Franco Califano
Franco Califano (14 September 1938 – 30 March 2013) was an Italian lyricist, composer, singer-songwriter, author and actor. His songs sold about 20 million records during his career.
Early life
Born in an airplane above Tripoli, Libya, Ca ...
(lyrics) and
Dario Baldan Bembo Dario Baldan Bembo (born 15 May 1948) is an Italian composer, singer-songwriter, music arranger and musician, best known for the songs "Aria (song), Aria" and "Amico è".
Background
Born in Milan, Baldan Bembo started his music career as a keyb ...
(music) and performed by
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
Background
In 1973
Dario Baldan Bembo Dario Baldan Bembo (born 15 May 1948) is an Italian composer, singer-songwriter, music arranger and musician, best known for the songs "Aria (song), Aria" and "Amico è".
Background
Born in Milan, Baldan Bembo started his music career as a keyb ...
composed a modern
minuet
A minuet (; also spelled menuet) is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually written in time. The English word was adapted from the Italian ''minuetto'' and the French ''menuet''.
The term also describes the musical form tha ...
ballad, and the melody was chosen by producer Giovanni Sanjust as to be the Summer single for
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.comPiccolo uomo
"Piccolo uomo" () is a 1972 Italian song composed by Dario Baldan Bembo (music), Bruno Lauzi, and Michelangelo La Bionda (lyrics) and performed by Mia Martini. It was the singer's first significant commercial success.
Background
When Dario B ...
" and " Donna sola". He asked several songwriters to compose the lyrics, and after the versions of Luigi Albertelli, Bruno Lauzi and were rejected, it was eventually chosen the version of
Franco Califano
Franco Califano (14 September 1938 – 30 March 2013) was an Italian lyricist, composer, singer-songwriter, author and actor. His songs sold about 20 million records during his career.
Early life
Born in an airplane above Tripoli, Libya, Ca ...
, who based his lyrics on some conversations he had with Martini, as to make the song more personal and biographical. The Albertelli version, titled "Salvami", was eventually released in 2003 in the collection ''Canzoni segrete''.
The all-star chorus of the song consisted of
La Bionda
La Bionda were an Italian disco duo consisting of siblings Carmelo (1949–2022) and Michelangelo La Bionda (born 1952). They are considered among the pioneers of the Italo disco music genre.
The siblings were born in Ramacca, Sicily and move ...
Maurizio Fabrizio
Maurizio Fabrizio (born 16 March 1952) is an Italian composer, conductor, arranger, producer, musician and singer-songwriter.
Life and career
Born in Milan, after studying at the conservatory in 1969 Fabrizio became a member of the La Scala or ...
, Martini's sister
Loredana Bertè
Loredana Bertè (; born 20 September 1950) is an Italian singer, songwriter and actress. She has worked with prominent Italian songwriters such as Pino Daniele, Ivano Fossati, Mario Lavezzi, Mango and Enrico Ruggeri, among others; her sister M ...
and her then fiancé
Adriano Panatta
Adriano Panatta (born 9 July 1950) is an Italian former professional tennis player. He won the French Open in 1976 French Open – Men's singles, 1976, becoming the first Italian man in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, major ...
.
The song premiered in the
RAI
(), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...
television show ''Adesso musica'', and eventually won the
Festivalbar
The Festivalbar () was an Italian singing competition that took place in the most important Italian squares during summer, such as the Piazza del Duomo, Catania or Piazza Bra, Verona. The first edition took place in 1964 and was broadcast by ...
ex aequo with "Io domani" by
Marcella Bella
Giuseppa Marcella Bella (born 18 June 1952), known as just Marcella Bella or simply Marcella, is an Italian pop singer with a career spanning six decades. Her repertoire includes several songs composed by her brother Gianni.
Life and career ...
, marking the second victory in a row for Mia Martini. It was the major success in Martini's career, staying on the Italian single hit parade for a total of 30 weeks and reaching the second place.
The song was recorded by Mia Martini in French (with the title "Tu t'en vas quand tu veux") and Spanish and released in several foreign markets, including Japan and Brazil.