Each of us, reading today's date, cannot help but think of one of the greatest and most versatile Italian songwriters. Lucio Dalla, the man born on March 4th. Bolognese ("Meat" Sauce), ironic but never over the top, his records, especially those between the 70s and 80s, have rewritten the history of Italian pop music. His death from a heart attack on March 1, 2012 deeply affected many Italians, more or less young, who grew up humming "But the exceptional feat, listen to me, is to be normal ". To remember it, not a simple and reductive biography, but some sound advice, curiosities and some ideas to pick up, at least today, a disc by Lucio Dalla.
Lucio Dalla, 3 songs to listen to today
It is really difficult to choose 3 songs to be included in the playlist of a day like this. Each of us is fond of songs for personal moments that often do not even want to share. If I think of my relationship with Lucio Dalla's discography, the first piece that can not miss is How deep is the sea. We are in 1977, Dalla exiles in the Tremiti to write his first album as a lyricist. This title track of the album has a visionary, dreamlike text, where the depth of the sea is the metaphor of the vastness of human thought. "It is clear that thought bothers / even if those who think are as mute as a fish / indeed it is a fish / and as a fish it is difficult to block / because the sea protects it / how deep the sea is. "
"Who knows who knows tomorrow / what we will put our hands on / if we will still be able to count the waves of the sea / and raise our heads". So he sings in Futura (1980) the second piece to listen to today, where Dalla dreams of a better future for all of us. And then always on the same disc Face. The first title should have been Dialectic of the Imaginary. What remains in the writing is the poignant sweetness of the lack of the loved one, of the person who entered our soul and left it leaving us shattered. "What pain and nostalgia / Don't look into your eyes and tell you another lie / At least I hadn't met you / Me who am dying here and you who eat ice cream. "
Two curiosities to remember
Another historic date for music lovers: May 23, 1968. We are in Milan, at the Piper, a symbol of a different culture in the Italy of the second 60s. On his stage he goes up Jimi Hendrix, with a concert that would officially kick off the Italian Sixty-eight. To open the concert Lucio Dalla. And between Domenico Sputo's irony and Ragno's daily routine at Bologna matches, another sarcastic name could not be missing: Lucio Dalla's boat was called Cold!
The House of Bologna
In via D'Azeglio is the house of Commendatore Domenico Sputo as Lucio Dalla loved to make fun of himself. Although for the Bolognese and his friends it remains Ragno. It can be recognized by the large mural on the façade with the profile of Lucio Dalla intent on playing among flying seagulls. It is the house with the rooms and furnishings where he lived his daily life. Inside, the memories of a lifetime, as well as a priceless collection of works of art. Lucio Dalla's house is only open on certain days of the year. For information on visits, you can visit the Dalla Foundation website.
