"La bambola" (Italian for "The Doll") is an Italian pop song written by Franco Migliacci, Bruno Zambrini and Ruggero Cini, and performed by Patty Pravo.[1] The song had been previously refused by several artists, including Gianni Morandi, Little Tony, Gigliola Cinquetti, Caterina Caselli and The Rokes.[1][2][3]

"La bambola"
Single by Patty Pravo
from the album Patty Pravo
B-side"Se c'è l'amore"
Released1968
GenrePop
Length3:08
LabelRCA Victor
Songwriter(s)
Patty Pravo singles chronology
"Se perdo te"
(1967)
"La bambola"
(1968)
"Gli occhi dell'amore"
(1968)
"La bambola" (audio) on YouTube

The single peaked at number one on the Italian chart for nine consecutive weeks between May and June 1968[4] and was certified gold.[5] It had sold 200,000 copies by May 1968[6] and a million copies by December 1968.[7] The single also charted in Argentina.[8] It is considered as the song which consecrated Patty Pravo to fame.[1][2][9] The B-side of the single is "Se c'è l'amore" ("If There Is Love"), a cover of Long John Baldry's "Let the Heartaches Begin". A Spanish-language version of the song was released in Spain.

Pravo revisited "La bambola" on her albums of re-recorded material in 1987 and 1990. To commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the hit, she released a new version of the song in 2008.

"La bambola" was covered by numerous artists. It was also used in several films, notably Anton Corbijn's The American, Michele Placido's Romanzo Criminale, Emanuele Crialese's Respiro, and Bigas Luna's Bambola.[10]

Track listings

edit
A. "La bambola" (Franco Migliacci, Bruno Zambrini, Ruggero Cini) – 3:08
B. "Se c'è l'amore" (Franco Migliacci, Tony Macaulay, John Macleod) – 3:02
  • 7" single (Spain)[12]
A. "La bambola" (Franco Migliacci, Bruno Zambrini, Ruggero Cini, Cholo Baltasar) – 3:08
B. "Lettera a Gianni (Carta a Gianni)" (Sergio Bardotti, Shel Shapiro) – 2:08

Charts

edit

Cover versions

edit
  • Dalida recorded a version of the song which charted at no. 6 in Austria and no. 48 in the French-speaking region of Belgium.[19]
  • Heidi Brühl released a cover of the song in 1968.
  • Anita Lindblom released a cover of the song in 1968.
  • Fredi recorded the song in Finnish as "Pieni nukke" in 1968.
  • Anneke Grönloh covered the song in Italian 1968 and in English ("The Love Alarm") in 1969.
  • Aino Bāliņa-Karmo cover version "Lelle" ("The Doll" in Latvian) in 1970.
  • Ivan Cattaneo covered the song in 1983 on the album Bandiera gialla.
  • Band Olé Olé recorded a cover of the song on their 1987 album Los caballeros las prefieren rubias.
  • Anny Schilder released a cover in 1989.
  • Giusy Ferreri released a cover in 2008.
  • Sara Lov covered the song on the album I Already Love in 2011.
  • Aylin Prandi covered the song on her album 24,000 Baci in 2011.
  • Sergio Dalma included a cover of the song on his 2011 album Via Dalma II.
  • Tamara Miansarova released a cover "Кукла (rus "The Doll")" from LP "Тамара Миансарова" ("Self-Titled") in 1970.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Ezio Guaitamacchi (2009). 1000 canzoni che ci hanno cambiato la vita (in Italian). Rizzoli. ISBN 978-8858617427.
  2. ^ a b Enrico Deregibus (2010). Dizionario completo della canzone italiana (in Italian). Giunti Editore. ISBN 978-8809756250.
  3. ^ L'espresso, Volume 46, Issues 32-35. p. 149.
  4. ^ "Hit Parade Italia - Top Settimanali Single" (in Italian).
  5. ^ Joseph Murrells (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. ISBN 0214205126.
  6. ^ "Italy" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. XXIX, no. 43. 25 May 1968. p. 56. Retrieved 30 June 2023 – via World Radio History.
  7. ^ "Patty Pravo Makes 1st Visit To U.S." (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. XXX, no. 20. 14 December 1968. p. 18. Retrieved 30 June 2023 – via World Radio History.
  8. ^ "Argentina's Best Sellers" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. XXX, no. 6. 7 September 1968. p. 56. Retrieved 30 June 2023 – via World Radio History.
  9. ^ Gianfranco Salvatore (1997). Mogol-Battisti: l'alchimia del verso cantato: arte e linguaggio della canzone moderna (in Italian). Castelvecchi. ISBN 8886232853.
  10. ^ "Patty Pazza idea, la colonna sonora del film con Patty Pravo" (in Italian). Oggi al Cinema. 20 August 2014. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Patty Pravo - La Bambola / Se C'È L'Amore (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  12. ^ "Patty Pravo - La Bambola (En Español) (Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single)". Discogs. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  13. ^ "M&D: Classifiche" (in Italian). musicaedischi.it. Retrieved 9 April 2023. (Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, enter "Patty Pravo" in the "Artista" field, and click "cerca".)
  14. ^ "Discographie Patty Pravo" (in French). www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  15. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  16. ^ "Patty Pravo | Top 40-artiesten" (in Dutch). www.top40.nl. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  17. ^ "Discografie Patty Pravo" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  18. ^ "Hit Parade Italia - Top Annuali Single: 1968" (in Italian). www.hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  19. ^ "Dalida - La bambola" (in German). austriancharts.at. Retrieved 22 July 2023.