"Cuccurucucù" is a 1981 song by Italian singer-songwriter Franco Battiato, from his best-selling album La voce del padrone.
| "Cuccurucucù" | |
|---|---|
 cover of the French single | |
| Song by Franco Battiato | |
| from the album La voce del padrone | |
| Released | 1981 |
| Genre | Pop, New wave |
| Length | 5:19 |
| Label | EMI Italiana |
| Songwriter(s) | Franco Battiato, Giusto Pio |
| Audio | |
| "Cuccurucucù" on YouTube | |
Background
editThe song's lyrics consists of fragments of memories of Battiato's youth, [1][2] even if some biographical verses were eventually modified and adjusted for metric and sound purposes, eg. 'Istituto Magistrale' replacing 'Liceo Classico'.[2]
The title as well as the refrain and part of the melody are citations of Tomás Méndez' "Cucurrucucú paloma".[1][2] The song also includes citations and references to other songs which marked Battiato's adolescence, including Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman" and "Like a Rolling Stone", The Beatles' "Lady Madonna" and "With a Little Help from My Friends", The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" (which Battiato will eventually cover in his album Fleurs), Mina's "Le mille bolle blu", Nicola Di Bari's "Il mondo è grigio, il mondo è blu", and Milva's "Il mare nel cassetto".[1][2] Lyrics also contain citations from Homer's poem Iliad.[1][2] American soprano Marilyn Turner[1] and, uncredited, Giuni Russo, serve as backing vocalists.[2] The song was released as a single in some foreign territories, notably in Switzerland, where it charted.[3] The song was described by Italian writer Michele Serra as 'a dadaist scherzo'.[4]
Charts
edit| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[5] | 11 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[6] Sales from 2009 |
Platinum | 100,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Zuffanti, Fabio (30 June 2020). "Cuccurucucu". Franco Battiato: Tutti i dischi e tutte le canzoni, dal 1965 al 2019 (in Italian). LIT Edizioni. ISBN 978-88-6231-868-6.
- ^ a b c d e f Spessato, Carla (20 October 2021). "Cuccurucucu". Franco Battiato: Come un incantesimo (in Italian). Giunti. ISBN 978-88-09-95527-1.
- ^ "Franco Battiato - Cuccurucucu". lescharts.com. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
- ^ Jachia, Paolo (17 May 2022). "Cuccurucucu". Battiato voglio vederti danzare: Gli album e le canzoni (1979-2019). Àncora Editrice. ISBN 978-88-514-2617-0.
- ^ "Franco Battiato – Cuccurucucu". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Franco Battiato – Cuccurucucù" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
External links
edit- Cuccurucucù at Discogs (list of releases)