La bambola

Last updated
"La bambola"
Patty pravo la bambola.jpg
Single by Patty Pravo
from the album Patty Pravo
B-side "Se c'è l'amore"
Released1968
Genre Pop
Length3:08
Label RCA Victor
Songwriters
Patty Pravo singles chronology
"Se perdo te"
(1967)		"La bambola"
(1968)		"Gli occhi dell'amore"
(1968)
"La bambola" (audio) on YouTube

"La bambola" (Italian for 'The Doll') is an Italian pop song written by Franco Migliacci, Bruno Zambrini and Ruggero Cini, and performed by Patty Pravo. [1] The song had been previously refused by several artists, including Gianni Morandi, Little Tony, Gigliola Cinquetti, Caterina Caselli and the Rokes. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

The single peaked at number one on the Italian chart for nine consecutive weeks between May and June 1968 [4] and was certified gold. [5] It had sold 200,000 copies by May 1968 [6] and a million copies by December 1968. [7] The single also charted in Argentina. [8] It is considered as the song which consecrated Patty Pravo to fame. [1] [2] [9] The B-side of the single is "Se c'è l'amore" ("If There Is Love"), a cover of Long John Baldry's "Let the Heartaches Begin". A Spanish-language version of the song was released in Spain.

Pravo revisited "La bambola" on her albums of re-recorded material in 1987 and 1990. To commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the hit, she released a new version of the song in 2008.

"La bambola" was covered by numerous artists. It was also used in several films, notably Anton Corbijn's The American , Michele Placido's Romanzo Criminale , Emanuele Crialese's Respiro , and Bigas Luna's Bambola . [10]

Track listings

A. "La bambola" (Franco Migliacci, Bruno Zambrini, Ruggero Cini) – 3:08
B. "Se c'è l'amore" (Franco Migliacci, Tony Macaulay, John Macleod) – 3:02
A. "La bambola" (Franco Migliacci, Bruno Zambrini, Ruggero Cini, Cholo Baltasar) – 3:08
B. "Lettera a Gianni (Carta a Gianni)" (Sergio Bardotti, Shel Shapiro) – 2:08

Charts

Madonna version

"La bambola"
Promotional single by Madonna
Released7 January 2026 (2026-01-07)
Length2:51
Label
Songwriters
Producer
Music video
"La bambola" on YouTube

Background

Madonna has historically collaborated with Dolce & Gabbana on tour costumes, fashion shoots, eyewear collaborations and the fashion brand. In 2025, Dolce & Gabbana showcased an entire fashion collection inspired by Madonna for the Milan Fashion Week Spring Summer 2025 season. [18] Dolce and Gabbana first saw Madonna during her Blond Ambition tour and later went on to provide costumes for The Girlie Show tour in 1993. During a conversation with Vogue magazine, Madonna stated that the fragrance felt like a "natural extension of our personal and professional relationship." [19]

Madonna covered the song for Dolce & Gabbana's "The One" campaign, and released it as a single on 7 January 2026. [20]

Composition

Madonna's rendition is described as smoky by comparison to Pravo's. [21]

Usage in media

The advert was shot by Mert Alas and references both Patty Pravo and deatures actor Alberto Guerra. Madonna wantd to show the beauty and complexity of Italian women, stating that this confidence originates from "their confidence, independence and effortless style]]." [22] The synopsis involves The new campaign unfolds as a night transformed into a stage of emotions, wrapped in a misterious atmosphere and interwoven with echoes of 1970s Italian neorealist cinema. At the center of the scene stands Madonna: a strong, confident, determined woman. She breaks conventions and boldly rewrites the rules of seduction with charisma and audacity. Every gesture is magnetic; every whispered word becomes a promise that ignites the imagination. Between jealousy and passion, the tension culminates in a passionate kiss, sealing the union of the two protagonists. [23]

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "La bambola"
Chart (2026)Peak
position
UK Singles Downloads (OCC) [24] 24
US World Digital Song Sales ( Billboard ) [25] 2

Other cover versions

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ezio Guaitamacchi (2009). 1000 canzoni che ci hanno cambiato la vita (in Italian). Rizzoli. ISBN   978-8858617427.
  2. 1 2 Enrico Deregibus (2010). Dizionario completo della canzone italiana (in Italian). Giunti Editore. ISBN   978-8809756250.
  3. ↑ L'espresso , Volume 46, Issues 32-35. p. 149.
  4. ↑ "Hit Parade Italia - Top Settimanali Single" (in Italian).
  5. ↑ Joseph Murrells (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. ISBN   0214205126.
  6. ↑ "Italy" (PDF). Cash Box . Vol. XXIX, no. 43. 25 May 1968. p. 56. Retrieved 30 June 2023– via World Radio History.
  7. ↑ "Patty Pravo Makes 1st Visit To U.S." (PDF). Cash Box . Vol. XXX, no. 20. 14 December 1968. p. 18. Retrieved 30 June 2023– via World Radio History.
  8. ↑ "Argentina's Best Sellers" (PDF). Cash Box . Vol. XXX, no. 6. 7 September 1968. p. 56. Retrieved 30 June 2023– via World Radio History.
  9. ↑ Gianfranco Salvatore (1997). Mogol-Battisti: l'alchimia del verso cantato: arte e linguaggio della canzone moderna (in Italian). Castelvecchi. ISBN   8886232853.
  10. ↑ "Patty Pazza idea, la colonna sonora del film con Patty Pravo" (in Italian). Oggi al Cinema. 20 August 2014. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  11. ↑ "Patty Pravo - La Bambola / Se C'È L'Amore (Vinyl)". Discogs. 1968. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Patty Pravo - La Bambola (En Español) (Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single)". Discogs. 1968. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  13. ↑ "M&D: Classifiche" (in Italian). musicaedischi.it. Retrieved 9 April 2023. (Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, enter "Patty Pravo" in the "Artista" field, and click "cerca".)
  14. ↑ "Discographie Patty Pravo" (in French). www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  15. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  16. ↑ "Patty Pravo | Top 40-artiesten" (in Dutch). www.top40.nl. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  17. ↑ "Discografie Patty Pravo" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  18. ↑ https://www.designscene.net/2025/12/madonna-the-one-fragrance.html
  19. ↑ https://www.vogue.com/article/madonna-dolce-and-gabbana-the-one-fragrance-interview
  20. ↑ "Madonna ha pubblicato la cover di 'La bambola' di Patty Pravo". Rolling Stone Italia (in Italian). 7 January 2026. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  21. ↑ https://www.vogue.com/article/madonna-dolce-and-gabbana-the-one-fragrance-interview
  22. ↑ https://www.vogue.com/article/madonna-dolce-and-gabbana-the-one-fragrance-interview
  23. ↑ https://world.dolcegabbana.com/beauty/dolce-gabbana-the-one-campaign-beauty-fragrances-madonna-alberto-guerra-2026
  24. ↑ "Official Singles Downloads Chart on 9/1/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  25. ↑ "Madonna Chart History: World Digital Song Sales". Billboard . Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  26. ↑ "Dalida - La bambola" (in German). austriancharts.at. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
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