"Bella senz'anima" is an Italian ballad song written by

Marco Luberti Marco Luberti (born 13 February 1941) is an Italian lyricist, record producer and singer-songwriter. Life and career Born in Rome, after graduating from the liceo artistico Luberti started studying piano and performing as a keyboardist in a num ...

, Paolo Casella and

Riccardo Cocciante Riccardo Cocciante (; born 20 February 1946), also known in French-speaking countries and the United States as Richard Cocciante (), is an Italian and French singer and songwriter. Early and personal life Cocciante was born on 20 February 19 ...

, arranged by

Franco Pisano Franco Pisano (10 December 1922 – 6 January 1977) was an Italian composer, conductor, arranger, and jazz musician. Born in Cagliari, Sardinia, the older brother of the composer Berto Pisano, he studied violin, classical guitar, and piano at t ...

and performed by Riccardo Cocciante. It was the first single from the Cocciante's 1974 album ''Anima''.

Overview

The song was launched by Cocciante during a tour ("Racconto") he made in 1973 together with

Antonello Venditti Antonio "Antonello" Venditti (born 8 March 1949) is an Italian singer-songwriter and pianist who became popular in the 1970s for the social themes addressed in his songs. Biography Antonello Venditti was born in Rome, the son of Vincenzino Ita ...

and

Francesco De Gregori Francesco De Gregori Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, OMRI (born 4 April 1951) is an Italian singer-songwriter. In Italy, he is popularly known as "Il Principe dei cantautori" ("The Prince of the singer-songwriters"), a nickname referrin ...

. Once she heard the song,

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 ...

repeatedly asked Cocciante to be the one to launch the single, in a slightly adapted version to suit a female performer, eventually being turned down. The single peaked at the first place on the Italian singles chart, and it was the seventh most sold single of the year in Italy. The lyrics, and particularly the verse "E adesso spogliati come sai fare tu" (i.e. "And now strip as you know") led to harsh criticism from several feminist organizations and to television censorship. In 2006, Cocciante performed the song out of competition at the

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...

Track listing

*7-inch single – AN 4155 :A. "Bella senz'anima" (

, Paolo Casella,

) :B. "Qui" (Marco Luberti, Paolo Casella, Riccardo Cocciante)

Other versions

Artists who covered the song include

Johnny Hallyday Jean-Philippe Léo Smet (; 15 June 1943 – 5 December 2017), better known by his stage name Johnny Hallyday, was a French rock and roll and Pop music, pop singer and actor, credited with having brought rock and roll to France. During a career ...

(with the title "Cet homme que voilà"),

Thelma Houston Thelma Houston ( Jackson; born May 7, 1943) is an American singer and actress. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit in 1977 with her recording of " Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Grammy for ...

(as "Cruel Beauty"), Mina,

Joe Arroyo Álvaro José Arroyo González (also known as Joe Arroyo or El Joe; 1 November 1955 – 26 July 2011) was a Colombian salsa and tropical music singer, composer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest performers of Caribbean and sa ...

Víctor Manuelle Víctor Manuel Ruiz Velázquez (born September 27, 1968), known professionally as Víctor Manuelle, is a Puerto Rican salsa singer, known to his fans as ''El Sonero de la Juventud'' ("The Singer Of Youths"). He is identified primarily with ' ...

Oliver Dragojević Oliver Dragojević (; 7 December 1947 – 29 July 2018) was a Croatian singer and composer, who was considered one of the most enduring musical stars and cultural icons in Croatia with a discography that spanned nearly five decades. His style b ...

, Linda Valori,

Mino Reitano Beniamino "Mino" Reitano (December 7, 1944 – January 27, 2009) was an Italian singer, songwriter and actor. Reitano was born in Fiumara, a small village in Calabria. His father, an employee at the local railway station, was very passiona ...

Schola Cantorum The Schola Cantorum de Paris ( being ) is a private conservatory in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera. History The Schol ...

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 1974 singles 1974 songs Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in Spain Riccardo Cocciante songs Songs written by Riccardo Cocciante Songs written by Marco Luberti