"Balla Linda" is a song by Italian musician

Lucio Battisti Lucio Battisti (5 March 1943 – 9 September 1998) was an influential Italian singer-songwriter and composer. He is widely recognized for songs that defined the late 1960s and 1970s era of Italian songwriting. Battisti released 18 studio albums ...

released on 20 April 1968 With this song Battisti participated in the

Cantagiro Cantagiro was an Italian summer song contest held from 1962 to 1972 and 1990 to 1993. It featured three categories, A for famous artists, B for newcomers and C for groups. The creator of the competition was Ezio Radaelli. The name of the festival ...

1968 where he obtained a good success.

Writing

Music and lyrics to the song were written by Italian songwriter Mogol and Battisti. The track is a pop song with lyrics and atmosphere recalling the lightheartedness of Summer. The text speaks of a girl named Linda. She is neither beautiful, intelligent nor bewitching, but her carelessness, sincerity and fidelity manage to make the protagonist forget his former companion, who had taken advantage of him and then left him. The text is structured on a climax: the words of the first strophes of the song are melancholic and list some negatives sides of Linda, contrasted with the positive sides of the previous companion. In the following verses, the defects of the latter surface. Finally in the refrain, the protagonist, who is obviously happy with her choice, dedicates the whole scene to Linda and invites her to dance with enthusiasm.

Reaction

According to music critic Renzo Stefanel, Linda «is so pure that her dance seems almost ..the metaphor of the lightness of life coined by Nietzsche».

Track listing

*"Prigioniero del mondo/Balla Linda" –

45 rpm single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

(Dischi Ricordi (SRL 10495)) – 1968 # "Prigioniero del mondo" (Battisti,

Carlo Donida Carlo Donida Labati (30 October 1920, in Milan – 22 April 1998, in Porto Valtravaglia) was an Italian composer and pianist. Carlo Donida Labati was born in Milan on 30 October 1920. He graduated in piano and composition from the Giuseppe Verdi ...

) – 3:28 # "Balla Linda" (Lucio Battisti, Mogol) – 3:08

The Grass Roots' cover

In the autumn of 1968, a few months after Battisti's release, the song was noted by American producer

Steve Barri Steve Barri (born Steven Barry Lipkin in Brooklyn, New York on February 23, 1942) is an American songwriter and record producer. Career Early in his career, Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He produced such huge hits as " Dizzy" ...

, who decided to make a version in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and have it performed by the

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

n group

The Grass Roots The Grass Roots are an American rock band that charted frequently between 1965 and 1975. The band was originally the creation of Lou Adler and songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri. In their career, they achieved two gold albums, two go ...

. The English version took the title of "Bella Linda"; new lyrics were written by Barri together with Barry Gross, while the orchestral arrangement was done by

Jimmie Haskell Jimmie Haskell (born Sheridan Pearlman, November 7, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was an American composer and arranger for motion pictures and a wide variety of popular artists, including Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Steely ...

.Michele Neri, ''Lucio Battisti - Discografia mondiale. Tutte le canzoni, le produzioni, le collaborazioni'', Coniglio Editore, marzo 2010, . "Bella Linda" was released in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in November 1968 as the

A side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of the single ''Bella Linda / Hot Bright Lights''. It was included on the album '' Golden Grass'', as well as many subsequent compilations. In January 1969, the single was released in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and Australia.

References

{{Authority control Italian songs Songs written by Mogol (lyricist) Lucio Battisti songs 1968 songs The Grass Roots songs Songs written by Lucio Battisti