaby is a call to sleep and to let go of the worries of the day.
Line by Line Meaning
Sussultando è andato giù
He went down, shaking
Dietro la Lungara il sole, C'è una stella ferma là Fra una ragnatela e un trave...
Behind Lungara, the sun sets with a star still shining amid cobwebs and beams
Ovattata la città, Con le voci sue si muove E nel corridoio ormai Cambia il passo del piantone...
The city is muffled, its voices carry and the patrols change their pace in the corridors
Chi lo sa se dormi Sui tuoi ricordi stanchi...
Who knows if you're sleeping on your tired memories...
Tra un rimorso e un dubbio S'insinuano i suoi fianchi...
Between regret and doubt, they creep into your hips...
Chi lo sa se sogni, Quel Tevere vicino... L'amore fra le canne O il volto tuo, bambino...
Who knows if you dream of the nearby Tiber... love among the reeds or your own childhood face...
Quattro mura, è una bottega Dove spendi solo tu Una foto e qualche sega Quando non ce la fai più!
Four walls, a shop where you only spend money... a photograph and some sawdust when you can't take it anymore!
La Lungara corre là, Lunga per chi sconterà...
Lungara runs there, long for those who will pay the price...
Chi lo sa se dormi... Roma vecchia mamma Ninna nanna...ninna nanna! Dormi che la notte Si porta via i pensieri E chi ha soffiato... è fuori! Lui no, non dormirà! Dormi sui rancori!
Who knows if you're sleeping... old Rome mommy lullaby... lullaby! Sleep as night takes away the thoughts... and who has blown... is outside! He won't sleep! Sleep on your grudges!
La cicca fra le dita Una tirata e consumi la vita, qui
The cigarette between your fingers... a drag and you consume your life, here
Contributed by Asher E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Valentina Ricciotti
Poesia pura da una realtà cruda. Solo Renato può.
juppiter marina
Dormi che la notte Si porta via i pensieri E chi ha soffiato...è fuori! Lui no, non dormirà! Dormi sui rancori! La cicca fra le dita Una tirata e consumi la vita, qui
Girolamo Puma
Renato Zero ha scritto questa bellissima canzone che non canta da anni. Come mai? È un grandissimo pezzo.
Rossana Ciucci
Che ricordi, canzoni da brividi, stupende, come te Renato 😍😍😍
Filippo Marengo 500
Canzone stupenda!! 😍😍😍😍🔝🔝🔝❤️❤️❤️
Andrea Marello
Resta, a mio parere, uno tra i migliori dischi che il nostro abbia realizzato. Resta.
Simone Lasco
Grande brano !
Mitico Renato !
Gnagno063
5° liceo: un ascolto quotidiano e cantata a squarciagola, nella cinquecento beige di mia madre con la mia amica... Ricordi indimenticabili
Saverio Caracozza
Una delle più belle canzoni di Renato
Luca C.
Un brano splendido.