Lucio Battisti
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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 from 1969 to 1994, with a significant portion of this catalogue translated into Spanish (various albums), English (one album), French (two albums), and German (one album). He was known to be an extremely reserved artist, performing only a small number of live concerts during his career. In 1978 he announced that he would speak to the public only through his musical work, limiting himself to the recording of studio albums and disappearing from the public scene.


Biography


Musician and composer

Battisti was born in
Poggio Bustone Poggio Bustone ( Poiano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rieti in the Italian region Latium, located about northeast of Rome and about north of Rieti. Poggio Bustone borders the following municipalities: Cantalice, Leoness ...
, a small town in the
province of Rieti The Province of Rieti ( it, Provincia di Rieti) is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rieti. Established in 1927, it has an area of with a total population of 157,887 people as of 2017. There are 73 ''comuni'' i ...
(northern
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), and moved with his family to
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
in 1950. A self-taught guitarist, Battisti made his debut as musician in the 1960s, performing in local bands in Rome,
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
and later in
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, where he joined I Campioni (The Champions), the support band of then famous singer
Tony Dallara Antonio Lardera (born 30 June 1936), better known by his stage name Tony Dallara, is an Italian former singer, actor and television personality. Biography Dallara was born in Campobasso in southern Italy, but grew up in Milan. After working as ba ...
. He also travelled abroad as a working musician in Germany and the UK, where he absorbed
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
,
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
, and the music of
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
,
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
,
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
,
The Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...
, and
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
, among others, introducing those influences into Italian pop music. In Milan he found the support of the French talent scout Christine Leroux, who worked for the
Ricordi Ricordi may refer to: People *Giovanni Ricordi (1785–1853), Italian violinist and publishing company founder * Giulio Ricordi (1840–1912), Italian publisher and musician Music *Casa Ricordi, an Italian music publishing company established i ...
music label. Under Leroux's wing, Battisti penned three sizeable hits in 1966 for other artists ("Per una lira" for Ribelli, "Dolce di giorno" for
Dik Dik Dik Dik is an Italian beat-pop- rock band, named after the antelope Dik-dik, formed in the 1960s and still in activity. They were most popular in the late 1960s, when they released a string of hit singles with the contribution of renowned lyric- ...
, and "Uno in più" for
Riki Maiocchi Riccardo Maiocchi ( 27 May 1940 - 2 February 2004), best known as Riki Maiocchi, was an Italian singer and musician, mainly successful in the second half of the 1960s. Life and career Born in Milan, Maiocchi started his career as guitarist and s ...
). Leroux also introduced Battisti to lyricist Giulio Rapetti, better known as Mogol. Though not impressed at first by Battisti's music, Mogol later declared to have started the collaboration after recognizing Battisti's humble, though determined, desire to improve his work. Mogol also pushed Ricordi to allow Battisti to sing his own songs: Battisti's voice became the focal point of his strength and originality. As a singer, he made his debut with the song "
Per una lira Per is a Latin preposition which means "through" or "for each", as in per capita. Per or PER may also refer to: Places * IOC country code for Peru * Pér, a village in Hungary * Chapman code for Perthshire, historic county in Scotland Math ...
" in 1966: despite the song's poor success (only 520 copies sold throughout Italy), it allowed him to begin building his career as a singer. Battisti continued to write for others during the late 1960s: the US rock 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 ...
scored a hit with one of Battisti's compositions, " Balla Linda" (translated as "Bella Linda"), which earned Battisti fourth place 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 ...
, a then-popular Italian popular music competition. In 1967, English band
The Hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke (singer), Allan Clarke and Graham ...
—featuring
Graham Nash Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, photographer, and activist. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and the supergroups Crosby, Stills ...
—recorded a Battisti song in Italian, " Non prego per me". In 1969, Battisti's song "
Il Paradiso ''Il Paradiso'' is a massive (22 x 9 meters) oil painting on canvas that dominates the main hall of the Doge's Palace, which hosted the ''Great Council of Venice''. It is one of the largest paintings on canvas in the world and was painted by Ja ...
" was covered by the group Amen Corner as " (If Paradise Is) Half as Nice", hitting the number-one spot on the UK singles chart.


Success as a solo singer in 1970s – The Mogol-Battisti duo

In 1969, Battisti took part in the
Festival of Sanremo The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian culture, Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longes ...
, with the song " Un'avventura", and his popularity began to increase. His first hit was " Acqua azzurra, acqua chiara", which 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. ...
. The same year, Ricordi issued Battisti's self-titled debut album. During this successful year he met Grazia Letizia Veronese, whom he later married and lived with until his death. Forming a strong and highly successful duo with lyricist Mogol, Battisti continued to issue solo albums on a regular basis throughout the 1970s. In almost every case they reached the highest places in his country's charts, and are regarded as classics of Italian pop music ("musica leggera"). He also became a popular presence on television. In 1970 Battisti won Festivalbar for the second time in a row, with the song " Fiori rosa, fiori di pesco", and he and Mogol started to collaborate with vocalist Mina, who sang some of their most-acclaimed songs. In December, Ricordi issued Battisti's second LP, '' Emozioni'', a compilation of previously released singles. Battisti was really angry about this, as he had composed a
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
called ''Amore e non-amore'', but his label chose to release the compilation rather than the album, which was considered to be too experimental and advanced for the Italian audience. '' Amore e non-amore'' was eventually released in July 1971, but to preserve their creative freedom, Battisti and Mogol moved over to Numero Uno, one of Italy's first independent record labels, founded by them in 1969. In the same year English band Love Affair, recorded the song "Wake Me I Am Dreaming", a cover of "Mi ritorni in mente". The new label released '' Umanamente uomo: il sogno'' (1972) followed by the even more successful '' Il mio canto libero'' (1972). The latter topped the Italian charts for 8 weeks: one of its songs – " Io vorrei, non vorrei, ma se vuoi" – was later recorded by
Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...
with lyrics translated by
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
, as " Music Is Lethal" (on the album '' Slaughter on 10th Avenue''). The song " Il mio canto libero" has remained one of the most popular songs among Italians. Another successful album was '' Il nostro caro angelo'' (1973). U.S. magazine ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' nominated Battisti "Italian Personality of the Year" in 1972, defining him "singer, composer, music publisher of international fame, has elevated Italian audience's taste and strengthened the market". '' Anima latina ''(1974) is considered Battisti's most complex and multi-layered work, a new personal approach to
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
with an increased attention to rhythms and increasingly cryptic lyrics by Mogol; nonetheless, their work enjoyed a good success, remaining for 13 weeks at number one in Italian chart. '' Lucio Battisti, la batteria, il contrabbasso, eccetera'', released in 1976 and including the hit " Ancora tu", was an even bigger success; many of the songs clearly showing the artist's interest in the then-emerging
Disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
sounds and production values that would have a large influence on his three subsequent albums. In 1977 he released '' Io tu noi tutti''. He also relocated to Los Angeles, and issued an album, ''
Images An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...
'', that featured some of his biggest hits re-recorded in English. However, the attempt to equal his European success in the United States failed. In 1978 Battisti released '' Una donna per amico'': recorded in London and produced by Geoff Westley, it was his best-selling LP. This was followed in 1980 by '' Una giornata uggiosa'', produced by the same team. It contained Battisti's last great success, " Con il nastro rosa". Considered one of the duo's best compositions, it featured a long guitar solo by
Phil Palmer Philip John Palmer (born 9 September 1952) is a rock sideman and session guitarist who has toured, recorded, and worked with numerous artists. He is best known for his work with Eric Clapton and Dire Straits. Biography Palmer grew up in nort ...
. Battisti's songs written with Mogol continue to be covered by international artists; a more recent example is
Tanita Tikaram Tanita Tikaram (born 12 August 1969) is a British pop/ folk singer-songwriter. She achieved chart success with the singles "Twist in My Sobriety" and " Good Tradition" from her 1988 debut album, ''Ancient Heart''. Background Tikaram was born i ...
's " And I Think of You" ("E penso a te"). Battisti, a rather shy person, had always been reluctant to talk about himself and his work. In the early 1980s he declared he would no longer make public appearances nor release any interviews: in his words " e was going tospeak no more, since an artist must communicate with the public only through his work". In some very rare occasions, though, he appeared as a TV guest in other countries such as France, Switzerland and Germany, and only after 1982 can his vow be considered completely fulfilled, with a perseverance similar to that of
J. D. Salinger Jerome David Salinger (; January 1, 1919 January 27, 2010) was an American author best known for his 1951 novel ''The Catcher in the Rye''. Salinger got his start in 1940, before serving in World War II, by publishing several short stories in '' ...
and other famous recluses.


"Second period"

In 1981 Battisti broke the partnership with Mogol, switching to a more experimental inspiration based often on electronic instruments. The LPs of his "second period", starting from '' E già'' of 1982 (with lyrics by his wife), received a mixed reception from both critics and audiences. Mogol started to work with
Riccardo Cocciante Riccardo Cocciante (; born 20 February 1946), also known in French-speaking countries and the U.S. as Richard Cocciante (), is an Italian singer, composer, theatre man and musician. He acquired French citizenship. Personal life Cocciante was b ...
; in 1990, he declared he had not listened to Battisti's LPs for many years. From 1986, starting with ''
Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...
'', to 1994, the lyrics on Battisti's albums were written by the poet Pasquale Panella. ''Don Giovanni'' combined a return to classic "Battistian" melodies with lyrics which some felt were weird and often seemingly meaningless. Others, however, understood the lyrics to be cryptic, an intellectual mind game of sorts. ''Don Giovanni'' had a reasonable success in Italy. The following '' L'apparenza'' (1988), however, again contained rather impervious lyrics; its success was worse than the one had by ''Don Giovanni'', in chart position as well as in sales volumes. ''
La sposa occidentale ''La sposa occidentale'' (''The western bride'') is an album by the Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Battisti. It was released in September 1990 by CBS. The album was Italy's 34th best selling album in 1990. Track listing All lyrics written b ...
''(1990) was released for
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, and marked another fall in sales and success. The declining sales were hardly a concern for Battisti: it was rumoured that in the 1990s he was earning 4–5 billion lire a year (approximately 3 million
Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
in 2006) solely from author rights of his 1970s songs. Battisti's last albums were ''
Cosa succederà alla ragazza ''Cosa succederà alla ragazza'' (''What will happen to the girl'') is an album by the Italy, Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Battisti. It was released in October 1992 by Columbia Records. The album was Italy's 57th best selling album in 1992. ...
'' (1992) and ''
Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends a ...
'' (1994).


Death

On 9 September 1998, Battisti died in a Milan hospital. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' said the cause was cancer. He was also said to have been suffering from
glomerulonephritis Glomerulonephritis (GN) is a term used to refer to several kidney diseases (usually affecting both kidneys). Many of the diseases are characterised by inflammation either of the glomeruli or of the small blood vessels in the kidneys, hence the ...
. The news spread quickly throughout the country, generating an unprecedented wave of emotion for the singer-songwriter. He was later buried in the cemetery of Molteno, the town where he had spent his last years with his family. Several compilations of his best tracks have surfaced after Battisti's death, including 2000's '' Battisti'' and 2001's '' Canzoni d'amore''. His catalogue is published by
BMG Music Publishing Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) was a division of a German media company Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Sony Corporation of America on 1 October 2008. Although it was established in 1987, the music co ...
.


Influence and praise

Through the years, Battisti consolidated his status as one of the most well-known Italian singers. His songs remain immensely popular in Italy, and are often performed live by other professional musicians. The minor planet
9115 Battisti 9115 Battisti, provisional designation , is a stony Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 5.5 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 27 February 1997, by Italian astronomers Piero Sicoli and Francesco Ma ...
was named in his memory. It was discovered by two Italian astronomers at the Sormano Astronomical Observatory in northern Italy near his home-town. In an interview,
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
claimed to consider Lucio Battisti his absolute favourite Italian artist and the greatest singer in the world along with
Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
. He also translated a song of his, Io vorrei... Non vorrei... Ma se vuoi, for
Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...
's debut album. Bowie aside, other international celebrities expressed their esteem for Battisti. For example,
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
,
Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Townsh ...
and
Laura Pausini Laura Pausini (; born 16 May 1974) is an Italian singer. She rose to fame in 1993, winning the newcomer artists' section of the 43rd Sanremo Music Festival with her debut single "La solitudine", which became an Italian standard and an internat ...
.


Discography


Albums


Singles


English language recordings

A few of his songs were translated into English. The album ''
Images An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...
'' was the only official worldwide release, however in Britain a single was published with two other translations: "Baby It's You"("Ancora tu") and "Lady" ("Donna selvaggia donna"). A full translation of the album '' Una donna per amico'', to be called ''Friends'', which had the above songs, was recorded but never published. The two songs and the album were translated and produced 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, ...
. Full list of Battisti's English recordings: ;Released :* ''
Images An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...
'' :* "Baby It's You" ("Ancora tu") :* "Lady" ("Donna selvaggia donna") ;Unreleased :* "My Father Told Me" – instrumental of "Nel sole, nel vento, nel sorriso, e nel pianto" :* "Wake Me I Am Dreaming – "Mi ritorni in mente" :* "You and Your Tomorrow" – "Acqua azzurra, acqua chiara" :* The following were considered for ''Images'', translated not by Peter Powell but by Marva Jan Marrow: ::* "Star in a Film" – "L'interprete di un film" ::* "Since I Have Forgotten About You" – "Eppur mi son scordato di te" with different accompaniment melody and an acoustic guitar ::* "Our Dear Angel" – "Il nostro caro angelo" ::* "Freedom Song" – An alternate translation of " Il mio canto libero", sung solo and with guitar ::* "The Sun Song" – An alternate translation of "La canzone del sole", set to the original Italian version's melody ::* "To Love a Bit" – " Amarsi un po'", the words were changed into "To feel in love" for the album :* ''Friends'' – A translation of the album '' Una donna per amico'', replacing the song "Maledetto gatto" with translations of two of his other hits. All the songs were translated 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, ...
. ::# "Baby it's You" – shorter version ::# "And I Think of You" – previous hit "E penso a te", different from the tribute by
Tanita Tikaram Tanita Tikaram (born 12 August 1969) is a British pop/ folk singer-songwriter. She achieved chart success with the singles "Twist in My Sobriety" and " Good Tradition" from her 1988 debut album, ''Ancient Heart''. Background Tikaram was born i ...
::# "Take it as it Comes" – "Prendila così" ::# "Lady" – slightly different from released version ::# "Day to Day" – "Perché no" ::# "Afraid of Falling" – "Aver paura di innamorarsi troppo" ::# "Pain is Gone" – "Nessun dolore" ::# "A Woman as a Friend" – " Una donna per amico" ::# "Let's Go See a Movie" – "Al cinema" :* "Pain is Gone" and "A woman as a Friend" were recorded twice. The first version of "Pain is Gone" places an emphasis on bongos and the chorus sings "Nessun dolore" in the background; the second version has an English repetition in the background. The only major difference between the two "A Woman as a Friend" versions is the second verse.


References


External links

*
www.luciobattisti.info – Discography and others information about the singer
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battisti, Lucio 1943 births 1998 deaths People from the Province of Rieti Italian male singer-songwriters 20th-century Italian male singers Deaths from cancer in Lombardy