Patty Pravo (born Nicoletta Strambelli on 9 April 1948) is an Italian singer. She debuted in 1966 and remained most successful commercially for the rest of the 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Having suffered a decline in popularity in the following decade, she experienced a career revival in the late 1990s and reinstated her position on Italian music charts. Her most popular songs include "

La bambola "La bambola" (Italian for "The Doll") is an Italian pop song written by Franco Migliacci, Ruggero Cini and Bruno Zambrini, and performed by Patty Pravo. The song had been previously refused by several artists, including Gianni Morandi, Little Ton ...

" (1968), "

Pazza idea "Pazza idea" (Italian for "Crazy Idea") is an Italian ballad composed by Maurizio Monti and Giovanni Ullu, with lyrics written by Paolo Dossena and Cesare Gigli. It was originally performed by Italian singer Patty Pravo and released as a single fr ...

" (1973), "

Pensiero stupendo "Pensiero stupendo" (Italian for "Wonderful Thought") is a song written by Ivano Fossati (lyrics) and Oscar Prudente (music), and performed by Patty Pravo. The song's lyrics are a provocative description of a sexual ménage à trois. It was orig ...

" (1978) and " ...E dimmi che non vuoi morire" (1997). She scored fourteen top 10 albums (including three number ones) and fourteen top 10 singles (including two number ones) in her native Italy. Pravo participated at the

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

ten times, most recently in 2019, and has won three critics' awards at the festival. She also performed twelve times at 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. ...

Biography

1960s and 1970s

Strambelli studied at the conservatory institute Benedetto Marcello and was acquainted with American poet

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an expatriate American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Fascism, fascist collaborator in Italy during World War II. His works ...

and the future

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

. At the age of fifteen she left home to live in London and then Rome, where she began her career singing in the

Piper Club Piper may refer to: People * Piper (given name) * Piper (surname) Arts and entertainment Fictional characters Comics * Piper (Morlock), in the Marvel Universe * Piper (Mutate), in the Marvel Universe Television * Piper Chapman, lea ...

Patty Pravo at the Piper Club in Rome, 1969

In 1966, Patty released her first single, "Ragazzo triste" (English: "Sad Boy"), the Italian version of the song "

But You're Mine "But You're Mine" is a pop song written by Sonny Bono and recorded by Sonny & Cher. The song reached its peak of popularity in 1965, when it charted in the US and the United Kingdom. In mid-August1965, while returning to America from a two-week p ...

" by

Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

. It was met with chart success and would later become the first pop song broadcast on

Vatican Radio Vatican Radio ( it, Radio Vaticana; la, Statio Radiophonica Vaticana) is the official broadcasting service of Vatican City. Established in 1931 by Guglielmo Marconi, today its programs are offered in 47 languages, and are sent out on short wave, ...

. Pravo released another popular single in 1967, "Se perdo te" ("If I Lose You"), written by English songwriter

Paul Korda Paul Korda (born Paul Kunstler, 1948 – 11 March 2020) was a Singaporean songwriter, singer, musician, and actor. He wrote and performed music from the 1960s onwards, and his songs have been covered by artists such as Roger Daltrey, Dave ...

and originally performed by

P. P. Arnold Patricia Ann Cole (born October 3, 1946), known professionally as P. P. Arnold, is an American soul singer. Arnold began her career as an Ikette with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in 1965. The following year she relocated to London to pursue a solo ...

. In 1968, Pravo released what would become one of her most popular singles and a number 1 hit, "

" ("The Doll"), as well as her self-titled debut album. The LP topped the Italian albums chart and "La bambola" was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. This success was followed another popular single, featuring songs "Gli occhi dell'amore" ("The Eyes of Love") and "Sentimento" ("Feeling"). Pravo's second album, ''

Concerto per Patty A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typi ...

'', was released in 1969 and included more high-charting singles: "Tripoli 1969" and "Il paradiso" ("Paradise"), the latter written by

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 ...

and performed at

. Pravo took part in the

Sanremo Music Festival 1970 The Sanremo Music Festival 1970 ( it, Festival di Sanremo 1970), officially the 20th Italian Song Festival (), was the 20th annual Sanremo Music Festival, held at the Sanremo Casino in Sanremo, province of Imperia between 26 and 28 February 1970. ...

with the song "La spada nel cuore" ("A Sword in the Heart") performed in duet with Little Tony, coming fifth in the contest. In 1970, she released another album called ''

Patty Pravo Patty Pravo (born Nicoletta Strambelli on 9 April 1948) is an Italian singer. She debuted in 1966 and remained most successful commercially for the rest of the 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Having suffered a decline in popularity in the followin ...

'' which charted in the top 10 of the Italian chart and included the hit Festivalbar song "Per te" ("For You"). She also scored a major hit with "Tutt'al più" in 1971 from the album ''Bravo Pravo''. To change her image and artistic direction, Pravo recorded an album trilogy for

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in A ...

, released between 1971 and 1972, consisting of more sophisticated and complex material. In 1972, she married Italian designer Franco Baldieri, but they soon separated. In 1973, the singer reunited with her previous label

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

and released what would become one of the biggest hits of her career, the number 1 single "

" ("Crazy Idea"). The song's parent album, also titled ''

'', peaked at the top of the Italian albums chart. It was followed by another chart-topping LP, ''

Mai una signora Mai, or MAI, may refer to: Names * Mai (Chinese surname) * Mai (Vietnamese surname) * Mai (name) * Mai (singer), J-Pop singer * Iris Mai (born 1962), German chess master Places * Chiang Mai, largest city in northern Thailand * Ma-i, a pre-Hispan ...

'' (''Never a Lady'', 1974) which spawned the popular single "Come un Pierrot" ("Like a Pierrot") and the Festivalbar song "Quale signora" ("Which Lady"). Albums '' Incontro'' (''The Meeting'') and '' Tanto'' (''So Much''), released in 1975 and 1976, respectively, both placed within the top 10 in Italy and included successful singles of the same names. ''Tanto'' was a collaboration with

Vangelis Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou ( el, Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; el, Βαγγέλης, links=no ), was a Greek composer and arranger of ...

, who arranged songs and played keyboards on the album. In 1977, Patty scored a hit with the song "Tutto il mondo è casa mia" ("The Whole World Is My Home") which reached no. 3 in the Italian singles chart. Patty Pravo 72

In 1978, alongside

Amanda Lear Amanda Lear (; born 1939) is a French singer, songwriter, painter, television presenter, actress, and former model. She began her professional career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s, and went on to model for Paco Rabanne, Ossie Clark, and ...

and

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...

, Pravo appeared in a controversial Italian TV show, ''

Stryx {{Infobox television , image = , caption = , alt_name = , genre = , creator = , developer = , writer = Ennio di Majo , director = ...

'', where in each episode she would perform a song from her new album, ''

Miss Italia Miss Italia is a beauty pageant awarding prizes every year to young, female contestants from Italy. Since the first edition of the contest in 1939 many of the contestants have gone on to notable careers in television and film. History The foreru ...

''. The LP was another top 10 success in Italy and also included the song "

" ("Wonderful Thought") which reached no. 2 and would become one of the biggest hits of Patty's career. In 1979, the singer had another top 20 hit with " Autostop" from the LP ''Munich Album''.

1980s and 1990s

The singer posed nude for the Italian edition of ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' in 1980 and, prompted by resulting hostility from the Italian press later moved to the USA. Her career declined in the 1980s and subsequent albums failed to match the commercial success of her earlier work, with the next LP, ''Cerchi'' (''Circles''), being of her lowest-charting records to date. In 1982, she married American guitarist John Edward Johnson. Her 1984 single "Per una bambola" ("For a Doll") was a modest chart success and won the critics' award at the

Sanremo Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

. However, the song's parent album, ''Occulte persuasioni'' (''Hidden Persuasions''), passed fairly unnoticed. In 1985, she had a moderate chart success with the song "Menù" ("Menu") which she also performed at the Festivalbar. In 1987, she entered the

contest again. Her song "Pigramente signora" ("Lazily a Lady") did not fare well and the singer was accused of plagiarizing

Dan Fogelberg Daniel Grayling Fogelberg (August 13, 1951 – December 16, 2007) was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his 1970s and 1980s songs, including "Longer" (1979), "Same Old Lang Syne" (1980), and " ...

's track "To the Morning". The controversy led to the cancellation of her new contract with

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

. Her next album, ''Oltre l'Eden...'' (''Beyond Eden...''), was produced by

Paolo Dossena Paolo Dossena (born 29 January 1942) is an Italian record producer, lyricist, arranger and composer. Life and career Born in Parma, Dossena moved to Rome in the early 1960s and started collaborating with RCA Records, soon specializing in produci ...

and released by

Fonit Cetra Fonit Cetra was an Italian record label, active between 1957 and 2000. History Fonit Cetra was founded in 1957 from merging two already existing labels: Cetra (acronym from Compagnia per edizioni, teatro, registrazioni ed affini), owned by RAI an ...

in 1989. Although it was not a chart success, it met with positive critical reception and is often regarded as one of Pravo's best works. The title track took part in the Festivalbar song contest. In 1990, Pravo was due to perform the song "

Donna con te "Donna con te" is a 1990 song composed by Danilo Amerio and Luciano Boero and performed by Anna Oxa. Background The song premiered at the 40th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, where it was first supposed to be performed by Patty Prav ...

" ("A Woman with You") at

Sanremo Sanremo (; lij, Sanrémmo(ro) or , ) or San Remo is a city and comune on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination on the Italian Rivie ...

, but shortly before the event, she refused to sing it over its lyrics. The song was then given to

Anna Oxa Anna Hoxha (; born 28 April 1961), known professionally as Anna Oxa (), is an Italian singer, actress, and television presenter. Oxa has received mainstream popularity and recognition within Italy due to her numerous participations in the Sanremo ...

to perform at the festival. In the same year, she released an album of re-recordings of her classic hits. In 1992, Pravo was arrested for possessing

hashish Hashish ( ar, حشيش, ()), also known as hash, "dry herb, hay" is a drug made by compressing and processing parts of the cannabis plant, typically focusing on flowering buds (female flowers) containing the most trichomes. European Monitorin ...

, but was released after only 3 days. In 1994, the singer traveled to China, where she would make history as the first Italian artist to perform in that country.

Chinese music Music of China refers to the music of the Chinese people, which may be the music of the Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, ma ...

and culture provided inspiration for her next album, ''Ideogrammi'', entirely produced in China. In 1995, Pravo returned to

with the song "I giorni dell'armonia" ("Days of Harmony"), which was met with lukewarm reception at the festival, but peaked within the top 20 in Italy. The singer celebrated the 30th anniversary of her musical debut in 1996, embarking on a greatest hits tour, and in 1997 once again performed at

, with the song " ...E dimmi che non vuoi morire" ("...And Tell Me You Don't Want to Die") winning the

Mia Martini Mia Martini (; born Domenica Rita Adriana Bertè ; 20 September 1947 – 12 May 1995) was an Italian singer, songwriter and musician.James Christopher MongerMia Martini allmusic.com The single was a big chart success, peaking at number 2 in Italy (her highest-charting song since the 1970s), and her first live album ''

Bye Bye Patty ''Bye Bye Patty'' is the first live album by Italian singer Patty Pravo, released in 1997 by Epic Records. Overview The material was recorded live between 16 and 24 January 1997 during concerts in Bergamo, Milan, Florence and Rome. It consists of ...

'' charted in the top 5. On her next studio album, ''

Notti, guai e libertà ''Notti, guai e libertà'' (Italian for ''Nights, Trouble and Freedom'') is a studio album by Italian singer Patty Pravo, released in 1998 by Sony Music. Overview Most of the material on the album was written specially for Patty by some of the mo ...

'' (''Nights, Trouble and Freedom''), Pravo worked with some renowned Italian songwriters, including

Ivano Fossati Ivano Alberto Fossati (born 21 September 1951) is an Italian pop singer from Genoa. He was a member of the progressive rock group Delirium and has worked with Fabrizio De André, Riccardo Tesi, Anna Oxa, Mia Martini, Ornella Vanoni, Shirley Bass ...

Franco Battiato Francesco "Franco" Battiato (; 23 March 1945 – 18 May 2021) was an Italian musician, singer, composer, filmmaker and, under the pseudonym Süphan Barzani, also a painter. Battiato's songs contain esoteric, philosophical and religious themes, a ...

and

Lucio Dalla Lucio Dalla (; 4 March 1943 – 1 March 2012) was an Italian singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He also played clarinet and keyboards. Dalla was the composer of " Caruso" (1986), a song dedicated to Italian opera tenor Enrico Caruso, and ...

. The album was another top 10 commercial success, and was followed by a tour. The songs "Les etrangers" ("Strangers") and "Strada per un'altra città" ("Road to Another City") were performed at Festivalbar.

After 2000

Her next album, ''

Una donna da sognare ''Una donna da sognare'' is a studio album by Italian singer Patty Pravo, released in 2000 by Sony Music. Overview Most of the songs on the album were co-written by two female Italian songwriters: Pia Tuccitto and Bettina Baldassari, and the fina ...

'' (2000), peaked at no. 6, thus becoming one of her highest-charting albums ever, and the title song became a hit single. Released in 2002, ''Radio Station'' also charted within the top 10, and the first single, "L'immenso", was Patty's return to

, where it took the 16th place. The singer then embarked on another long tour. Her 2004 album, ''Nic-Unic'', was a collaboration with young songwriters and presented an innovative, avant garde sound, with most songs co-written by Patty Pravo herself. The single "Che uomo sei" ("What Kind of Man Are You") was a chart success. In 2007, she released the album ''Spero che ti piaccia... Pour toi'' (''I Hope You Like It... For You''), a homage to

Dalida Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida, was an Italian-French singer and actress born in Egypt. She sang in eleven languages and sold millions of records internationally. Her best known son ...

, with a selection of her songs performed in French, Italian and Arabic. Later in the year, Pravo released an autobiography ''Bla, bla, bla...''. To commemorate the fortieth anniversary of her hit "La bambola", the singer released a new version of the song. She embarked on another tour, what would result in a successful double live album ''Live Arena di Verona – Sold Out'', recorded at

Verona Arena The Verona Arena ( it, Arena di Verona ) is a Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Bra in Verona, Italy built in 30 AD. It is still in use today and is internationally famous for the large-scale opera performances given there. It is one of the best p ...

. She took part in

with the song "E io verrò un giorno là" ("And I'll Be There One Day") in 2009, without much success, and again in 2011, performing "Il vento e le rose" ("The Wind and the Roses"), which also did not turn out popular. Her next studio album, ''Nella terra dei pinguini'' (''In the Land of the Penguins''), charted within Italian top 20. In 2012, she released the single "Com'è bello far l'amore" ("How Nice It Is to Make Love") from

Fausto Brizzi Fausto Brizzi (born 15 November 1968, in Rome) is an Italian screenwriter, producer and film director. Biography Fausto Brizzi got a Degree in directing at the "Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia" in July 1994. After several theatrical ex ...

's film of the same name, and the song went on to win the "

Italian Golden Globe The Globo d'oro (internationally known as Italian Golden Globe) is an Italian annual film award. It was established in 1960 and it has as jury the Rome Foreign Press Association. The first awards ceremony took place in 1960 and was won by the film ...

". She made a cameo appearance as herself in the 2014 Greek film '' Xenia'', directed by

Panos H. Koutras Panos H. Koutras ( el, Πάνος Χ. Κούτρας; born in Athens) is a Greek film director, film producer and screenwriter, who made his debut with the feature film '' The Attack of the Giant Moussaka'' (1999), an independent science-fiction ...

, which tells about two brothers who are obsessed with her music. In 2016, Pravo performed the song "

Cieli immensi "Cieli immensi" (Italian for "Immense Skies") is a song performed by Italian singer Patty Pravo, written by Fortunato Zampaglione. It was released as the first single from her 2016 album ''Eccomi''. The singer performed "Cieli immensi" at the 66 ...

" ("Immense Skies") at the

, placing 6th and winning her third critics' award. The single was very successful commercially, reaching the top 20 hit in Italy, and the accompanying album ''

Eccomi ''Eccomi'' (Italian for ''Here I Am'') is a studio album by Italian singer Patty Pravo, released in 2016 by Warner Music Group. Overview The album was produced by Michele Canova, with Massimo Levantini and Gaetano Puglisi as executive producers. ...

'' (''Here I Am'') peaked at no. 6. She published her second autobiography, ''La cambio io la vita che...'', in 2017. In 2019, Pravo participated in the

contest for the tenth time, with the song "Un po' come la vita" ("A Little Like Life") performed in duet with Italian singer

Briga Briga can refer to: * BRIGA, a Galician independentist political organization * Brig-Glis, a Swiss city in the Brig district of the Canton of Valais * Briga Alta, an Italian comune in the Province of Cuneo * Briga Novarese, an Italian community in ...

. The track was not successful, placing only at the 21st position. Pravo simultaneously released her next studio album, ''Red'', which charted in the top 20 in Italy.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Participation at festivals

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

* 1970: "La spada nel cuore" (with Little Tony) – 5th place * 1984: "Per una bambola" – 10th place and critics' award * 1987: "Pigramente signora" – 20th place * 1995: "I giorni dell'armonia" – 20th place * 1997: " ...E dimmi che non vuoi morire" – 8th place and critics' award * 2002: "L'immenso" – 16th place * 2009: "E io verrò un giorno là" * 2011: "Il vento e le rose" * 2016: "

" – 6th place and critics' award * 2019: "Un po' come la vita" (with Briga) – 21st place

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. ...

* 1969: "Il paradiso" * 1970: "Per te" * 1974: "Quale signora" * 1975: "Incontro" * 1976: "Tanto" – outside the contest * 1978: "Johnny" – outside the contest * 1985: "Menù" * 1987: "Contatto" * 1989: "Oltre l'Eden..." * 1997: "Pensiero stupendo '97" * 1998: "Les etrangers" and "Strada per un'altra città" * 2000: "Una donna da sognare" and "Una mattina d'estate"

Filmography

*''Una ragazza tutta d'oro'' (1967) *''L'immensità'' (1967) *''I ragazzi di Bandiera Gialla'' (1967) * ''

The Most Beautiful Couple in the World ''The Most Beautiful Couple in the World'' (Italian: ''La più bella coppia del mondo'') is a 1968 Italian "musicarello" comedy film directed by Camillo Mastrocinque and starring Walter Chiari, Paola Quattrini and Aldo Giuffrè.Cowie, p. 330 Cast ...

'' (1968) *'' Xenia'' (2014) *''

Drag Race Italia ''Drag Race Italia'' is an Italian reality competition streaming and television series based on the American series ''RuPaul's Drag Race,'' and is the Italian edition of the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by Ballandi Arts Studios. In a simila ...

'' (2022)

Autobiographies

* 2007: ''Bla, bla, bla...'' * 2017: ''La cambio io la vita che...''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pravo, Patty 1948 births Beat musicians English-language singers from Italy French-language singers of Italy Living people Musicians from Venice Pop rock singers Spanish-language singers of Italy