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.
Piper Club
Renato Zero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind
E si viveva ,
Cantando Bob Dylan ,
Ci si raccontava
Gli umori e la vita che cambiava .
E dopo l'amore stanchi noi si dormiva !
Facemmo la guerra ,
Lunghi capelli e i jeans sempre e solamente quelli .
Dove si va , e poi
C'era già un motivo
Al Piper Club .
Quante notti con te ,
Quanti dubbi e quanta allegria
Su quella strada quanta vita , mio Dio !
Quanta vita
Dov'è finita adesso ?!
E quel borghese che con rabbia guardava
Però , in fondo , che invidia provava !
La camomilla ,
La spacciavano per erba ,
Qualcuno abboccava ,
Ma poi scopriva il gioco e s'incazzava .
Fili di seta noi ,
Per ognuno una meta
Dove si va
E poi c'era già un motivo .
Al Piper Club
Sono stato con te ,
Quelle notti a tracciare la vita .
Da quella strada quanta vita è partita ,
Quanta vita .
E quanta vita s'è perduta !
Una pedana di speranze di gloria ,
Un capolinea o soltanto
Qualche storia ?!
The lyrics to Renato Zero's song "Piper Club" speak of a time when the world was changing and people found solace in the music of Bob Dylan. The answer to life's questions was blowing in the wind, and people gathered at the Piper Club to sing about their changing moods and lives. In those days, long hair and jeans were the fashion, and the club was a place where people could find meaning and purpose.
The lyrics also speak of love and the tiredness that comes after passion, as well as the simple pleasures of life, like sitting down to a cup of chamomile tea. In those days, the Piper Club was a haven for young people who were searching for meaning and direction, and a place where they could find it. However, the nostalgia in the lyrics hints at the fact that time moves on, and things change, leaving only memories behind.
Overall, the lyrics to "Piper Club" are a testament to the power of music and community, especially in times of great change. The song reminds us that even though life can be uncertain and overwhelming, there is always hope and solace to be found in the simple pleasures of human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
The answer my friend
The solution, my friend
Is blowing in the wind
Is not easy to find, like the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind
The solution is not easy to find, like the wind
And we lived,
We were living
Singing Bob Dylan,
Singing Bob Dylan songs
We were telling each other
We were sharing with each other
The moods and the changing life.
The emotions and the changes in our lives
And after love
we were tired and we slept!
After making love, we were exhausted and fell asleep
With the guitar,
Playing the guitar
We made war,
We rebelled
Long hair and jeans always and only those.
We had long hair and only wore jeans.
Where do we go, and then
Where are we going, and then
There was already a reason
There was already a purpose
At Piper Club.
At Piper Club.
How many nights with you,
How many nights did we spend together
How many doubts and how much joy
How many doubts and happiness did we experience
On that road so much life, my God!
We lived so much life on that road, my God!
How much life
So much life
Where is it now?!
Where did it go?
And that bourgeois who looked angrily,
And that angry bourgeois
But deep down, envied.
Deep down, he envied us.
The camomile,
The chamomile
They sold it as weed,
They sold it as marijuana
Someone took the bait,
Someone believed it
But then discovered the trick and got angry.
But then realized the scam and got angry.
Silk threads for us,
Luxuries for us
For each one a goal
For each one a dream to achieve
Where do we go
Where are we going
And then there was already a reason
And then there was already a purpose
At Piper Club
At Piper Club
I was with you,
I was with you,
Those nights drawing life.
Those nights shaped our lives.
How much life started from that road,
So much life started from that road
So much life.
So much life.
And how much life has been lost!
And how much life has been lost!
A platform of hopes for glory,
A platform for aspiring to glory
An end of the line or just
An end of the line or maybe just
Some story?!
Some story?
Contributed by Charlotte F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Andrea Bonassi
Bellissima, grande Renato!
romamici2011
bellissima canzone di un grande disco...testimonianza di un tempo dorato. Magico Renato!
Caterina Odescalchi
Grandissimo brano grazie Renato! Caterina Odescalchi.
Mario De Rosa
troppo bella . quanti ricordi
Ezio Franzi
Renato questo è il tuo ultimo capolavoro
Poi basta
Te lo dice uno che conosce a memoria 167 tue canzoni
Nel 81 quando ero a Taranto in marina mi hai salvato la vita
Alessandro Mercury
..nel 2020 ancora si vive cantando Bob Dylan..
offhand italia
"E' scomparso nella notte del 21 agosto Giancarlo Bornigia, fondatore del Piper di Roma, lo storico e più antico club musicale d'Italia, che fondò nel 1965"
Luca C.
@heaples1 Ah, ok!
heaples1
@Luca C. t9...era tuttofare...uomo di fiducia nei locali
Luca C.
@heaples1 Un suo ritornare? Non capisco, scusa...