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.
Pipistrelli
Renato Zero Lyrics
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Anime inquiete.
Dove si va
Ali perdute.
Per carità,
Ditemi dove si va, senz'alibi.
Ma che cos'è
Che ci fa andare.
Questo motore.
Perché si va
Con tanta facilità e libidine.
Se non ci accorgiamo mai del cielo.
Se una meta non abbiamo mai.
Se cerchiamo sempre più lontano.
E rincorrersi con gli occhi.
E inseguirsi negli specchi.
Adottare mille trucchi.
Pungersi, succhiarsi e andare via!
Abili spie
Col cellulare.
Più strategie
Per non morire.
Non sfuggirai,
Se nel mirino sarai, arrangiati.
Voi, voi pipistrelli di mestiere.
Che col sole non li vedi più.
Voi, con una gran fame d'amore.
Perché non vi rassegnate.
E dalle auto sortite
Fuori con le mani alzate.
Arrenditi e qualcuno ti amerà!
E la notte sgomenta anche lei.
Mentre tu a chi accoppiarti non sai.
Forse lui, forse lei ed è l'alba oramai
Quando a casa dai tuoi fantasmi ritornerai.
E pensare che un tempo ti amai,
Aspettando crescessi anche tu.
Mai e poi mai immaginai
Che t'avrei perso poi
Nel turbine.
In un pensiero troppo labile, perverso.
Esanime, nel catturare l'impossibile.
Dai cespugli ai vespasiani,
Con in mano i pantaloni,
Fuggono come fagiani
Quando il cacciatore arriverà.
E la notte furiosa anche lei
Mentre tu a chi accoppiarti non sai.
Forse lui, forse lei, ed è l'alba oramai
Quando a casa, dai tuoi fantasmi ritornerai.
Sembra un gioco ed un gioco non è.
Dentro quelle mutande, chi c'è?
Se c'è un cuore, ecco che,
Tu colpisci perché
Aspettati, ch'io possa sdebitarmi, aspettami, ancora!
Anch'io esanime, nel catturare l'impossibile amore
In Renato Zero's song "Pipistrelli," the lyrics speak of the restlessness of the soul, the confusion of purpose and direction, and the pursuit of love. The first stanza asks, "Where are we going, restless souls? Where are we going, lost wings? For the love of God, tell me where we're going, with no excuses. But what makes us go, who moves this motor? Why do we go with such ease and lust if we never notice the sky, if we have no destination, if we always search further, and if we chase each other in mirrors, adopting a thousand tricks, pricking, sucking, and going away?" The lyrics paint a picture of people lost in their own pursuit of purpose, direction, and love, trying to distract themselves and fill the void with superficial things and passing pleasures and failing to notice the beauty of life around them.
The following stanzas continue to point out people's fear of death and their constant efforts to avoid it, sometimes at the expense of others. The lyrics address the "professional bats" who hide from the sun and from love, always hungry for love but never willing to surrender to it, and who prefer to come out of their hiding place only as victims, with their hands raised. Then, the lyrics take a turn to the personal, with the story of an unrequited love that went awry, leading to a loss of direction and identity, and the futility of trying to grasp onto the impossible. The lyrics depict the singer's desperation to find himself, to understand his own desires, and to fulfill his yearning for love.
Line by Line Meaning
Dove si va
Where are we going?
Anime inquiete.
Restless souls.
Dove si va
Where are we going?
Ali perdute.
Lost wings.
Per carità,
For God's sake,
Ditemi dove si va, senz'alibi.
Tell me where we're going, without excuses.
Ma che cos'è
But what is it
Che ci fa andare.
That makes us go.
Chi muove mai
Who ever moves
Questo motore.
This engine.
Perché si va
Why are we going
Con tanta facilità e libidine.
So easily and lustfully.
Se non ci accorgiamo mai del cielo.
If we never notice the sky.
Se una meta non abbiamo mai.
If we never have a goal.
Se cerchiamo sempre più lontano.
If we always search farther away.
E rincorrersi con gli occhi.
And chase each other with our eyes.
E inseguirsi negli specchi.
And chase ourselves in mirrors.
Adottare mille trucchi.
Adopting a thousand tricks.
Pungersi, succhiarsi e andare via!
Stinging, sucking, and leaving!
Abili spie
Skillful spies
Col cellulare.
With their cell phones.
Più strategie
More strategies
Per non morire.
To not die.
Non sfuggirai,
You won't escape.
Se nel mirino sarai, arrangiati.
If you're in the crosshairs, prepare yourself.
Voi, voi pipistrelli di mestiere.
You, you bats by trade.
Che col sole non li vedi più.
Those who can no longer be seen in the sun.
Voi, con una gran fame d'amore.
You, with a great hunger for love.
Perché non vi rassegnate.
Why don't you resign yourselves.
E dalle auto sortite
And emerge from cars
Fuori con le mani alzate.
Out with your hands up.
Arrenditi e qualcuno ti amerà!
Surrender and someone will love you!
E la notte sgomenta anche lei.
And the frightened night too.
Mentre tu a chi accoppiarti non sai.
While you don't know who to mate with.
Forse lui, forse lei... ed è l'alba oramai
Maybe him, maybe her... and it's already dawn.
Quando a casa dai tuoi fantasmi ritornerai.
When you'll return home to your ghosts.
E pensare che un tempo ti amai,
And to think that I once loved you,
Aspettando crescessi anche tu.
Hoping you'd grow up too.
Mai e poi mai immaginai
I never imagined in a million years
Che t'avrei perso poi...
That I'd lose you then...
Nel turbine.
In the whirlwind.
In un pensiero troppo labile, perverso.
In a thought too unstable, perverse.
Esanime, nel catturare l'impossibile.
Lifeless, while trying to capture the impossible.
Dai cespugli ai vespasiani,
From bushes to public restrooms,
Con in mano i pantaloni,
With pants in hand,
Fuggono come fagiani
They flee like pheasants
Quando il cacciatore arriverà.
When the hunter arrives.
E la notte furiosa anche lei...
And the furious night too...
Mentre tu a chi accoppiarti non sai.
While you don't know who to mate with.
Forse lui, forse lei, ed è l'alba oramai
Maybe him, maybe her... and it's already dawn.
Quando a casa, dai tuoi fantasmi ritornerai.
When you'll return home to your ghosts.
Sembra un gioco ed un gioco non è.
It seems like a game but it's not.
Dentro quelle mutande, chi c'è?
Who's inside those underpants?
Se c'è un cuore, ecco che,
If there's a heart, there it is,
Tu colpisci... perché
You hit it... why
Aspettati, ch'io possa sdebitarmi, aspettami, ancora!
Wait for me to repay you, wait for me, again!
Anch'io esanime, nel catturare l'impossibile amore
I, lifeless too, while trying to capture impossible love
Contributed by Claire I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.