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“Che t'aggia fa” is a duet by Mina and Adriano Celentano, which plays like a couple’s tit for tat. Although it’s sung in the Foggiano dialect, it’s quite comprehensible! The lyrics are not strictly in Foggiano – which, in its pure form, is rather obscure – but in an easier, “Italianized” form.

In the opening lines, the male voice (Celentano) tells his wife she’s beautiful: “tu si bella si bella si bella.” Yet he complains that she stopped cooking for him after marriage. He sings, “Ma me decest prima de spusarme / ca tu cucinav bene e invece nu cazz / hai fatt quannu ce simmo spusate,” or in standard Italian, “Mi hai detto prima di sposarmi / che tu cucinavi bene e invece un bel niente (u cazz!) / hai fatto, poi che ci siamo sposati” (You were a good cook, but you did nothing after we married). Meanwhile, the female voice (Mina) accuses her husband of being a bad lover: “Prima de spusarme / ero accussì cuntenta / de spusarme cu te / pecchè dicevo... penzevo... / chissà quante bella notte d'amore / che passava con lui / e invece no cazz hai fatt...,” or in standard Italian, “Prima di sposarmi / ero così contenta / di sposarmi con te / perché dicevo...pensavo /chissà quante belle notti d'amore / da passare con lui / e invece un cazzo” (I was so happy to marry with you /'cause I said... I thought / guess how many nights of love […] but on the contrary you did nothing).

"Although it’s sung in the Foggiano dialect, it’s quite comprehensible!"

In response, he promises her “un paliatone, accussi / prime o poi tu te imbare [...] a cucine.” “Paliatone” means “To beat someone” (in this case, the wife). In the past, patriarchal southern societies upheld male superiority within the family, even if this meant having to resort to violence (using men’s “hands”). In reality, southern societies are more matriarchal, and even those places, communities, and families that used to be more patriarchal have since then been transformed. The wife uses typical female weapons against her husband, like sharpness, slyness, and trickery (in opposition to his “hands”): “Se tu non imbari e fare l'amore / io non m'imbaro a cucinare” (If you don't improve at lovemaking / I won't improve as a cook). Who wins in the end? According to the title of the song – “che t'aggia dì” – it seems the couple “cannot do anything” about their disagreements. The end describes an erotic epilogue, with the will of love triumphing over warlike “paliatone.” As the husband says, “Io te vojo toccà” (I want to touch you). This song, released in 1998 in the LP Mina Celentano, is one of the most loved duets by both artists