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.
Marciapiedi
Renato Zero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La pioggia spazzerà
La polvere e i ricordi
Bagnati di città
Passi frettolosi
D'un avido via vai
Chi trascina il tempo
Clienti attesi
Che passando sporca un po' le dita
Lungo i marciapiedi
Il vento porta via
L'ultima occasione
O la tua prima compagnia
Lì
Bambino imparerai
A camminare
Scopri il sesso dietro un muro
O sulle scale
È peccato o lo confondi
Se sia giusto farlo o no
Ti domandi
È li
La vera scuola che
Poi ti segna
Sulla pelle quello che
Non s'insegna
La palestra della vita
Sta inventando i giorni tuoi
Una sfida
Vecchi marciapiedi
Malati di realtà
Poliziotti e preti
Tra i fiori e oscenità
Occhi aperti
Su melma e cieli prima mai scoperti
Non scandalizzarti dei marciapiedi
Lì sta il mondo
Che non sai, che non vedi
Marciapiedi screditati
Per vergogna o vanità dimenticati
No, non ridere dei miei marciapiedi
Lì, ero un uomo
Quello a cui tu non credi
Ma se cammini, se vai avanti
È perché i marciapiedi
Sono tanti
Marciapiedi
Perché non mi vedi
Ma se cadi lì
E vai avanti
È perché i marciapiedi sono tanti
The lyrics of Renato Zero's "Marciapiedi" paint a picture of tired sidewalks, which will soon be cleaned by the rain, as memories and dust from the city get washed away. The hurried footsteps of the passers-by who are always in a rush, dragging time along with them and waiting for expected customers, are pointed out. The song speaks about how our lives get a little dirty with the passing of time, and we all get marked by our experiences along the way. The lyrics suggest that life is a journey full of discoveries and lessons, and the sidewalks we walk along can be both a playground and a school.
The song also references the different aspects of human nature - the need for companionship, the exploration of sexuality, and the search for meaning in life. It portrays the city as a place where people come for opportunity but often find disappointment, and where they must navigate various obstacles, including police, priests, and the darker aspects of life. The chorus tells us that the sidewalks are not to be laughed at, as they are where we learn, grow, and ultimately find our way forward.
Overall, "Marciapiedi" is a reflection on the complexities of life and the experiences that shape us, as well as an ode to the power of the city and the humble sidewalks that connect us all.
Line by Line Meaning
Marciapiedi stanchi
The tired sidewalks
La pioggia spazzerà
Rain will sweep
La polvere e i ricordi
Dust and memories
Bagnati di città
Soaked in the city
Passi frettolosi
Hasty steps
D'un avido via vai
Of an avid coming and going
Chi trascina il tempo
Who drags time
Clienti attesi
Waiting customers
È la vita
It is life
Che passando sporca un po' le dita
That, while passing, dirties the fingers a little
Lungo i marciapiedi
Along the sidewalks
Il vento porta via
The wind takes away
L'ultima occasione
The last chance
O la tua prima compagnia
Or your first company
Lì
There
Bambino imparerai
As a child, you'll learn
A camminare
To walk
Scopri il sesso dietro un muro
Discover sex behind a wall
O sulle scale
Or on the stairs
È peccato o lo confondi
Is it a sin or do you confuse it
Se sia giusto farlo o no
Whether it's right or not
Ti domandi
You wonder
È li
It is there
La vera scuola che
The true school that
Poi ti segna
Then marks you
Sulla pelle quello che
On your skin what
Non s'insegna
Is not taught
La palestra della vita
The gym of life
Sta inventando i giorni tuoi
It is inventing your days
Una sfida
A challenge
Vecchi marciapiedi
Old sidewalks
Malati di realtà
Sick with reality
Poliziotti e preti
Police officers and priests
Tra i fiori e oscenità
Among flowers and obscenities
Occhi aperti
Eyes open
Su melma e cieli prima mai scoperti
On mud and skies never before discovered
Non scandalizzarti dei marciapiedi
Don't be scandalized by the sidewalks
Lì sta il mondo
There lies the world
Che non sai, che non vedi
That you don't know, that you don't see
Marciapiedi screditati
Discredited sidewalks
Per vergogna o vanità dimenticati
Forgotten due to shame or vanity
No, non ridere dei miei marciapiedi
No, don't laugh at my sidewalks
Lì, ero un uomo
There, I was a man
Quello a cui tu non credi
The one you don't believe in
Ma se cammini, se vai avanti
But if you walk, if you go forward
È perché i marciapiedi
It's because the sidewalks
Sono tanti
Are many
Marciapiedi
Sidewalks
Perché non mi vedi
Why don't you see me
Ma se cadi lì
But if you fall there
E vai avanti
And you go on
È perché i marciapiedi sono tanti
It's because the sidewalks are many
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Stefano Patara, Renato Zero, Franca Evangelisti
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
satof Rossi
Sono cresciuta con Renato!mia madre e mio padre non sentivano altro!!... grandissimo poeta , grandissimo artista e persona umile e di cuore ❤️❤️
Ezio Bertoli
Renato in quegli anni era un fiume in piena.ha sfornato capolavori come questa canzone.quanta verità nelle parole di questo testo
TheGrace888
Canzone profonda e commovente, i marciapiedi hanno tante storie da raccontare, storie di vita vera. C.
Elio Negrini
beiricordiiiiiiii
Ciro De Maria
Poesia infinita emozione al massimo questa canzone rispecchia la nostra gioventù mitico renato
mynostalgia80
Una canzone meravigliosa, una sensibilità straordinaria.
Solo un grandissimo artista può scrivere "E' la vita, passando sporca un pò le dita".
Sono canzoni irripetibili, capolavori di un tempo che ancora oggi, 40 anni dopo, ti restano nel cuore e nei ricordi di allora, ma anche nella vita di oggi! Grazie Renato per questi meravigliosi capolavori, indimenticabili per me, ma anche per tanti altri che apprezzano la tua musica intensa e struggente!!
Luciana Ferri
Questa canzone mi fa ricordare i marciapiedi della mia città, la prima volta in cui mi sono davvero innamorata...."l'ultima occasione o la tua prima compagnia"....è una poesia, descrive in maniera celestiale il nostro vissuto e i ricordi che ci portiamo dentro
Lorella Bergesio
Meravigliosa❤❤❤❤
Moreno Moreno
Questa meravigliosa canzone mi ricorda il capodanno del 1981 e di un amore per una ragazza che non ebbe il tempo di sbocciare.L'ho rivista giorni fa' dopo trent'anni...Non ti ho mai dimenticato daniela..
Daniele Del Drago
Renato è x sempre