"Chi Mai" (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

: whoever) is a composition by

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone ( , ; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, Orchestration, orchestrator, conductor, trumpeter, and pianist who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 film score, scores for cinema and televisi ...

written in 1971. It was first used in the film '' Maddalena'' (1971), later in the films ''

Le Professionnel ''The Professional'' (original title: ''Le Professionnel''; ) is a 1981 French action Thriller film, thriller film directed by Georges Lautner. The film stars Jean-Paul Belmondo as the title role. The film is based on award-winning 1976 novel ' ...

'' directed by

Georges Lautner Georges Lautner (; 24 January 1926 – 22 November 2013) was a French film director and screenwriter, known primarily for his comedies created in collaboration with screenwriter Michel Audiard. Lautner's ventures into other genres were less ...

(1981), as well as in the television series ''

An Englishman's Castle ''An Englishman's Castle'' is a BBC television serial first broadcast in 1978, written by Philip Mackie and directed by Paul Ciappessoni. The story was set in an alternative history 1970s, in which Nazi Germany won World War II and England is ...

'' (1978). In 1981, it was used as the theme music for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

series ''

The Life and Times of David Lloyd George ''The Life and Times of David Lloyd George'' is a BBC Wales drama serial first broadcast in 1981 on BBC Two. It stars Philip Madoc as David Lloyd George, the final Liberal prime minister of the UK. The cast also includes Lisabeth Miles, Kik ...

''Trivia for Maddalena
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

and the BBC release of the theme reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.

Composition

Elements of the melody of "Chi Mai" appeared in a piece entitled "Invito All'Amore" from the 1968

Sergio Corbucci Sergio Corbucci (; 6 December 1926 – 1 December 1990) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and Film producer, producer. He was one of the main exponents of the Spaghetti Western genre during the 1960s and 1970s, with his most notable work ...

Spaghetti Western The spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's filmmaking style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

, '' The Great Silence''. The original Italian lyrics for this song were written by Carlo Nistri and published by

Ricordi Ricordi may refer to: People * Giovanni Ricordi (1785–1853), Italian violinist and publishing company founder *Giulio Ricordi (1840–1912), Italian publisher and musician Music *Casa Ricordi, an Italian music publishing company established i ...

(1972). "Chi Mai" is also famous in France for being used for a

Royal Canin Royal Canin () is a French manufacturer and global supplier of cat and dog food. The company is a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated. It undertakes research into the specific nutritional needs of dogs and cats. The company was established by Frenc ...

1980s commercial, to the point that it is more closely associated with the commercial than with its other appearances, including Dunhill in 1987. In 2002, this association was referenced by the French movie, '' Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra'', in a scene in which

Dogmatix Dogmatix ( ; ) is a fictional white terrier dog who is a companion to Obelix in the ''Asterix'' comics. ''Dogmatix'' is a pun on the words '' dog'' and '' dogmatic''. In the original French, his name is a pun on the expression '' idée fixe'' ...

is chasing a legionnaire running on all fours in slow motion (like in the commercial) while "Chi Mai" is playing in the background. "Chi Mai" was used as the melody for the last tribute to

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward, frequently portraying police officer ...

, in the post mortem national ceremony held on 9 September 2021, three days after Belmondo's death. "Chi Mai" was also used for an exhibition performed at the 1995 European Championships by 1994 World Figure Skating pairs champions

Evgenia Shishkova Evgenia Vasilievna Shishkova (; 18 December 1972 – 29 January 2025) was a Russian figure skating coach and competitor. With her husband Vadim Naumov, she was the 1994 world champion and the 1995–96 Champions Series Final champion. Shishk ...

and

Vadim Naumov Vadim Vladimirovich Naumov (; 7 April 1969 – 29 January 2025) was a Russian pair skater. With his wife Evgenia Shishkova, he was the 1994 world champion and the 1995–96 Champions Series Final champion. Naumov died on 29 January 2025, w ...

Online community

"Chi Mai" is also the name of the online community about Ennio Morricone.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Film theme songs Television drama theme songs Ennio Morricone songs 1970s instrumentals 1971 compositions 1981 singles