| "Piazza Grande" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Lucio Dalla | ||||
| B-side | "Convento di pianura" | |||
| Released | 1972 | |||
| Label | RCA Italiana | |||
| Lucio Dalla singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Piazza Grande" on YouTube | ||||
"Piazza Grande" ('Grand Square') is a 1972 song composed by Lucio Dalla, Ron, Gianfranco Baldazzi and Sergio Bardotti, arranged by Ruggero Cini and performed by Lucio Dalla. The song ranked eighth at the 22nd edition of the Sanremo Music Festival.
The song was composed by Dalla and Ron with the working title "America", and it was initially supposed to tell the story of the 1620 Mayflower voyage. [1] After various attempts of lyricists Bardotti and Baldazzi to suit the projected theme to the music, during a promotional tour in the US, in Manhattan, Baldazzi eventually changed the topic of the song into the story of a homeless man who prefers his freedom to comfort. [1]
The title of the song is a reference to Piazza Cavour in Bologna, close to Dalla's birth house. [1] [2] The RCA label lobbied to change it into a more well known "Canal Grande", with Dalla resisting to its requests. [3] Once listening to the song, his RCA colleague Gianni Morandi repeatedly asked Dalla to be the one to bring the song to the Sanremo Festival, eventually being turned down. [3]
The song premiered at the Sanremo Music Festival 1972, with Dalla being accompanied by Ron as guitarist. [1] In spite of being one of the favorites it only ranked eighth, even if it turned to be a commercial success and a long seller. [1] [2]
Artists who recorded cover versions of the song include Fiorella Mannoia, Gianni Morandi, Albano Carrisi, Tosca & Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Fiorello, Tomislav Ivčić, Franck Pourcel, Pierdavide Carone.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Piazza Grande" | Gianfranco Baldazzi, Sergio Bardotti, Lucio Dalla, Ron | 3:14 |
| 2. | "Convento di pianura" | Paola Pallottino, Lucio Dalla | 3:52 |
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [4] | 10 |
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI) [5] | 7 |
Lucio Dalla was an Italian singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He also played clarinet and keyboards.
Gian Luigi "Gianni" Morandi is an Italian pop singer, actor and entertainer. It is estimated that Morandi has sold about 50 million recordings.
"Occhi di ragazza" was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1970, performed in Italian by Gianni Morandi.
Rosalino Cellamare, better known as Ron, is an Italian singer-songwriter and musician.
"Canzone per te", written by Italian composer Sergio Endrigo. The song won the 1968 edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, with a double performance by Endrigo and Roberto Carlos.
Cecilia Chailly is an Italian harpist, composer, singer and writer.
The Sanremo Music Festival 2012, officially the 62nd Italian Song Festival, was the 62nd annual Sanremo Music Festival, held at the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo between 14 and 18 February 2012, and broadcast by Rai 1. The show was presented by Gianni Morandi with Ivana Mrázová and Rocco Papaleo.
The Sanremo Music Festival 2011, officially the 61st Italian Song Festival, was the 61st annual Sanremo Music Festival, held at the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo between 15 and 19 February 2011 and broadcast by Rai 1. The festival was presented by singer Gianni Morandi with Paolo Kessisoglu, Luca Bizzarri, Belén Rodríguez and Elisabetta Canalis, while artistic director was Gianmarco Mazzi.
"C'era un ragazzo che come me amava i Beatles e i Rolling Stones" is a song composed by Mauro Lusini and Franco Migliacci, and performed by Gianni Morandi. The song premiered at the third Festival delle Rose, in which Morandi presented the song in couple with the author Lusini. A protest ballad against the Vietnam War, it was censored by RAI television and radio for being polemic towards the policies of an allied state. The B-side of the single is "Se perdo anche te", a cover of Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man". Both songs are arranged by Ennio Morricone.
Gianfranco Baldazzi was an Italian lyricist, record producer, author and journalist.
The Sanremo Music Festival 2014, officially the 64th Italian Song Festival, was the 64th annual Sanremo Music Festival, a televised song contest held at the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo, Liguria, between 18 and 22 February 2014 and broadcast by Rai 1. Fabio Fazio and Italian comedy actress Luciana Littizzetto presented the show.
"La prima cosa bella" is a song composed by Nicola Di Bari and Mogol. The song ranked second at the twenth edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, with a double performance by Nicola Di Bari and Ricchi e Poveri.
Sergio Bardotti was an Italian lyricist, composer and record producer.
Stadio is an Italian pop rock band formed in 1977. The members are Giovanni Pezzoli (drums), Roberto Drovandi, Andrea Fornili (guitar), and Gaetano Curreri.
"Adesso sì" is a 1966 Italian song composed by Sergio Endrigo. The song premiered at the 16th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, with a double performance by Endrigo and Chad & Jeremy, and placed eight in the competition.
The Sanremo Music Festival 2023, officially the 73rd Italian Song Festival, was the 73rd edition of the annual Sanremo Music Festival, a television song contest held in the Teatro Ariston of Sanremo, organised and broadcast by RAI. The show was held between 7 and 11 February 2023, and was presented for the fourth time in a row by Amadeus, who also served as the artistic director for the competition, with Gianni Morandi co-hosting.
"Montagne verdi" is a 1972 song composed by Gianni Bella (music) and Giancarlo Bigazzi (lyrics) and performed by Marcella Bella.
"La cura" is a 1996 song by Franco Battiato, the second single from his album L'imboscata. The song was composed by Battiato following the death of his mother Grazia, and its lyrics have been subjected to various interpretations, meant as a romantic dialogue between two lovers, between a parent and a child, or as an inner reflection on oneself. Battiato described the song as "a prayer in reverse", not made by a man to God but in which it's God who comforts the humanity. The song was awarded song of the year at the Premio italiano della musica.
"4/3/1943", also spelled "4 marzo 1943", is a 1971 song composed by Lucio Dalla and Paola Pallottino. The song ranked third at the 21st edition of the Sanremo Music Festival, in a double performance by Lucio Dalla and Equipe 84.
"Fatti mandare dalla mamma a prendere il latte", also known with the shorter title "Fatti mandare dalla mamma", is a 1962 Italian song composed by Franco Migliacci (lyrics) Luis Bacalov and Bruno Zambrini (music) and performed by Gianni Morandi.
Piazza Grande at Discogs (list of releases)
