"Minuetto" () is a 1973 Italian song composed by Franco Califano (lyrics) and Dario Baldan Bembo (music) and performed by Mia Martini. It was the singer's major commercial success.

Background

In 1973 Dario Baldan Bembo composed a modern

minuet A minuet (; also spelled menuet) is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in time. The English word was adapted from the Italian ''minuetto'' and the French ''menuet''. The term also describes the musical form that accomp ...

ballad, and the melody was chosen by producer Giovanni Sanjust as to be the Summer single for Mia Martini, fresh from the success of "

Piccolo uomo "Piccolo uomo" () is a 1972 Italian song composed by Dario Baldan Bembo (music), Bruno Lauzi and Michelangelo La Bionda (lyrics) and performed by Mia Martini. It was the singer's first significant commercial success. Background When Dario B ...

" and "Donna sola". He asked several songwriters to compose the lyrics, and after the versions of Luigi Albertelli,

Bruno Lauzi Bruno Lauzi (; 8 August 1937 – 24 October 2006) was an Italian singer-songwriter, poet and writer. Biography Bruno Lauzi was born in Asmara, then part of the Italian Eastern Africa, to a Catholic father, Francesco Lauzi and a Jewish mot ...

and were rejected, it was eventually chosen the version of Franco Califano, who based his lyrics on some conversations he had with Martini, as to make the song more personal and biographical. The Albertelli version, titled "Salvami", was eventually released in 2003 in the collection ''Canzoni segrete''. The all-star chorus of the song consisted of

La Bionda La Bionda were an Italian disco duo consisting of siblings Carmelo (1949–2022) and Michelangelo La Bionda (born 1952). They are considered among the pioneers of the Italo disco music genre. The siblings were born in Ramacca, Sicily and moved ...

brothers,

Maurizio Fabrizio Maurizio Fabrizio (born 16 March 1952) is an Italian composer, conductor, arranger, producer, musician and singer-songwriter. Life and career Born in Milan, after studying at the conservatory in 1969 Fabrizio became a member of the La Scala orc ...

, Martini's sister

Loredana Bertè Loredana Bertè (; born 20 September 1950) is an Italian singer and actress. In her long career she has worked with prominent Italian songwriters such as Pino Daniele, Ivano Fossati, Mario Lavezzi, Mango and Enrico Ruggeri, among others; her si ...

and her then fiancèe

Adriano Panatta Adriano Panatta (born 9 July 1950) is a former professional tennis player from Italy. He won the French Open in 1976, and was the only player ever to defeat Björn Borg at Roland Garros, doing so on two occasions. He is also the only Italian man ...

. The song premiered in the

RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

television show ''Adesso musica'', and eventually won the

Festivalbar The Festivalbar was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by RAI. ...

ex aequo with "Io domani" by

Marcella Bella Giuseppa Marcella Bella (born 18 June 1952 in Catania) is an Italian pop singer. Her brothers Antonio and Salvatore Bella are famous musicians, and her brother Gianni Bella Giovanni Bella, best known as Gianni Bella (born 14 March 1946), is a ...

, marking the second victory in a row for Mia Martini. It was the major success in Martini's career, staying on the Italian single hit parade for a total of 30 weeks and reaching the second place. The song was recorded by Mia Martini in French (with the title "Tu t'en vas quand tu veux") and Spanish and released in several foreign markets, including Japan and Brazil.

Track listing

* 7" single – SRL 10.694 # "Minuetto" (Franco Califano, Dario Baldan Bembo) # "Tu sei così" (Luigi Albertelli, Massimo Guantini)

Charts

References

External links

{{Authority control 1973 singles Italian songs 1973 songs Mia Martini songs Songs written by Dario Baldan Bembo