"Parole parole" (; ) is a

duet A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...

song originally performed by Italian singer Mina and actor Alberto Lupo. It was released in April 1972, by PDU and later was included on Minas's twenty-first studio album '' Cinquemilaquarantatre'' (1972). The song was written by

Gianni Ferrio Gianni Ferrio (16 November 1924 – 21 October 2013) was an Italian composer, conductor and music arranger. Life and career Born in Vicenza, Ferrio studied at the conservatories of Conservatory of Vicenza, Vicenza and Conservatorio di Musica Be ...

, Leo Chiosso and . In 1973,

Dalida Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida (, ; ), was an Italian naturalized French singer and actress. Leading an international career, Dalida has sold over 140 million records worldwide. Some ...

and

Alain Delon Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; 8 November 1935 – 18 August 2024) was a French actor, film producer, screenwriter, singer, and businessman. Acknowledged as a cultural and cinematic leading man of the 20th century, Delon emerged as one of ...

recorded the song in French as " Paroles, paroles", which became an international hit and a

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

in France.

Original version

The lyrics were written by Leo Chiosso and Giancarlo Del Re, the authors of the Italian ''Teatro 10'' series of TV variety nights. The music and the score were by

, the conductor of the ''Teatro 10'' orchestra. In spring 1972, the song was the closing number of all eight of the ''Teatro 10'' Saturday nights. The song is an

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

dialogue of Mina's singing with Alberto Lupo's spoken declamation. The song's theme are hollow words. It intertwines the female singer's lamentation of the end of love and the lies she has to hear, while the male actor compliments her and begs her to listen. She reacts and scoffs at the compliments that he gives her, calling them simply empty words – ''parole''. The single was released in April 1972 under PDU, Mina's

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

to become a top hit in Italian charts. The song was also published as one of the standout tracks of Mina's '' Cinquemilaquarantatre'' albumParole parole
hitparadeitalia site. Retrieved 15 August 2007 and included in the '' I'm Not Scared'' movie soundtrack.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cover versions

After Mina released "Parole parole" in 1972, the same year several Spanish and Portuguese covers appeared which did not achieve success. A parody version of the song was performed by Mina and Lupo alongside

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 ...

on the penultimate ''Teatro 10'' show on 6 May 1972. The Italian version received three little-noticed covers, the first in 1991. In 2006, Mina collaborated with footballer Javier Zanetti in a Spanish cover of the song, included in the album '' Todavía''. The cover went on to be certified Gold by

FIMI The Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana (FIMI) or the Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy. It was established in 1992, when ...

in 2021. In 1973, " Paroles, paroles", with the lyrics translated into French by , was recorded by

with

. The track became a hit in France, Japan, Mexico and Canada, and sparked numerous covers in various languages, mostly due to Dalida's international career. Since then, the song has been covered dozens of times, almost all releases crediting "Paroles, paroles" by Dalida. Below is a list of versions based on the original Italian release. * Two Portuguese versions were recorded in 1972, one translated as "Palavras, palavras", sung by Brazilians Maysa and Raul Cortez, and one under the original title "Parole, parole", performed by Portuguese Tonicha and . Portuguese singer Ágata, with , recorded a cover version in 2009 ("Promessas, promessas"). * In 1973, Spanish actress and singer

Carmen Sevilla María del Carmen García Galisteo (16 October 1930 – 27 June 2023), known professionally as Carmen Sevilla, was a Spanish actress, singer, and dancer. She began her career in the 1940s and became one of the most popular and highest paid star ...

released a Spanish-language version with Francisco "Paco" Rabal titled "Palabras, palabras". This version was in turn covered by Argentine singer as well as

Lupita D'Alessio Guadalupe Contreras Ramos (born 10 March 1954), better known as Lupita D'Alessio (), is a Mexican singer and actress. She is nicknamed "La Leona Dormida" (title of one of her List of signature songs, signature songs, "The sleeping lioness"). Bi ...

and during their marriage. A different version with the same title was included by Ecuadorian singer Hilda Murillo in her 1973 album ''Palabras, palabras''. * A Hungarian version from the 1970s, titled like the original, was performed by and popular actor . * A Slovene version by Slovenian singer with actor , titled "Besede, besede", was included on her 1982 album ''Elda'' in 1982. This song was re-recorded in 2014 by the band Pliš (with lead singer Aleksandra Ilijevski) with actor . * In Croatia, the song was fully recorded with the original Italian lyrics by singer and actor

Relja Bašić Relja Bašić (14 February 1930 – 7 April 2017) was a Croatian actor. With a career that lasted more than half a century, he is considered one of the most prolific performers of that country. Biography Bašić was born on 14 February 1930 i ...

, appearing on Ksenija Erker's 1991 LP ''Ciao Italia''. In 2006, the song was translated to Croatian and covered by soul group Rivers with male vocals of Massimo Savić. * In 1998, Italian group covered it in English as "Miss You All the Time" on their album ''Modern Tunes for Everybody''. * Cypriot

Anna Vissi Anna Vissi (, , ; born 20 December 1957) is a Greek Cypriot singer. She studied music at conservatories and performed locally before moving to the professional scene in Athens, in 1973, where she signed with Minos EMI#Merger with Minos Matsas ...

and Greek covered the Italian-language version for the main title of Annita Pania's 2015 TV show ''Parole''.

References

External links

"Parole Parole"
Original lyrics in Italian. Note: The recorded lyrics differ slightly from the published lyrics. Mina sings "chiamami tormento dai, hai visto mai" rather than "chiamami tormento dai, già che ci sei".

at Hit Parade
Pimpinela official site
{{Authority control Songs about language Italian songs Male–female vocal duets 1972 songs Dalida songs Amanda Lear songs Mina (Italian singer) songs PDU singles Number-one singles in Italy