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.
Uomo no
Renato Zero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nell'ombra di una stanza...
L'insegui con gli occhi,
Fiutando la speranza...
L'anno del mai,
Comincia per te...
Fuggi dal mondo,
Che mondo non?...
Dimenticare chi sei tu!!!
Dormire
Per un po'
E sognare di esistere...
Se non hai,
Non hai pi?,
Un motivo per vivere...
Uomo, no!
Il buio, no!!!
Perch?, figlio della luce sei!
Perch? Ali per volare hai...
Perch? Ritrovarti un giorno puoi...
Lascia ai mercanti, senza Dio,
Quell'oncia in pi? D'oblio...
Sicari,
Vampiri,
Di cui, non puoi far senza...
Si vende,
La morte
A un grammo la coscienza!
L'anno del mai,
Sta certo, verr?!!!
E una manciata,
Di terra cadr?...
Uomo, no!
Il buio, no!!!
Perch?, tu non guardi intorno a te?
Perch?, una mano tesa ancora c'?...
Perch?, muori schiavo, ed eri un re?
Anima, non gettarti via...
Vivi la tua poesia!!!
Ciao, n?!
The lyrics of Renato Zero's song "Uomo no" express a feeling of despair and hopelessness in the face of a world marked by darkness and misery. The opening lines paint a picture of smoke-filled spirals and shadowy rooms, creating a dark and foreboding atmosphere. The singer, presumably Zero himself, is searching for hope and meaning in this bleak world, chasing after a flicker of hope and dreaming of a better existence. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Uomo no" ("No man"), suggesting a rejection of the broken and corrupt world around him.
As the song progresses, Zero implores the listener to reject the forces that would hold them down and sell them short. He references "mercanti senza Dio" ("merchants without God") who would sell one's conscience for a gram of oblivion. He urges the listener to live their own poetry and not to give up on themselves, despite the darkness that surrounds them. The final lines of the song bid farewell ("Ciao nè") to the world that has failed to offer solace, with a sense of sadness and regret.
Overall, "Uomo no" is a powerful and poignant anthem of resistance against a world that seems determined to crush the spirit of those who live in it. It speaks to a universal sense of frustration and disillusionment, while also offering a glimmer of hope for those who refuse to give up.
Line by Line Meaning
Spirali, di fumo,
Thick smoke spirals out within the shadowy room...
Nell'ombra di una stanza...
...in the darkness of a room.
L'insegui con gli occhi,
You chase after her with your eyes,
Fiutando la speranza...
...smelling hope in the air.
L'anno del mai,
This year is the year of never,
Comincia per te...
...it starts with you.
Fuggi dal mondo,
Run away from the world,
Che mondo non?...
...a world that is not for you.
La strada, pi? Breve...
...the road is shorter...
Dimenticare chi sei tu!!!
...to forget who you are!!!
Dormire
Sleep
Per un po'
For a little while,
E sognare di esistere...
...and dream of existing.
Se non hai,
If you don't have
Non hai pi?,
You have nothing more,
Un motivo per vivere...
...no reason to live...
Uomo, no!
Man, no!
Il buio, no!!!
No darkness!!!
Perch?, figlio della luce sei!
Because you're a son of light!
Perch? Ali per volare hai...
Because you have wings to fly...
Perch? Ritrovarti un giorno puoi...
Because one day you'll find yourself...
Lascia ai mercanti, senza Dio,
Leave those godless merchants behind,
Quell'oncia in pi? D'oblio...
...that extra ounce of oblivion.
Sicari,
Assassins,
Vampiri,
Vampires,
Di cui, non puoi far senza...
...you can't live without them...
Si vende,
They sell themselves,
La morte
Death
A un grammo la coscienza!
...at the cost of your conscience!
L'anno del mai,
The year of never,
Sta certo, verr?!!!
Be assured, it will come!!!
E una manciata,
And a handful
Di terra cadr?...
...of earth will fall...
Uomo, no!
Man, no!
Il buio, no!!!
No darkness!!!
Perch?, tu non guardi intorno a te?
Why don't you look around you?
Perch?, una mano tesa ancora c'?
Why is there still a helping hand there?
Perch?, muori schiavo, ed eri un re?
Why would you die a slave when you were once a king?
Anima, non gettarti via...
Soul, don't throw yourself away...
Vivi la tua poesia!!!
...live your poetry!!!
Ciao, n?!
Goodbye, right?
Contributed by Emily T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.