"Senza una donna" () is a song written and performed by Italian singer and musician

Zucchero Adelmo Fornaciari (; born 25 September 1955), known professionally as Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero (), is an Italian singer, musician and songwriter. His stage name is the Italian word for "sugar", as his primary school teacher used to ...

on his fourth album, '' Blue's'' (1987). Originally recorded in

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 ...

, in 1990 it was re-recorded in English with English singer and musician

Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. H ...

. The English lyrics were contributed by

Frank Musker Frank John Musker (born 1951) is a British songwriter and composer. Most prolific in the 1980s and 1990s, he worked with artists such as Sheena Easton, the Babys, Robert Miles, Jennifer Rush, Bucks Fizz, Air Supply, Lucio Battisti, Zucchero, L ...

. The song was then released as a single under the title "Senza una donna (Without a Woman)". The English version of the song reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and number two on both the

German Singles Chart The GfK Entertainment charts are the official charts for music, home video, and video games in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on be ...

and the

French Singles Chart SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...

. It also topped the charts of Belgium, Ireland, Norway, Quebec, and Sweden, selling more than 5,000,000 copies worldwide. It was also one of the most famous songs in Venezuela in 1991. "Senza una donna" was released along with two

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

s: one for the solo version and another for the duet version.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' commented, "Italo pop star has outsold

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

in his homeland. On this duet with Young, Zucchero makes his U.S. debut with a smooth and rhythmic

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

that will likely find its initial audience at AC radio, though tune is charming enough to cross into mainstream pop territory." A reviewer from ''

Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St. Paul's Square, Liverpool, England. It is published Monday through Sunday, and is Liverpool's da ...

'' described the song as "stylish", noting the "marvellously atmospheric setting" of the

, "which was actually filmed in a church hall in

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district in West London, split between the London Borough of Hounslow, London Boroughs of Hounslow and London Borough of Ealing, Ealing. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist Wi ...

."''

''. 7 December 1991. p. 21. Retrieved 28 November 2020.

Track listings

* 7-inch single # "Senza una donna (Without a Woman)" # "Madre dolcissima" by Zucchero * CD single # "Senza una donna (Without a Woman)" (7 inch) — 4:26 # "Dunes of Mercy" by Zucchero — 5:38 * CD maxi # "Senza una donna (Without a Woman)" # "Madre dolcissima" by Zucchero # "Dunes of Mercy" by Zucchero

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Senza Una Donna 1987 songs 1991 singles Number-one singles in Belgium European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Number-one singles in Norway Number-one singles in Sweden Paul Young songs Male vocal duets Zucchero Fornaciari songs Songs written by Zucchero Fornaciari Pop ballads Songs written by Frank Musker