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.
Sogni di latta
Renato Zero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E stregonerie
Finti maghi
False ideologie…
Dei miei giorni,
Più non sono il re!
Mentre il tempo,
Scivola su me….
Senza più realtà,
Nei silenzi,
Di chi si è arreso già…
Fermati, con me!
Forse insieme a te,
Salverò quest’anima,
Se da salvare è…
Dipingi un sole, se puoi …
Le stagioni, il mare, il vento e noi!
Dammi una stella che non sia,
Solo un satellite ma la stella mia…
Dimmi che ancora crescerò!
Anche se sono di latta i sogni che ho!!!
Chi può dirmi,
Se il mio cuore va…
Per impulsi d'elettricità…
Se la mente intatta
E’ quella mia,
O il prodotto di una batteria…
Dipingi un cielo che non sa,
Che cosa è la radioattività…
Un fiore…un fiore rosso che mi dia,
Il suo profumo e di plastica non sia!
Dimmi che ancora esisterò…
Anche se sono di latta i sogni che ho!!!
Dipingi un uomo, se c’è…
Che non porti la morte con se!
Che non distrugga gli ideali suoi,
Spacciando borotalco ai figli tuoi…
The lyrics of Renato Zero's "Sogni di latta" delve into the theme of disillusionment, questioning the values and beliefs of modern society. The opening lines denounce the false illusions and ideologies created by the so-called magicians and sorcerers, who manipulate the masses with their cunning tricks.
The singer of the song laments the loss of his former glory as the "king" of his days and the passing of time which seems to erode his sense of purpose and reality. He describes the vacant, empty gazes of those who have already surrendered to their fate and offers a plea to a hypothetical companion, inviting them to stay with him and help him save his soul, if it's still possible.
The chorus expresses the desire for a brighter, more idealized world that seems unattainable but not impossible. The singer calls on the artist to paint a sun and the seasons, the sea, and the wind, as well as to provide him with a star that is not just a satellite, but a personal one. He confesses that his dreams may be made of tin, but he still longs to believe that he will grow and exist, despite the doubts and uncertainties that surround him. The second verse amplifies this theme of dichotomy, contrasting the mechanistic functioning of the heart with the notion of a "mind" that may or may not be authentic.
Overall, "Sogni di latta" paints a portrait of the contemporary world as a place of illusions and disillusionment, where even dreams seem to have lost their original luster. Renato Zero's lyrics offer a poignant reflection on the existential battles that plague us all, as we struggle to make sense of our place in a constantly changing reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Sortilegi
Magical spells, witchcraft
E stregonerie
And witchcraft
Finti maghi
Fake magicians
False ideologie…
False ideologies
Dei miei giorni,
Of my days
Più non sono il re!
No longer am I the king!
Mentre il tempo,
While time
Scivola su me….
Slips away from me
Sguardi vuoti,
Empty looks
Senza più realtà,
No longer with any reality
Nei silenzi,
In the silence
Di chi si è arreso già…
Of those who have already surrendered
Fermati, con me!
Stop, with me!
Forse insieme a te,
Perhaps with you
Salverò quest’anima,
I will save this soul
Se da salvare è…
If it is to be saved
Dipingi un sole, se puoi …
Paint a sun, if you can
Le stagioni, il mare, il vento e noi!
The seasons, the sea, the wind, and us!
Dammi una stella che non sia,
Give me a star that is not
Solo un satellite ma la stella mia…
Just a satellite, but my star
Dimmi che ancora crescerò!
Tell me that I will still grow!
Anche se sono di latta i sogni che ho!!!
Even though the dreams I have are made of tin!!!
Chi può dirmi,
Who can tell me
Se il mio cuore va…
If my heart is beating
Per impulsi d'elettricità…
By impulses of electricity
Se la mente intatta
If the mind intact
E’ quella mia,
Is really mine
O il prodotto di una batteria…
Or the product of a battery
Dipingi un cielo che non sa,
Paint a sky that doesn't know
Che cosa è la radioattività…
What radioactivity is
Un fiore…un fiore rosso che mi dia,
A flower...a red flower that gives me
Il suo profumo e di plastica non sia!
Its smell and not made of plastic!
Dimmi che ancora esisterò…
Tell me that I will still exist...
Anche se sono di latta i sogni che ho!!!
Even though the dreams I have are made of tin!!!
Dipingi un uomo, se c’è…
Paint a man, if there is one
Che non porti la morte con se!
Who doesn't carry death with him!
Che non distrugga gli ideali suoi,
Who doesn't destroy his ideals
Spacciando borotalco ai figli tuoi…
Peddling talcum powder to your children...
Contributed by Luke C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ETTORE ALTERIO
Questa non è semplice musica,questa è magia,ti aiuta a star bene,a continuare a vivere in questo mondo così malandato, che ci hanno dato in comodato d'uso e che dovremo restituire,nonostante lo stiamo distruggendo dietro alla parola"PROGRESSO"
Filo Bra
@A. Nanni ogjii si hhh ppp.
A. Nanni
P0
Federico Honorati
RENATO all'avanguardia, ed era il '78. Poesia pura, melodia ottima.
Semplicemente eccezionale.
Giuseppe Nocerino
Genova 1979, primo servizio di ordine pubblico per il tour al teatro tenda Zerolandia e per la prima volta che ascoltavo Zero, e d’allora ho sempre cantato i suoi capolavori. Grande Renato Fiacchini.
Claudia Scarpins
Splendida
Sergio Paolo Mercurio
uno dei capolavori di Renato
Andrea D'abramo
Semplicemente un fuoriclasse è un esempio per tutti i ragazzi che oggi si avvicinano alla musica, grazie Renato!
martino franco
Ascolto adesso questa canzone dopo molti anni..album origini penso...tanti ricordi...tanta struggente malinconia..grande Renato !
Maurizio Gregori
Poesia assoluta, da sempre.....