A mano a mano

"A mano a mano"
Single by Riccardo Cocciante
from the album Riccardo Cocciante
B-side	"Storie"
Released	1978
Length	4:14
Label	RCA Italiana
Songwriter(s)	Riccardo Cocciante Marco Luberti
Riccardo Cocciante singles chronology
"Margherita" (1976) "A mano a mano" (1978) "Io canto" (1979)
Music video
"A mano a mano" on YouTube

"A mano a mano" ('Hand in hand') is a 1978 Italian song by Riccardo Cocciante. It achieved major success in its 1980 version by Rino Gaetano.

Overview

The leading single of the 1978 album Riccardo Cocciante, the song was composed by Cocciante (music) and Marco Luberti (lyrics). ^[1] The original version of the song has been described as a slow waltz rich in Frédéric Chopin 's influences and citations. ^[1]

During a 1980 tour held by Cocciante, Rino Gaetano and New Perigeo, the two artists swapped two of their hits, with Cocciante performing Gaetano's "Aida" and Gaetano's adapting Cocciante's "A mano a mano". ^[1] Gaetano's version, later released in the EP Q-Concert, significantly modified the arrangement and the timing of the song, turning it in a composition closer to a mixture between a polka and a Traffic's song. ^[1] Furthermore, Gaetano's vocal performance was more energetic, rougher and less dramatic than Cocciante's, with his performance being described as a mix between Luca Carboni and Zucchero Fornaciari. ^[1] During the years, the song became mainly associated to Gaetano, even thanks to Ferzan Özpetek, who chose Gaetano's version as theme of his 2014 film Fasten Your Seatbelts . ^{[2] [3]}

Artists who recorded the song include Andrea Bocelli, Emma Marrone, Spagna, Alessio Bernabei, Tosca, Piero Barone, Mannarino. ^{[1] [2]}

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"A mano a mano"	Cocciante, Luberti	4:14
2.	"Storie"	Cocciante, Luberti	4:59

Charts

Riccardo Cocciante version

Chart (1978)	Peak position
Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [4]	7

Rino Gaetano version

Chart (2014-6)	Peak position
Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [4]	27

Alessio Bernabei version

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [4]	45

Certifications

Rino Gaetano version

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI) [5] Sales since 2009	4× Platinum	400,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Asinari, Pierguido (2007). Riccardo Cocciante: 1971-2007, dalla forma canzone al melodramma. Editori riuniti. pp. 71–2, 91–2. ISBN   978-88-359-5944-1.
2. Gizzi, Emanuela (6 March 2018). "A mano a mano, quella sola e unica volta di Rino Gaetano". Moondo Cultura (in Italian). Retrieved 11 May 2025.
3. Iossa, Michelangelo (14 May 2021). "A mano a mano". Rino Gaetano: Sotto un cielo sempre più blu. Hoepli. ISBN   978-88-360-0435-5.
4. "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 17 September 2024. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". In the "Titolo" field, search "A mano a mano".
5. "Italian single certifications" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 19 May 2024.

External links

• A mano a mano at Discogs (list of releases)