"Amico è" is a 1983 song composed by

Dario Baldan Bembo Dario Baldan Bembo (born 15 May 1948) is an Italian composer, singer-songwriter, music arranger and musician, best known for the songs "Aria (song), Aria" and "Amico è". Background Born in Milan, Baldan Bembo started his music career as a keyb ...

(music), Nini Giacomelli and

Sergio Bardotti Sergio Bardotti (14 February 1939 – 11 April 2007) was an Italian lyricist, composer and record producer. Life and career Born in Pavia, Bardotti studied piano for seven years and graduated from conservatory with a degree in Theory and Solfeg ...

(lyrics), and performed by Baldan Bembo and

Caterina Caselli Caterina Caselli (born 10 April 1946) is an Italian singer, bass player, record producer and music executive. Biography Caselli was born in Modena but grew up in Sassuolo. She started her music career by playing bass in local clubs. In 1966 ...

. A hymn to friendship, "Amico è" was the ending theme song of the

Mike Bongiorno Michael Nicholas Salvatore Bongiorno (; May 26, 1924 – September 8, 2009) was an American Italian television presenter. After a few experiences in the U.S., he started working on RAI in the 1950s and was considered to be the most popular host ...

's quiz show ''SuperFlash''. The song was also linked to a contest organized by the magazine ''

TV Sorrisi e Canzoni ''TV Sorrisi e Canzoni'' () is an Italian weekly listings magazine published in Segrate, Italy. History and profile The magazine was established in 1952 in Foligno by Casa Editrice Campi, with the name ''Sorrisi e Canzoni'' and Agostino Campi ...

'', in which the readers should have identified four popular singers hidden among the choirs; in the last episode of the television show it was revealed they were Pupo,

Ornella Vanoni Ornella Vanoni (; born 22 September 1934) is an Italian singer. She is one of the longest-standing Italian artists, having started performing in 1956. She has released about 112 works between LP, EPs and greatest hits albums, and is considered ...

Giuni Russo Giuseppa Romeo (7 September 1951 – 13 September 2004), known professionally as Giuni Russo (), was an Italian singer who specialised in experimental music after a short successful stint as an art-pop singer in the early 1980s. With her five-o ...

and

Gigliola Cinquetti Gigliola Cinquetti (; born Giliola Cinquetti on 20 December 1947) is an Italian singer, songwriter and television presenter. Life and career Gigliola Cinquetti was born into a wealthy family in Verona, Italy. At the age of 16, she debuted at ...

. Outside its immediate success, later the song became a widely spread

football chant A football chant or terrace chant is a form of vocalisation performed by supporters of association football, typically during football matches. Football chanting is an expression of collective identity, most often used by fans to express their ...

. In the 1982 album ''Spirito della Terra'', Baldan Bembo included a different version of the song titled "Falò" featuring

Riccardo Fogli Riccardo Fogli (born 21 October 1947) is an Italian singer-songwriter. Biography Early career Riccardo Fogli was born on 21 October 1947 in Pontedera. He was fond of music since his childhood and taught himself to play the electric bass guita ...

and

Marcella Bella Giuseppa Marcella Bella (born 18 June 1952), known as just Marcella Bella or simply Marcella, is an Italian pop singer with a career spanning six decades. Her repertoire includes several songs composed by her brother Gianni. Life and career ...

. The song was also covered by numerous artists, including

Kikki Danielsson Ann-Kristin "Kikki" Danielsson (born 10 May 1952) is a Swedish country music, country, dansband and pop singer. Sometimes, she also plays the accordion and she has also written some lyrics. She has gained notice for yodeling in some songs. Danie ...

and

Kjell Roos Kjell Roos (born 11 March 1956), is a Swedish guitarist and singer. Roos leads the Swedish dansband '' Kjell Roos Band'', earlier known as ''Roosarna''. He has done duets with Swedish singer Kikki Danielsson such as '' I juletid (Save Your Love ...

in a Swedish version titled "Vem går med dig hem" and

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

in a French version titled " Hymne à l'amitié".. Also, the mexican boyband

Magneto A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce periodic pulses of alternating current. Unlike a dynamo, a magneto does not contain a commutator to produce direct current. It is categorized as a form of alternator, ...

, made a cover in spanish titled
Un Amigo es
in 1986, included in their album "Tremendo". Next year, in 1987 the singer-songwriter

Lorenzo Antonio Lorenzo Antonio (born Lorenzo Antonio Sánchez Pohl October 3, 1969, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States), is an American Latin music singer-songwriter, who is known and recognized in Mexico, the United States, and Latin America. He was ra ...

made a different cover, this version in spanish was interpreted by the famous Mexican singer

Joan Sebastian José Manuel Figueroa Sr. (April 8, 1951 – July 13, 2015), known professionally as Joan Sebastian (), was a Mexican singer and songwriter. Born in Juliantla, Guerrero, he composed more than 1,000 songs, including compositions for artists such ...

and other singers as Byanka, Los Joao y Lisa Lopez and

too. The song is titled
El amigo es
.

Track listing

; 7" single – ZCVE 50420 # "Amico è" (Dario Baldan Bembo, Sergio Bardotti, Nini Giacomelli) # "Cammina cammina" (Dario Baldan Bembo, Sergio Bardotti, Nini Giacomelli)

Charts

References

1983 singles 1983 songs Dario Baldan Bembo songs Caterina Caselli songs Songs written by Sergio Bardotti Songs written by Dario Baldan Bembo {{1980s-pop-song-stub