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.
Una Sedia A Ruote
Renato Zero Lyrics
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Avrei voglia di fuggire, da qui
Di trovare un posto
Dove vivere e morire
Aiutami, aiutami
Una sedia a ruote, ed io
Porto a spasso il dramma mio
Se non se ne accorgesse lei
Lei non può restare qua
Sposerebbe la pietà
Passerebbe i giorni suoi
Dietro a un vecchio nato mai
Occhi, fanno finta di vedere
Mani, fanno finta di toccare
Labbra, buone solo per tacere
Giusto, giusto
Vado, proprio come un relitto, vado
Pago, un delitto mai commesso
Amo, e non so se ne ho il diritto
Giusto, giusto
Io lo so la perderò
Per la forza che non ho
Quando avrò le mani vuote
Tornerò su questa sedia a ruote
The lyrics to Renato Zero's song Una Sedia A Ruote tell the story of the singer's struggle with his disability and his desire to escape the limitations it imposes on him. He feels like he can't escape and wants to find a place to live and die where he can be free from his disability. He asks for help, using repetition to emphasize the urgent need for assistance.
The chorus speaks of his reliance on a wheelchair, which he uses to move around and carry his burden. He acknowledges that he is different, but his love interest is the only one who sees him for who he truly is. She cannot stay with him where he is, as she would be consumed by pity and waste her days behind a man who never really lived. Instead, he resigns himself to a life alone, aware that he may never have what others desire most in life.
Renato Zero wrote the song for his brother Rosario, who was born with a disability and was confined to a wheelchair. The song explores the struggles and isolation that people with disabilities face and advocates for their right to a life of dignity and respect.
Line by Line Meaning
E le gambe non le sento, più
My legs don't feel anything anymore
Avrei voglia di fuggire, da qui
I feel like running away from here
Di trovare un posto
To find a place
Dove vivere e morire
Where to live and die
Aiutami, aiutami
Help me, help me
Una sedia a ruote, ed io
A wheelchair, and I
Porto a spasso il dramma mio
I take my drama for a walk
Io diverso non sarei
I wouldn't be different
Se non se ne accorgesse lei
If she didn't notice it
Lei non può restare qua
She can't stay here
Sposerebbe la pietà
She would marry pity
Passerebbe i giorni suoi
She would spend her days
Dietro a un vecchio nato mai
Behind a never-born old man
Occhi, fanno finta di vedere
Eyes, pretend to see
Mani, fanno finta di toccare
Hands, pretend to touch
Labbra, buone solo per tacere
Lips, good only for silence
Giusto, giusto
Right, right
Vado, proprio come un relitto, vado
I go, just like a wreck, I go
Pago, un delitto mai commesso
I pay for a crime never committed
Amo, e non so se ne ho il diritto
I love, and I don't know if I have the right
Io lo so la perderò
I know I will lose her
Per la forza che non ho
Because of the strength I don't have
Quando avrò le mani vuote
When I'll have empty hands
Tornerò su questa sedia a ruote
I'll come back to this wheelchair
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Roberto Conrado, Renato Fiacchini
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind