| "Cuccurucucù" | |
|---|---|
 cover of the French single | |
| Song by Franco Battiato | |
| from the album La voce del padrone | |
| Released | 1981 |
| Genre | Pop, New wave |
| Length | 5:19 |
| Label | EMI Italiana |
| Songwriter(s) | Franco Battiato, Giusto Pio |
| Audio | |
| "Cuccurucucù" on YouTube | |
"Cuccurucucù" is a 1981 song by Italian singer-songwriter Franco Battiato, from his best-selling album La voce del padrone.
Background
The song's lyrics consists of fragments of memories of Battiato's youth, even if some biographical verses were eventually modified and adjusted for metric and sound purposes, eg. 'Istituto Magistrale' replacing 'Liceo Classico'.
The title as well as the refrain and part of the melody are citations of Tomás Méndez' "Cucurrucucú paloma". The song also includes citations and references to other songs which marked Battiato's adolescence, including Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman" and "Like a Rolling Stone", The Beatles' "Lady Madonna" and "With a Little Help from My Friends", The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" (which Battiato will eventually cover in his album Fleurs), Mina's "Le mille bolle blu", Nicola Di Bari's "Il mondo è grigio, il mondo è blu", and Milva's "Il mare nel cassetto". Lyrics also contain citations from Homer's poem Iliad. American soprano Marilyn Turner and, uncredited, Giuni Russo, serve as backing vocalists. The song was released as a single in some foreign territories, notably in Switzerland, where it charted. The song was described by Italian writer Michele Serra as 'a dadaist scherzo'.
Charts
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | 11 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI) Sales from 2009 |
Platinum | 100,000 |
|
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ Zuffanti, Fabio (30 June 2020). "Cuccurucucu". Franco Battiato: Tutti i dischi e tutte le canzoni, dal 1965 al 2019 (in Italian). LIT Edizioni. ISBN 978-88-6231-868-6.
- ^ Spessato, Carla (20 October 2021). "Cuccurucucu". Franco Battiato: Come un incantesimo (in Italian). Giunti. ISBN 978-88-09-95527-1.
- "Franco Battiato - Cuccurucucu". lescharts.com. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
- Jachia, Paolo (17 May 2022). "Cuccurucucu". Battiato voglio vederti danzare: Gli album e le canzoni (1979-2019). Àncora Editrice. ISBN 978-88-514-2617-0.
- "Franco Battiato – Cuccurucucu". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- "Italian single certifications – Franco Battiato – Cuccurucucù" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
External links
- Cuccurucucù at Discogs (list of releases)
| Franco Battiato | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | |
| Songs | |
| Films | Lost Love |
| Related | |