Italy
Foreign Songs
Reviews

Amedeo Minghi is one of the few Italian singers who bothers to put a lot of thought into his lyrics. This can be appreciated by analyzing his word choice. Italian songs usually need to finish a line with a “tronco” (from the verb “troncare,” which means “to break off”). That is, the sound of the final syllable must come to a full stop instead of being drawn out. Thus, the Italian word for love, “amore,” is often sung as “amor,” not because this is correct but because it allows the word to end abruptly instead of having an elongated “e” sound at the end. Minghi, however, tries to find other ways around this issue, using words like “amerò” (I will love), which already have the required ending, instead of inventing new and non-existent terms to fit the line.

"Amedeo Minghi is one of the few Italian singers who bothers to put a lot of thought into his lyrics. This can be appreciated by analyzing his word choice."

Minghi also employs words that many Italians do not even know exist. In his song “Vattene Amore,” he includes phrases like “spensierato sei content,” which means “carefree you are happy.” Most Italians would have written “cheerful you are happy,” which is not as elegant. It is surprising how limited the vocabulary of the average Italian is, even though the language is rich with poetic words and meanings. Unfortunately, “Vattene Amore” is seen by many Italians as nothing more than a fun little song, so they do not give it the credit it deserves. Yet the lyrics are the work of a song- writing genius.

There is something incredibly romantic about saying, “Il tuo nome sarà su un cartellone che fa, della pubblicità sulla strada per me...” (Your name will be on a sign along the road that leads to me). Granted, this is not a great expression of love in English. But in Italian, it evokes strong and powerful feelings. Elsewhere, the singer explains what his loved one’s name means to him. For him, her “nome sarà il nome di ogni città” (her name will be the name of every city). His love is strong, but certain problems prevent it from being entirely consummated. This gives meaning to the song’s title, which translates as “Go Away, Love.” Minghi says, “Vedrai la stellare guerra che ne verrà, il nostro amore sarà lì, tremante e brillante così.” He expresses how important his love is to him, comparing it to a galactic war and ensuring their love will shine and tremble likewise. The chorus announces, “If you don’t leave, neither you nor I will ever have peace.” Yet, by adding “ancora non lo so” (I don’t know yet), he suggests that a big part of him wants her to stay. The reason their relationship will not work, then, is not a lack of love but an insurmountable problem bigger than them both.