"Città vuota" (English: Empty city) is a song recorded by Italian singer Mina in 1963. This song is Italian version of "It's a Lonely Town" by Gene McDaniels. The song was written by Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman, and adapted by Giuseppe Cassia.

"Città vuota"
Artwork for 1963 release
Single by Mina
from the album Studio Uno
LanguageItalian
B-side
  • "È inutile"
  • "Valentino vale"
ReleasedDecember 1963 (1963-12)[1]
GenrePop
Length2:34
LabelRi-Fi
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Piero Gosio
Mina singles chronology
"Bis zum nächsten Mal"
(1963)
"Città vuota"
(1963)
"Ja, die Liebe lebe hoch"
(1964)

Original version

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It was the singer's first single on the RiFi label. After the release, the song quickly became popular and rose to number three on the Italian singles chart.[2] The songs "E inutile" (written by Ricky Gianco and Gian Pieretti) and "Valentino vale" (by Vittorio Buffoli and Vito Pallavicini) were used as a b-side. Mina also recorded Spanish version called "Ciudad solitaria".

This single marked Mina's return to television after she was banned by RAI TV because of the singer's personal life.[3]

Track listing

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7" single – 1963
A. "Città vuota" – 2:34
B1. "È inutile" (Gian Pieretti, Ricky Gianco) – 1:56
B2. "Valentino vale" (Vito Pallavicini, Vittorio Buffoli) – 2:11
7" single – 1978 (Ri-Fi)[4]
A. "Città vuota" – 2:34
B. "Un anno d'amore" (Mogol, Alberto Testa, Nino Ferrer) – 3:10

Charts

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Initial chart performance for "Città vuota"
Chart (1963–1965) Peak
position
Italy (Musica e dischi)[2] 3
Peru (La Prensa)[5] 1
2012 chart performance for "Città vuota"
Chart (2012) Peak
position
US World Digital Songs (Billboard)[6] 8

1978 remake

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"Città vuota (It's a Lonely Town)"
Single by Mina
from the album Live '78
LanguageItalian
B-side"Ancora, ancora, ancora"
ReleasedMay 1978 (1978-05)
Recorded12 May 1978 (1978-05-12)[7]
Genre
Length5:00
LabelPDU
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Piero Gosio
Mina singles chronology
"Giorni"
(1977)
"Città vuota (It's a Lonely Town)"
(1978)
"Anche un uomo"
(1979)

In 1978, Mina released a disco-style remake, conceived and arranged by Pino Presti with the inclusion of a jazz part. Combined with "Ancora, ancora, ancora" (by Cristiano Malgioglio and Gian Pietro Felisatti),[7] it became one of the most successful singles of the summer of that year, reaching number five in Italian singles chart in August.[2] Mina performed this version during her concerts in Bussoladomani and later included it on her live album Live '78.

Track listing

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7" single – 1978 (PDU)
A. "Città vuota (It's a Lonely Town)" – 5:00
B. "Ancora ancora ancora" (Cristiano Malgioglio, Gian Pietro Felisatti) – 4:19

Charts

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Chart performance for "Città vuota (It's a Lonely Town)"
Chart (1978) Peak
position
Italy (Billboard)[9] 4
Italy (Musica e dischi)[2] 5

References

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  1. ^ "Città vuota/È inutile/Valentino vale". Discografia nazionale della canzone italiana (in Italian). Istituto centrale per i beni sonori ed audiovisivi. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Racca, Guido (2019). M&D Borsa Singoli 1960–2019 (in Italian). pp. 306–308. ISBN 9781093264906.
  3. ^ Ruggeri, Roberto (1990). "Mina". In Castaldo, Gino (ed.). Dizionario della Canzone Italiana L-Z (in Italian). Rome: Armando Curcio Editore. p. 1736. ISBN 88-9750-877-4.
  4. ^ "Mina – Città Vuota (1978, Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 77, no. 3. 16 January 1965. p. 19. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. ^ "Chart History: Mina". Billboard. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Città vuota/Ancora ancora ancora". Discografia nazionale della canzone italiana (in Italian). Istituto centrale per i beni sonori ed audiovisivi. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  8. ^ "La Città vuota di Mina". RAI Cultura (in Italian). Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  9. ^ Ruscitto, Germano (7 July 1978). "Hits of the World – Italy" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 90, no. 40. p. 77. ISSN 0006-2510.
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