Azzurro - Adriano Celentano (1968) & Die Toten Hosen (1990)

Couldn't stop humming this song on holiday... :-)

Adriano Celentano, born 1983, singer and actor most popular in the 1960s in his native Italy and many countries across continental Europe, was, in 1968, presenting a song that would go on to become one of the nation's signature songs. Azzurro, composed by Paolo Conte and Michele Virano, is about love and summer in the city. It was covered by numerous Italian singers and even the 'Azzurri', the Italian national Football team has sung the song. The song is typical for Paolo 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 far from his 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.

Among the many foreign covers of the song is a version from 1990 by Die Toten Hosen, a German punk band, who interpreted it in honour of the Football World Cup that year and released it as part of their album Auf dem Kreuzzug ins Glück, which is where the the background comes full circle: Adriano Celentano was born in 14 Via Gluck, Milan, to parents originating from Foggia, Apulia (southern Italy) but moved north in serach for work.

Adriano Celentano - Azzurro (1968)



Die Toten Hosen - Azzurro (1990)
CH#17, DE#23



live version



Lyrics:

Azzurro,
il pomeriggio è troppo azzurro
e lungo per me.
Mi accorgo
di non avere più risorse,
senza di te,
e allora
io quasi quasi prendo il treno
e vengo, vengo da te,
ma il treno dei desideri
nei miei pensieri all'incontrario va.

Sembra quand'ero all'oratorio,
con tanto sole, tanti anni fa.
Quelle domeniche da solo
in un cortile, a passeggiar...
ora mi annoio più di allora,
neanche un prete per chiacchierar...

Azzurro,
il pomeriggio è troppo azzurro
e lungo per me.
Mi accorgo
di non avere più risorse,
senza di te,
e allora
io quasi quasi prendo il treno
e vengo, vengo da te,
ma il treno dei desideri
nei miei pensieri all'incontrario va.

Cerco un po' d'Africa in giardino,
tra l'oleandro e il baobab,
come facevo da bambino,
ma qui c'è gente, non si può più,
stanno innaffiando le tue rose,
non c'è il leone, chissà dov'è...

Azzurro,
il pomeriggio è troppo azzurro
e lungo per me.
Mi accorgo
di non avere più risorse,
senza di te,
e allora
io quasi quasi prendo il treno
e vengo, vengo da te,
ma il treno dei desideri
nei miei pensieri all'incontrario va

Attempt of a translation into English:

Blue
the afternoon is too blue
and too long for me
I remember
not having enough resources anymore
without you,
and so
i'm about to take the train
and I'm coming where you
but the train of desires
in my mind goes the opposite way.

It seems like being at the oratory
with so much sun, so many years ago.
Those lonely Sundays
in a courtyard, taking a walk...
now is more annoying than back then
not even a priest to chat with...

Blue
the afternoon is too blue
and too long for me
I remember
not having enough risources anymore
without you,
and so
i'm about to take the train
and I'm coming where you
but the train of desires
in my mind goes the opposite way.

I'm looking for a piece of Africa in the garden
between the oleander and the monkey bread
like I used to do as a child
but there are a lot of people, it's not possible anymore
the are watering your roses
the lion is not here anymore, who knows where he is...

Blue
the afternoon is too blue
and too long for me
I remember
not having enough risources anymore
without you,
and so
i'm about to take the train
and I'm coming where you
but the train of desires
in my mind goes the opposite way.