"Senza una donna" () is a song written and performed by Italian singer and musician

Zucchero Adelmo Fornaciari (; born 25 September 1955), more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero (), is an Italian singer, musician and songwriter. His stage name is the Italian word for "sugar", as his elementary teach ...

on his fourth album, ''

Blue's ''Blue's'' is the fourth studio album by Italian singer-songwriter Zucchero Fornaciari. It was released on 15 June 1987, with Fornaciari credited as "Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari". The album sold over 1.3 million copies. The success that Zuc ...

'' (1987). Originally recorded in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, in 1990 it was re-recorded in English with English singer and musician

Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. ...

. The English lyrics were contributed by

Frank Musker Frank John Musker (born 1951) is a British songwriter and composer. Most prolific in the 1980s and 1990s, he worked with artists such as Sheena Easton, the Babys, Robert Miles, Jennifer Rush, Bucks Fizz, Air Supply, Lucio Battisti, Zucchero, ...

. The song was then released as a single under the title "Senza una donna (Without a Woman)". The English version of the song reached number four on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and number two on both the

German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...

and the

French Singles Chart French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

. It also topped the charts of Belgium, Ireland, Norway, Quebec, and Sweden, selling more than 5,000,000 copies worldwide. It was also one of the most famous songs in Venezuela in 1991. "Senza una donna" was released along with two

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

s: one for the solo version and another for the duet version.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from '' Billboard'' commented, "Italo pop star has outsold Madonna and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

in his homeland. On this duet with Young, Zucchero makes his U.S. debut with a smooth and rhythmic

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

that will likely find its initial audience at AC radio, though tune is charming enough to cross into mainstream pop territory." A reviewer from ''

Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St Paul's Square, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Sunday, and is Liver ...

'' described the song as "stylish", noting the "marvellously atmospheric setting" of the

, "which was actually filmed in a church hall in Chiswick."''

''. 7 December 1991. p. 21. Retrieved 28 November 2020.

Track listings

* 7-inch single # "Senza una donna (Without a Woman)" # "Madre dolcissima" by Zucchero * CD single # "Senza una donna (Without a Woman)" (7 inch) — 4:26 # "Dunes of Mercy" by Zucchero — 5:38 * CD maxi # "Senza una donna (Without a Woman)" # "Madre dolcissima" by Zucchero # "Dunes of Mercy" by Zucchero

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Senza Una Donna 1987 songs 1991 singles Number-one singles in Belgium European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Sweden Paul Young songs Male vocal duets Zucchero Fornaciari songs Songs written by Zucchero Fornaciari Pop ballads Songs written by Frank Musker