"L'arca di Noè" is a 1970 song composed by

Sergio Endrigo Sergio Endrigo (; 15 June 1933 – 7 September 2005) was an Italian singer-songwriter. Born in Pola, Istria in Italy (now Pula, Croatia), he has been often compared—for style and nature—to authors of the so-called "Genoa school" like Gino ...

. The song premiered at the 20th edition of 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 ...

, with a double performance by Endrigo and

Iva Zanicchi Iva Zanicchi (; born 18 January 1940) is an Italian pop singer and politician. She has a mezzo-soprano voice and is nick-named by the press as the "Eagle from Ligonchio" (). Biography Iva Zanicchi was born in Ligonchio, in the province of ...

, and placed at the third place. "L'arca di Noè" was a commercial success, ranking third on the Italian hit parade and becoming a lasting classic. It was also praised by critics, with the ''

Corriere della Sera (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...

'' musical critic

Vincenzo Buonassisi Vincenzo Buonassisi (7 January 1918 - 25 January 2004) was an Italian journalist, writer, and gastronome. Early life Buonassisi was born in L'Aquila on 7 January 1918 but grew up in Apulia. He moved with his family to Rome at the age of six ...

describing it as "the only Sanremo Festival song which tried to say something new, to touch open issues for the consciousness of the people of today". The main tune derived from ''Sedi, Mara, na kamen studencu!'' (Sidi Mara) (

Aloha ʻOe "" ("Farewell to Thee") is a Hawaiian folk song written by Queen "Lydia" Liliʻuokalani, who was then Princess of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It is her most famous song and is a common cultural symbol for Hawaii. Background The story of the ori ...

!) A Spanish adaptation of the song, "El Arca de Noé", was recorded by

Jimmy Fontana Enrico Sbriccoli (13 November 1934 – 11 September 2013), known professionally as Jimmy Fontana, was an Italian actor, composer and singer-songwriter. Two of his most famous songs are " Che sarà", performed also by José Feliciano with Ricch ...

and peaked at the first place on the Argentine hit parade. An English adaptation, titled "When Love Comes Round Again" and performed by

Ken Dodd Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an English stand-up comedy, comedian, actor and singer. He was described as "the last great music hall entertainer" and was primarily known for his live stand-up comedy, stand-up pe ...

, reached #19 in the UK Singles Chart.

Track listing

; 7" single – SP 1423 # "L'arca di Noè" (Sergio Endrigo) # "Dall'America" (

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 ...

, Sergio Endrigo)

Charts

Jan Howard version

The wife of country music songwriter

Harlan Howard Harlan Perry Howard (September 8, 1927 – March 3, 2002) was an American songwriter, principally in country music. In a career spanning six decades, Howard is credited with writing more than 4,000 songs, over 100 of which reached country mus ...

, Jan Howard was encouraged by her husband to launch her own recording career. Her first commercial success was 1960's "

The One You Slip Around With "The One You Slip Around With" is a song originally written by Harlan Howard and Fuzzy Owen that was originally recorded by American country artist Jan Howard. The wife of Harlan Howard, the song became her first top 20 single on the US country so ...

", but she reached her peak commercial success in the middle 1960s with songs like "

Evil on Your Mind Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extremel ...

", " Bad Seed" and "

For Loving You "For Loving You" is a 1967 duet by Bill Anderson (singer), Bill Anderson and Jan Howard. The single was the duo's most successful release. "For Loving You" went to number one on the country charts in four weeks and spent 20 weeks on the chart. ...

". Her label (

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

) continued releasing material through the early 1970s including "Love Is Like a Spinning Wheel". The song used the same English lyrics written by Bill Owen and also credited Sergio Endrigo. Yet, the song was re-titled as "Love Is Like a Spinning Wheel" Howard's version was released as a single by Decca in December 1971. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' found the lyrics had "a lot to say" and called the arrangement "smooth" while ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' thought it had a "very very likable melody". It rose into the top 40 on the US ''

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 advertis ...

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart, peaking at number 36 in early 1972. It also rose into the top 20 on Canada's ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' Country Tracks chart, peaking at number 14. It was also released on Howard's 1972 studio album of the same name.

Track listing

7" vinyl single * "Love Is Like a Spinning Wheel" – 2:37 * " I Never Once Stopped Loving You" – 2:54

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arca di Noè (song) 1970 singles 1970 songs 1971 singles Decca Records singles Jan Howard songs Sanremo Music Festival songs of 1970 Sergio Endrigo songs Songs written by Sergio Endrigo Environmental songs Number-one singles in Argentina