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.
Vizi E Desideri
Renato Zero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Niente arrivi partenze ed ambigue presenze no...il terminal chiude (il terminal chiude..) nè valige nè lacrime niente promesse ormai lui o lei... soltanto inutili guai
Fuori! dai miei vizi dai miei desideri tutti via ambulanti insistenti Fuori! vi licenzio morbosi pensieri... sono mio!
Falsi orgasmi vecchi fantasmi via le bende chi sale e chi scende facile stordirsi e poi tradirsi e mai ricredersi al letto un antifurto se puoi...
Tinte forti giochi violenti cuori assenti noi mi pentirò...ma a un altro assedio non resisterò ci proverai a riproporti candida ma poi... è l'impazienza che ti tradirà la tua insistenza mi divorerà affitta un sogno anche tu...
La passione è svanita una luna sbiadita che... ci tormenta masochisti convintigli eterni scontenti noi... spenti eroi...
Se potessi soltanto abbracciarti e tenerti qui... senza sospetti...coraggiosi e sinceri capaci di verità... chi lo sa... chi lo sa...
Fermi! Non toccatemi prima di amarmi dimmi tu cosa puoi garantirmi...Fermi! Se servite soltanto contorni...a tavola non ci sto...
In Renato Zero's song "Vizi E Desideri" (Vices and Desires), the artist talks about reclaiming his personal space and cutting off anyone who brings negativity or ambiguity into his life. He starts by stating that he doesn't let anyone take advantage of him anymore, at least not in his bed, where he sleeps, eats, ages, and where sex is a taboo. He resents people who disturb him with their arrivals and departures and their unclear intentions; he wants nothing to do with them. He calls them "ambulant and insistent" and demands that they leave him alone. He doesn't want to deal with fake orgasms or old ghosts; he compares falling for these to getting lost in a maze and never finding the way out. His bed is his anti-theft device, his refuge from the chaos outside; he doesn't want anyone to take that away from him.
Renato then shifts his attention to those who want to get close to him, perhaps with good intentions. He tells them to stop before touching him and to prove their worth before he grants them entry to his world. He is not interested in surface-level interactions or people who can only offer shallow comforts. Renato is aware of his own truth and is not afraid to assert himself when he feels threatened. He will not compromise his uniqueness and will never give anyone a second chance to hurt him. In the end, he expresses a sense of longing and vulnerability, wishing for someone who can love him without any suspicions and doubts, someone who can guarantee him honesty and loyalty, but he doesn't know if he'll ever find that person.
Line by Line Meaning
Sul mio letto c'è scritto nessuno mi frega più...almeno a letto! qui ci dormo ci mangio ci invecchio ed il sesso qui... è tabu...
On my bed it is written that no one cheats on me anymore...at least in bed! Here, I sleep, eat, grow old, and sex is taboo...
Niente arrivi partenze ed ambigue presenze no...il terminal chiude (il terminal chiude..) nè valige nè lacrime niente promesse ormai lui o lei... soltanto inutili guai
No arrivals, departures, or ambiguous presences anymore...the terminal is closing (the terminal is closing..) No suitcases, no tears, no promises, just useless troubles him or her...
Fuori! dai miei vizi dai miei desideri tutti via ambulanti insistenti Fuori! vi licenzio morbosi pensieri... sono mio!
Out! Away from my vices, away from my desires, all of you persistent passersby. Out! I fire you, sick thoughts...they are mine!
Falsi orgasmi vecchi fantasmi via le bende chi sale e chi scende facile stordirsi e poi tradirsi e mai ricredersi al letto un antifurto se puoi...
Fake orgasms, old ghosts, no more blindfolds, who goes up and who goes down, easy to get confused and then betray oneself, and never regret it. A theft alarm on the bed if you can...
Tinte forti giochi violenti cuori assenti noi mi pentirò...ma a un altro assedio non resisterò ci proverai a riproporti candida ma poi... è l'impazienza che ti tradirà la tua insistenza mi divorerà affitta un sogno anche tu...
Strong colors, violent games, absent hearts, I will regret it...but I will not resist another siege. You may try to present yourself as a candid one, but then...it is impatience that will betray you, your insistence will consume me. Rent a dream, too...
La passione è svanita una luna sbiadita che... ci tormenta masochisti convintigli eterni scontenti noi... spenti eroi...
The passion has vanished, a faded moon that...torments us. Masochists convinced of being eternal, dissatisfied us...heroes extinguished...
Se potessi soltanto abbracciarti e tenerti qui... senza sospetti...coraggiosi e sinceri capaci di verità... chi lo sa... chi lo sa...
If I could only hug you and keep you here...without suspicions...courageous and sincere, capable of truth...who knows...who knows...
Fermi! Non toccatemi prima di amarmi dimmi tu cosa puoi garantirmi...Fermi! Se servite soltanto contorni...a tavola non ci sto...
Stop! Don't touch me before you love me. Tell me what you can guarantee me...Stop! If you only serve outlines...I won't stay at the table...
Mi conosco non mi tradisco non rischiare mai ti stanerò...non vendermi entusiasmi che non hai rifiuterò un'anima diversa dalla mia padrone della scena sarò io un letto un palcoscenico un addio non vi concedo altri bis!
I know myself, I won't betray myself, never risk it, I will expose you...don't sell me enthusiasms you don't have, I will refuse a different soul from mine. I will be the master of the scene, a bed, a stage, I won't grant you another bis!
Contributed by Alexis L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.