Lucio Battisti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lucio Battisti
Background information
Born	(1943-03-05)5 March 1943 Poggio Bustone, Italy
Died	9 September 1998(1998-09-09) (aged 55) Milan, Italy
Genres	Pop rock soft rock rhythm and blues progressive rock latin pop disco synth-pop
Occupation(s)	Singer composer arranger
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano
Years active	1966–1994
Labels	Dischi Ricordi Numero Uno CBS Sony BMG
Associated acts	Mina Mogol

Lucio Battisti (born March 5, 1943 – died September 9, 1998) was a very important Italian singer, songwriter, and composer. He is famous for creating songs that helped define the sound of Italian music in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Battisti released 18 studio albums between 1969 and 1994. Many of his songs were translated into other languages like Spanish, English, French, and German. He was known for being a very private artist. He performed only a few live concerts during his whole career. In 1978, he decided he would only "speak" to the public through his music. After that, he focused on recording albums and stayed out of the public eye.

The Story of Lucio Battisti

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

Lucio Battisti was born in Poggio Bustone, a small town in Italy. His family moved to Rome in 1950. He taught himself to play the guitar. In the 1960s, Battisti started his music career by playing in local bands. He performed in cities like Rome, Naples, and later Milan. In Milan, he joined a band called I Campioni (The Champions). This band supported a famous singer named Tony Dallara.

Battisti also traveled to Germany and the UK as a musician. There, he learned about different music styles like blues and soul. He was also inspired by artists like Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Animals, and Jimi Hendrix. He brought these new sounds into Italian pop music.

In Milan, a French talent scout named Christine Leroux helped him. She worked for the Ricordi music company. With Leroux's help, Battisti wrote three big hit songs in 1966 for other artists. These included "Per una lira" and "Dolce di giorno." Leroux also introduced Battisti to a lyricist named Giulio Rapetti, known as Mogol.

Mogol wasn't impressed by Battisti's music at first. But he later said he started working with him because Battisti was humble and determined to get better. Mogol also convinced Ricordi to let Battisti sing his own songs. Battisti's unique voice became a key part of his music. He first sang his own song, "Per una lira", in 1966. Even though it didn't sell many copies, it helped him start his singing career.

Battisti kept writing songs for other artists in the late 1960s. The American rock group The Grass Roots had a hit with his song "Balla Linda" (translated as "Bella Linda"). This song helped Battisti win fourth place in the Cantagiro, a popular Italian music contest. In 1967, the English band The Hollies recorded one of his songs in Italian, "Non prego per me". In 1969, Battisti's song "Il Paradiso" was covered by the group Amen Corner. Their version, "(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice", became a number-one hit in the UK.

Becoming a Star: The Mogol-Battisti Team

Lucio Battisti performing "Un'avventura" at the 1969 Sanremo festival.

In 1969, Battisti took part in the Festival of Sanremo with the song "Un'avventura". His popularity quickly grew after that. His first big hit was "Acqua azzurra, acqua chiara", which won the Festivalbar music competition. In the same year, Ricordi released his first album, Battisti's self-titled debut album. During this successful year, he met Grazia Letizia Veronese. They later married and stayed together until his death.

Lucio Battisti and lyricist Mogol formed a very strong and successful team. Battisti continued to release solo albums regularly throughout the 1970s. Almost all of these albums reached the top of the music charts in Italy. They are now seen as classic Italian pop music. He also became a popular face on television.

In 1970, Battisti won Festivalbar again with the song "Fiori rosa, fiori di pesco". He and Mogol also started working with the famous singer Mina. She sang some of their most popular songs. In December, Ricordi released Battisti's second album, Emozioni. This album was a collection of songs he had released before. Battisti was upset because he had created a different album called Amore e non-amore. But his record label thought it was too experimental for Italian listeners.

Amore e non-amore was finally released in July 1971. To have more creative freedom, Battisti and Mogol moved to Numero Uno. This was one of Italy's first independent record labels, which they had founded in 1969. In the same year, the English band Love Affair recorded "Wake Me I Am Dreaming", which was a cover of Battisti's "Mi ritorni in mente".

Their new label released Umanamente uomo: il sogno in 1972. This was followed by the even more successful Il mio canto libero in 1972. Il mio canto libero stayed at number one on the Italian charts for 8 weeks. One of its songs, "Io vorrei, non vorrei, ma se vuoi", was later recorded by Mick Ronson. The lyrics were translated by David Bowie and the song was called "Music Is Lethal". The song "Il mio canto libero" is still one of the most loved songs among Italians. Another successful album was Il nostro caro angelo (1973).

In 1972, the American magazine Billboard named Battisti "Italian Personality of the Year." They said he was a "singer, composer, music publisher of international fame, [who] has elevated Italian audience's taste and strengthened the market."

Anima latina (1974) is considered one of Battisti's most complex works. It showed a new way of mixing progressive rock with more focus on rhythms. Mogol's lyrics also became more mysterious. Still, the album was very successful, staying at number one in Italy for 13 weeks.

Lucio Battisti, la batteria, il contrabbasso, eccetera, released in 1976, was an even bigger hit. It included the popular song "Ancora tu". Many songs on this album showed Battisti's interest in the new Disco music style. This style would greatly influence his next three albums.

In 1977, he released Io tu noi tutti. He also moved to Los Angeles. There, he released an album called Images. This album featured some of his biggest hits re-recorded in English. However, his attempt to become as famous in the United States as he was in Europe did not succeed. In 1978, Battisti released Una donna per amico. This album was recorded in London and produced by Geoff Westley. It became his best-selling album ever. This was followed in 1980 by Una giornata uggiosa, made by the same team. It contained Battisti's last huge hit, "Con il nastro rosa". This song is considered one of the best songs by the Mogol-Battisti team. It features a long guitar solo by Phil Palmer. Battisti's songs written with Mogol are still covered by international artists. For example, Tanita Tikaram covered "And I Think of You" ("E penso a te").

Battisti was a rather shy person. He always preferred not to talk about himself or his work. In the early 1980s, he announced he would no longer appear in public or give interviews. He said an artist should only communicate with the public through their art. He rarely appeared on TV in other countries like France, Switzerland, and Germany. After 1982, he completely stopped public appearances, much like other famous recluses such as J. D. Salinger.

New Sounds and Later Years

In 1981, Battisti stopped working with Mogol. He started to explore more experimental music, often using electronic instruments. The albums from this "second period," starting with E già in 1982 (with lyrics by his wife), received mixed reviews from critics and listeners. Mogol then started working with Riccardo Cocciante. In 1990, Mogol said he hadn't listened to Battisti's albums for many years.

From 1986 to 1994, the lyrics on Battisti's albums were written by the poet Pasquale Panella. The album Don Giovanni (1986) brought back classic "Battisti" melodies. However, some people found the lyrics strange and confusing. Others thought they were like clever puzzles. Don Giovanni was reasonably successful in Italy.

The next album, L'apparenza (1988), also had difficult lyrics. It was less successful than Don Giovanni in sales and chart position. La sposa occidentale (1990) was released by CBS. It saw another drop in sales. However, falling sales were not a big worry for Battisti. It was rumored that in the 1990s, he earned a lot of money each year (about 3 million Euro in 2006) just from the rights to his 1970s songs.

Battisti's last albums were Cosa succederà alla ragazza (1992) and Hegel (1994).

His Final Years and Legacy

On September 9, 1998, Lucio Battisti passed away in a hospital in Milan. The New York Times reported the cause was cancer. He was also said to have been suffering from a kidney disease called glomerulonephritis. The news quickly spread across Italy. It created a huge wave of sadness for the beloved singer-songwriter. He was buried in the cemetery of Molteno, the town where he had lived his last years with his family.

After Battisti's death, several collections of his best songs were released. These include Battisti (2000) and Canzoni d'amore (2001). His music is published by BMG Music Publishing.

Why Lucio Battisti Was So Important

Over the years, Battisti became one of the most famous Italian singers. His songs are still incredibly popular in Italy. Other professional musicians often perform his songs live. A small planet, 9115 Battisti, was named in his honor. It was discovered by two Italian astronomers near his hometown.

In an interview, David Bowie said that Lucio Battisti was his favorite Italian artist. He also called him one of the greatest singers in the world, along with Lou Reed. Bowie even translated one of Battisti's songs, "Io vorrei... Non vorrei... Ma se vuoi", for Mick Ronson's first album.

Besides Bowie, other international celebrities have also praised Battisti. These include Paul McCartney, Pete Townshend, and Laura Pausini.

Discography

Albums

Singles

English Language Recordings

A few of Lucio Battisti's songs were translated into English. The album Images was the only official album released worldwide. However, in Britain, a single was published with two other English translations: "Baby It's You" ("Ancora tu") and "Lady" ("Donna selvaggia donna"). A full English translation of the album Una donna per amico, planned to be called Friends, was recorded but never released. These two songs and the album were translated and produced by Frank Musker.

Here is a list of Battisti's English recordings:

Released

• Images
• "Baby It's You" ("Ancora tu")
• "Lady" ("Donna selvaggia donna")

Unreleased

• "My Father Told Me" – an instrumental version of "Nel sole, nel vento, nel sorriso, e nel pianto"
• "Wake Me I Am Dreaming" – "Mi ritorni in mente"
• "You and Your Tomorrow" – "Acqua azzurra, acqua chiara"
• The following songs were considered for Images. They were translated by Marva Jan Marrow, not Peter Powell:

• "Star in a Film" – "L'interprete di un film"
• "Since I Have Forgotten About You" – "Eppur mi son scordato di te" (with a different melody and acoustic guitar)
• "Our Dear Angel" – "Il nostro caro angelo"
• "Freedom Song" – another translation of "Il mio canto libero", sung solo with guitar
• "The Sun Song" – another translation of "La canzone del sole", using the original Italian melody
• "To Love a Bit" – "Amarsi un po'", the words were changed to "To feel in love" for the album

• Friends – A translation of the album Una donna per amico. It replaced the song "Maledetto gatto" with translations of two other hits. All songs were translated by Frank Musker.

1. "Baby it's You" – a shorter version
2. "And I Think of You" – a previous hit "E penso a te", different from the tribute by Tanita Tikaram
3. "Take it as it Comes" – "Prendila così"
4. "Lady" – slightly different from the released version
5. "Day to Day" – "Perché no"
6. "Afraid of Falling" – "Aver paura di innamorarsi troppo"
7. "Pain is Gone" – "Nessun dolore"
8. "A Woman as a Friend" – "Una donna per amico"
9. "Let's Go See a Movie" – "Al cinema"

• "Pain is Gone" and "A Woman as a Friend" were recorded twice. The first version of "Pain is Gone" used more bongos, and the chorus sang "Nessun dolore" in the background. The second version had English words repeated in the background. The only main difference between the two "A Woman as a Friend" versions was the second verse.

See also

In Spanish: Lucio Battisti para niños