"La donna cannone" ('The Cannonball Woman') is a song by Italian singer

Francesco De Gregori Francesco De Gregori Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, OMRI (born 4 April 1951) is an Italian singer-songwriter. In Italy, he is popularly known as "Il Principe dei cantautori" ("The Prince of the singer-songwriters"), a nickname referrin ...

, released in 1983.

Overview

De Gregori first composed the music, then, despite weeks of effort, he initially struggled to come up with some suitable verses. He eventually got inspiration for the lyrics from a newspaper article about a woman who, after working as a human cannonball, decided to leave the circus. The song was originally composed as the theme for the film ''

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'' and was released, along with three other soundtrack pieces, on an EP (then referred to as a Q-Disc) of the same name. The original, more symphonic recording was arranged by

Renato Serio Renato Serio (5 October 1946 – 4 November 2024) was an Italian composer, conductor, and arranger. Life and career Born in Lucca, Serio studied piano, conducting, composition and electronic music. He started his career in the 1960s collabora ...

and features

Mimmo Locasciulli Mimmo Locasciulli (born 7 July 1949) is an Italian singer-songwriter, composer, producer and musician. Life and career Born in Penne, Abruzzo, Penne, province of Pescara, Pescara, Locasciulli is the son of a vet who in his spare time used to p ...

on piano, while in his concerts De Gregori generally opts for a more rock-influenced and guitar-based rendition. Artists who covered the song include

Mia Martini Domenica Rita Adriana Bertè (; 20 September 1947 – 12 May 1995), known professionally as Mia Martini (), was an Italian singer, songwriter and musician.James Christopher MongerMia Martini allmusic.com Ornella Vanoni Ornella Vanoni (; born 22 September 1934) is an Italian singer. She is one of the longest-standing Italian artists, having started performing in 1956. She has released about 112 works between LP, EPs and greatest hits albums, and is considered ...

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, Elodie,

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, Noemi,

Lorenzo Fragola Lorenzo Fragola (born 26 April 1995) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the eighth season of the Italian talent show ''X Factor''. His winner's single, "The Reason Why", debuted atop the Italian Singles Chart, and was ...

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, Silvia Salemi,

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. In 2022, De Gregori recorded a new version of the song in a duet with

Antonello Venditti Antonio "Antonello" Venditti (born 8 March 1949) is an Italian singer-songwriter and pianist who became popular in the 1970s for the social themes addressed in his songs. Biography Antonello Venditti was born in Rome, the son of Vincenzino Ita ...

Track listing

;Q-Disc ;Single

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Donna cannone 1983 songs 1983 singles Number-one singles in Italy Songs written by Francesco De Gregori Francesco De Gregori songs