Azzurro

"Azzurro"
Song by Adriano Celentano from the album Una carezza in un pugno – Azzurro
Published	1968
Released	1968
Recorded	1968
Genre	Pop
Writer(s)	Paolo Conte, Vito Pallavicini
Composer(s)	Paolo Conte, Michele Virano
Language	Italian
Una carezza in un pugno – Azzurro track listing
"La lotta dell'amore" (6) "Azzurro" (7) "Più forte che puoi" (8)

"Azzurro" [adˈdzurro] is an Italian pop song composed by Paolo Conte and Michele Virano. Its most famous version was recorded by Adriano Celentano in 1968.

Background

Conte wrote the song together with Vito Pallavicini especially for Celentano. Together with Via con me and Sotto le stelle del Jazz, it is one of his most famous works. The song is about love, loneliness and summer in the city. The song is typical for Conte's way of writing, combining simple melodies with catchy but unusual compositions; here he combines military march music with an everyday story, told in a poetic language full of images. Although typical, it is from Conte's early work with pop songs and not resembling his style later on. He recorded the song himself in 1985, not until having had a 10-year solo career as a singer.

Lyrics

The first line of the song goes: "Azzurro, il pomeriggio è troppo azzurro e lungo per me . . ."^[1]

Charts

Chart	Peak position
Italy[2]	1

Cover versions

The song was covered by numerous Italian singers, like Mina, Gianni Morandi and Fiorello. Even the Italian football national team has sung the song on one occasion. German covers were done by Peter Rubin, Dieter Thomas Kuhn, Die Toten Hosen and Peter Alexander. French cover by Régine. Spanish cover by Gabinete Caligari.

Arik Einstein cover

In Israel, it is a famous song known for its Hebrew version by Arik Einstein "Amru Lo" (Hebrew: "They told him..."), which does not feature a translation of the original lyrics, and instead lampoons a young ne'er-do-well's inexplicable obsession with the color red and a failing soccer team of the same uniform color. It was also turned as a film with the same name.

Die Toten Hosen cover

"Azzurro"
Single by Die Toten Hosen
from the album 125 Jahre die Toten Hosen: Auf dem Kreuzzug ins Glück
Released	June 5, 1990
Genre	Punk rock
Length	2:32
Label	Virgin Records
Writer(s)	Paolo Conte Vito Pallavicini Michele Virano
Die Toten Hosen singles chronology
"Alles wird gut" (1990) "Azzurro" (1990) "All die ganzen Jahre" (1990)

Azzurro (on many releases mistitled "Azzuro") was covered by Die Toten Hosen for the album Auf dem Kreuzzug ins Glück as a tribute to 1990 FIFA World Cup.

The single was released with differently coloured covers: green, orange, pink and yellow.

Music video

The video was directed by Hanns Christian Müller.

The band drives around Italy in an Opel, having to push-start it every time. In the end it gets stolen right before them.

Track listing

1. "Azzurro" (Conte, Virano/Conte, Pallavicini) − 2:32
2. "Herzlichen Glückwunsch" (Sincere congratulation) (v. Holst/Frege) – 2:03
3. "Dr. Sommer" (Dr. Summer) (Breitkopf/Frege) – 1:57
4. "Feinde" (Enemies) (Frege/Frege) – 2:20

Charts

Year	Country	Position
1990	Germany	23
1990	Switzerland	17

References

1. Peter Benjaminson The Story of Motown 1979 -- Page 306"The first line of the song goes: "Azzurro, il pomeriggio e troppo azzurro e lungo per me . . ." — Blue, the afternoon is too long and blue for me . . . ("blue," it should be noted, has no negative connotations of the depressing variety clouding the ..."
2. Dario Salvatori. Storia dell'Hit Parade. Gramese, 1989. ISBN 8876054391.