Prisencolinensinainciusol
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"Prisencolinensinainciusol" (stylized on the
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
cover as "PRİSENCÓLİNENSİNÁİNCIÚSOL") is a song composed by the Italian singer
Adriano Celentano Adriano Celentano (; born 6 January 1938) is an Italian musician, singer, composer, actor, and filmmaker. He is dubbed "''il Molleggiato''" (the springy one) because of his dancing. Celentano's many albums frequently enjoyed both commercial and ...
, and performed by Celentano and his wife
Claudia Mori Claudia Mori (born Claudia Moroni, Rome, 12 February 1944), is an Italian producer, former actress and former singer, and wife of the singer Adriano Celentano. Biography 1960s She began her career in show business as an actress playing in musi ...
, a singer/actress-turned-record producer. It was released as a single in 1972. Both the name of the song and its lyrics are
gibberish Gibberish, also called jibber-jabber or gobbledygook, is speech that is (or appears to be) nonsense. It may include speech sounds that are not actual words, pseudowords, or language games and specialized jargon that seems nonsensical to outsider ...
but are intended to sound like English in an
American accent North American English regional phonology is the study of variations in the pronunciation of spoken North American English (English of the United States and Canada)—what are commonly known simply as "regional accents". Though studies of regional ...
.


Background

By the 1960s, Celentano was already one of the most popular
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
musicians in Italy, in large part due to his appearance 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 ...
in 1960 and the subsequent success of his song " 24.000 baci". Martina Tanga writes that his artistic persona was characterised by "loud lyrics and inelegant body movements", which differentiated him from other singers of the time. Paolo Prato describes his style as "a bit of
Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
, a bit of
Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...
, a bit of folk singer". "Prisencolinensinainciusol" was released in 1972 and remained popular throughout the 1970s.


Song


Style

"Prisencolinensinainciusol" has been described as varying music genres including
Europop Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...
,
house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...
,
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 ...
and
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
. Celentano, however, did not have these styles in mind when writing the song. He composed "Prisencolinensinainciusol" by creating a
loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, an ...
of four drumbeats and improvising lyrics over the top of the loop in his recording studio. The song is characterised by an E flat
groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...
in the
drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...
and
bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
and
riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...
in the
horn section A horn section is a group of musicians playing horns. In an orchestra or concert band, it refers to the musicians who play the "French" horn, and in a British-style brass band it is the tenor horn players. In many popular music genres, the te ...
.


Lyrics and language

The song is intended to sound to its Italian audience as if it is sung in English spoken with an
American accent North American English regional phonology is the study of variations in the pronunciation of spoken North American English (English of the United States and Canada)—what are commonly known simply as "regional accents". Though studies of regional ...
, however the lyrics are deliberately unintelligible
gibberish Gibberish, also called jibber-jabber or gobbledygook, is speech that is (or appears to be) nonsense. It may include speech sounds that are not actual words, pseudowords, or language games and specialized jargon that seems nonsensical to outsider ...
with the exception of the words "all right". Andrew Khan, writing in ''The Guardian'', describes the sound as reminiscent 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 ...
's output from the 1980s. Celentano's intention with the song was not to create a humorous
novelty song A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and w ...
but to explore communication barriers. The intent was to demonstrate how English sounds to people who do not understand the language proficiently. "Ever since I started singing, I was very influenced by American music and everything Americans did. So at a certain point, because I like American slang—which, for a singer, is much easier to sing than Italian—I thought that I would write a song which would only have as its theme the inability to communicate. And to do this, I had to write a song where the lyrics didn't mean anything."


Releases and versions

The original version of the track was released as a single on 3 November 1972, and appeared on Celentano's album ''Nostalrock'' the following year. For its UK release, the single was given the simpler title of "The Language of Love (Prisencol…)". The song appeared on the 2008 dance
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
'' Poplife Presents: Poplife Sucks''. Celentano later recorded a version with real Italian lyrics; this version, released on his 1994 album ''Quel Punto'', was named "Il Seme del Rap" and served as a hip hop parody. In 2016, Celentano released a new recording of the song (with the original lyrics); this version featured the music of
Benny Benassi Marco "Benny" Benassi (; born 13 July 1967) is an Italian DJ, record producer and remixer. He is widely seen as a pioneer of electro house, a genre brought into the mainstream by his 2002 summer club hit " Satisfaction". He started his career ...
and vocals from Mina. Celentano performed the song at least twice on Italian television. In the fourth episode of the 1974 variety series ''Milleluci'', he dances with
Raffaella Carrà Raffaella Maria Roberta Pelloni (18 June 1943 – 5 July 2021), better known as Raffaella Carrà (), was an Italian singer, dancer, television presenter, actress and model. She was well known in Europe and Latin America as a result of her many ...
, who lip-syncs to Mori's vocals. In an episode of ''Formula Due'', the song appears in a comedy sketch in which he portrays a teacher. Video clips of both performances, both separate and edited together, began to appear on YouTube in the late 2000s. It became something of an
Internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
, and in 2009 it was posted to
Boing Boing ''Boing Boing'' is a website, first established as a zine in 1988, later becoming a group blog. Common topics and themes include technology, futurism, science fiction, gadgets, intellectual property, Disney, and left-wing politics. It twice won ...
, and subsequently saw renewed interest in the Italian media. In 1992,
remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
es of the song by Molella and
Fargetta Mario Fargetta (born 19 July 1962, Lissone, Milan, Italy) is an Italian house/electronic DJ, producer, recording artist, composer, and remixer. He is best known for his involvement with the groups the Tamperer featuring Maya, and, since 2005, Get F ...
were released on CD Single, along with the original version, to promote the compilation ''Superbest''. An interpretation of part of the song by French actor José Garcia appeared in the 2002 film ''Quelqu'un de bien''; a full version of this interpretation was released as a single with the title "Prisencoli". In 2008, Italian singer
Bugo Cristian Bugatti, also known as Bugo (born 2 August 1973 in Rho (MI), Italy) is an Italian singer-songwriter, artist and actor. He spent his youth in the rice fields of Cerano, in the Province of Novara in the Piedmont region. A self-taught arti ...
covered the song, which he played on tour around Italy. A remix by the Spanish DJ duo Los Massieras was released in 2010 under the title "Allrighty". In 2017, the dancer
Roberto Bolle Roberto Bolle (born March 26, 1975 in Casale Monferrato) is an Italian danseur. He is currently a ''principal dancer'' with the American Ballet Theatre and a principal dancer ''étoile'' at La Scala Theatre Ballet. Bolle also dances regularly a ...
appeared in an electronic dance remix video of the song by the Italian singer Mina and Celentano. The two previously recorded the album '' Mina Celentano''. In September 2017, the American rock group
Tub Ring Tub Ring is a Chicago-based rock band. Biography Tub Ring was formed in 1992 by Jason Fields, Kevin Gibson, Chris "Mouse" Blake, and Geoff Valker as a high school experimental rock band. After the passing of their manager, Lee Swanson in 1994, ...
released an album called ''A Choice of Catastrophes'', which includes a cover of "Prisencolinensinainciusol". In 2017, the song was included in the
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
of "The Law of Vacant Places", the first episode of the third season of the FX television series '' Fargo'', over
Ray Stussy Raymond "Ray" Stussy is a Character (arts), fictional character in the FX (TV channel), FX television series ''Fargo (TV series), Fargo''. He is one of several protagonists of the Fargo (season 3), third season and, like his brother Emmit Stussy ...
and Nikki Swango participating in a bridge tournament. In 2018, the song was included in the soundtrack of "Lone Star", the second episode of the FX television series ''
Trust Trust often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another * Trust (bus ...
''. The song was incorporated into
Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American conservative political commentator who was the host of '' The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nationally syndicated on AM and FM r ...
's radio show as one of the revolving
bumper music Bumper music, or a bump, is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to refer to short clips of signature songs or theme music used to buffer transitions between programming elements, typically lasting no longer than fifteen seconds. It is ...
intros, where Limbaugh asserts learning about it from his memory of details that match the TV show. In 2019 comedian
James Adomian James Adomian (born January 31, 1980) is an Armenian-American stand-up comedian, actor, and impressionist. He is best known for his work on ''Comedy Bang! Bang!'', ''Chapo Trap House'', ''Last Comic Standing'', ''The Late Late Show with Craig Fe ...
covered the song on his podcast The Underculture, using his impression of psychoanalyst and philosopher
Slavoj Žižek Slavoj Žižek (, ; ; born 21 March 1949) is a Slovenian philosopher, cultural theorist and public intellectual. He is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities at the University of London, visiting professor at New Y ...
. In 2021, a cover of "Prisencolinensinainciusol", sung by the Italian singer
Madame Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ...
, was featured on the third evening of the
Sanremo Music Festival 2021 The Sanremo Music Festival 2021 ( it, 71º Festival della Canzone Italiana di Sanremo 2021) was the 71st edition of the annual Sanremo Music Festival, a television song contest held in the Teatro Ariston of Sanremo, organised and broadcast by RAI ...
. Also in 2021, Celentano's recording was used in North American TV commercials for
Captain Morgan Captain Morgan is a brand of flavored rums (including, in Europe, some rum-flavored "premium spirit drinks") produced by British alcohol conglomerate Diageo. It is named after the 17th-century Welsh privateer of the Caribbean, Sir Henry Morgan. ...
rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...
.


Track listing

*7" single – BF 70026 # "Prisencolinensinainciusol" (Adriano Celentano) – 3:54 # "Disc Jockey" (Luciano Beretta, Adriano Celentano, Miki Del Prete) – 4:54


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


See also

*
Grammelot Grammelot (or gromalot or galimatias) is an imitation of language used in satirical theatre, an ''ad hoc'' gibberish that uses prosody along with macaronic and onomatopoeic elements to convey emotional and other meaning, and used in association w ...
*
Nonsense verse Nonsense verse is a form of nonsense literature usually employing strong prosodic elements like rhythm and rhyme. It is often whimsical and humorous in tone and employs some of the techniques of nonsense literature. Limericks are probably the b ...
*
Nonsense song A nonsense song is a type of song written mainly for the purpose of entertainment using nonsense syllables at least in the chorus. Such a song generally has a simple melody and a quick (or fairly quick) tempo.Citron, Stephen (1998). ''Song Writin ...


Similar songs

*In the movie '' Modern Times'',
The Tramp The Tramp (''Charlot'' in several languages), also known as the Little Tramp, was English actor Charlie Chaplin's most memorable on-screen character and an icon in world cinema during the era of silent film. ''The Tramp'' is also the title of ...
(
Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
) improvises a song in gibberish on the notes of Léo Daniderff's "Je cherche après Titine". *In the movie ''
La Dolce Vita ''La Dolce Vita'' (; Italian for "the sweet life" or "the good life"Kezich, 203) is a 1960 satirical comedy-drama film directed and co-written (with Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli and Brunello Rondi) by Federico Fellini. The film stars Marcell ...
'', Celentano performs
Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...
's "
Ready Teddy "Ready Teddy" is a song written by John Marascalco and Robert Blackwell, and first made popular by Little Richard in 1956. Little Richard sang and played piano on the recording, backed by a band consisting of Lee Allen (tenor saxophone), Alvin ...
", singing mostly unintelligible sounds. *
Ameno Ameno may refer to: *Ameno, Italy, a comune in the Province of Novara, Piedmont, Italy *Lacco Ameno, a town and comune situated in the northwest of the island of Ischia, in the Gulf of Naples, Italy * "Ameno" (song), a song by musical project Era ...
The lyrics, by Guy Protheroe, are written in Pseudo-Latin, i.e. sounding like Latin but are in fact deliberately devoid of any exact meaning


References


External links


Sasha Frere-Jones blog at newyorker.com
(28 April 2008)
Language Log post
(25 October 2009) with videos
The Deep Roots of an Italian Song That Sounds Like English—But Is Just Nonsense
{{Authority control 1972 singles Adriano Celentano songs Gibberish language Songs about language Italian songs Novelty songs Experimental pop songs