"Canzone" is a 1968 song composed by

Don Backy Don Backy (born Aldo Caponi on 21 August 1939) is an Italian singer-songwriter and actor. Life and career Born in Santa Croce sull'Arno, Caponi spent his early years in Castellammare di Stabia before returning to his hometown in 1955.Bassignan ...

and

Detto Mariano Detto Mariano (27 July 1937 – 25 March 2020) was an Italian composer, arranger, lyricist, pianist, record producer and music publisher. Life and career Born Mariano Detto in Monte Urano, Mariano started his career in 1958 but was launched b ...

. It placed third at the 18th edition of the

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...

with a double performance by

Adriano Celentano Adriano Celentano (; born 6 January 1938) is an Italian singer-songwriter, actor, showman, and filmmaker. He is dubbed ''Il Molleggiato'' ('the springy one') because of his energetic dancing. Celentano's many albums frequently enjoyed both com ...

and

Milva Maria Ilva Biolcati, (; 17 July 1939 – 23 April 2021), known as Milva (), was an Italian singer, stage and film actress, and television personality. She was also known as ''La Rossa'' (Italian for "The Redhead"), due to the characteristic co ...

Overview

The song was composed by

shortly before a clash with his producer

, who was accused and sued by Backy for having allegedly altered the accounting of his record sales under his label

Clan Celentano Clan Celentano is an Italian record label founded by Adriano Celentano in the early 1960s. Artists who have recorded for the label include Don Backy, Fred Bongusto, Milena Cantù, Adriano Celentano, Maria Luigia Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts ...

. Don Backy originally planned to present the song at the Sanremo Festival in a double performance with

, but, being his producer, Celentano had the final say about the artists chosen to perform his label's songs at the festival, and he chose to replace Don Backy with himself. Celentano's performance at the Festival was received by critics as half-hearted and lacking commitment, and was reportedly meant to be a spiteful snub to his former friend; during the interviews he also asserted the mediocrity of the song, declaring that its B-side "Un bimbo sul leone" was much superior. In spite of that, the song was well received by the festival's audience, with Celentano even receiving a standing ovation, and eventually placed third. At the award ceremony Celentano did not show up and refused to perform the song again. Don Backy later claimed that if he had been able to perform the song he would have won the festival, and that Celentano's version had nothing to do with his composition, as "it had no soul, as if they were notes put together by pure chance". Don Backy's version of the song eventually proved to be the most successful at the hit parade. Artists who recorded the song also include

Massimo Ranieri Giovanni Calone (born 3 May 1951), known professionally as Massimo Ranieri, is an Italian singer, actor, television presenter and theatre director. Biography Early life Ranieri was born in Borgo Santa Lucia, Naples, the fifth of eight children ...

Mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and bandleader. He worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, an ...

, and

Enrico Intra Enrico Intra (born 3 July 1935 in Milan, Italy) is an Italian jazz pianist, composer, conductor. During his long career, Intra has collaborated with such notable musicians as Gerry Mulligan, Franco Cerri, Lee Konitz, Milton Jackson, Severino Gazz ...

Track listing

; Don Backy version ; Adriano Celentano version

Charts

; Don Backy version ; Adriano Celentano version

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1968 singles Italian songs 1968 songs Sanremo Music Festival songs of 1968 Adriano Celentano songs