"Bandiera bianca" (lit. 'White flag') is a 1981 song by Italian singer-songwriter Franco Battiato, the only single from his best-selling album La voce del padrone.
| "Bandiera bianca" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Franco Battiato | ||||
| from the album La voce del padrone | ||||
| B-side | "Summer on a Solitary Beach" | |||
| Released | 1981 | |||
| Genre | Pop, New wave | |||
| Length | 5:19 | |||
| Label | EMI Italiana | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Franco Battiato, Giusto Pio | |||
| Franco Battiato singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Bandiera bianca" on YouTube | ||||
Background
editThe song is considered a follow-up of Battiato's 1980 song "Up Patriots to Arms": while in the former he asked the public to mobilize against stupidity, here he polemically and pessimistically surrenders to it. [1] It was first presented live, during the last dates of the "Patriots" summer tour, and officially premiered at the Mostra internazionale di musica leggera in Venice in September 1981.[2]
Lyrics
editThe song opens with citations of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'", and includes references to Alan Sorrenti's "Figli delle stelle", Gino Latilla's "Tutte le mamme" and The Doors' "The End".[1][2] The refrain is a citation of Arnaldo Fusinato's 1849 poem L'ultima ora di Venezia, while the closure cites Theodor W. Adorno's book title Minima Moralia, which gets twisted into "Minima Immoralia".[1][2]
Track listing
editLyrics by Franco Battiato; Music by Franco Battiato and Giusto Pio
- 7" single
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bandiera bianca" | 5:19 |
| 2. | "Summer on a Solitary Beach" | 4:53 |
Charts
edit| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italy (Musica e dischi)[3] | 24 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[4] sales from 2009 |
Gold | 50,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c Zuffanti, Fabio (30 June 2020). "Bandiera bianca". Franco Battiato: Tutti i dischi e tutte le canzoni, dal 1965 al 2019 (in Italian). LIT Edizioni. ISBN 978-88-6231-868-6.
- ^ a b c Spessato, Carla (20 October 2021). "Bandiera bianca". Franco Battiato: Come un incantesimo (in Italian). Giunti. ISBN 978-88-09-95527-1.
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 29 May 2023. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Bandiera bianca".
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Franco Battiato – Bandiera bianca" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
External links
edit- Bandiera bianca at Discogs (list of releases)