"Piazza Grande" ('Grand Square') is a 1972 song composed by Lucio Dalla, Ron, Gianfranco Baldazzi and Sergio Bardotti, arranged by Ruggero Cini and performed by Lucio Dalla. The song ranked eighth at the 22nd edition of the Sanremo Music Festival.
| "Piazza Grande" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Lucio Dalla | ||||
| B-side | "Convento di pianura" | |||
| Released | 1972 | |||
| Label | RCA Italiana | |||
| Lucio Dalla singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Piazza Grande" on YouTube | ||||
Overview
editThe song was composed by Dalla and Ron with the working title "America", and it was initially supposed to tell the story of the 1620 Mayflower voyage.[1] After various attempts of lyricists Bardotti and Baldazzi to suit the projected theme to the music, during a promotional tour in the US, in Manhattan, Baldazzi eventually changed the topic of the song into the story of a homeless man who prefers his freedom to comfort.[1]
The title of the song is a reference to Piazza Cavour in Bologna, close to Dalla's birth house.[1][2] The RCA label lobbied to change it into a more well known "Canal Grande", with Dalla resisting to its requests.[3] Once listening to the song, his RCA colleague Gianni Morandi repeatedly asked Dalla to be the one to bring the song to the Sanremo Festival, eventually being turned down.[3]
The song premiered at the Sanremo Music Festival 1972, with Dalla being accompanied by Ron as guitarist.[1] In spite of being one of the favorites it only ranked eighth, even if it turned to be a commercial success and a long seller.[1][2]
Artists who recorded cover versions of the song include Fiorella Mannoia, Gianni Morandi, Albano Carrisi, Tosca & Sílvia Pérez Cruz, Fiorello, Tomislav Ivčić, Franck Pourcel, Pierdavide Carone.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Piazza Grande" | Gianfranco Baldazzi, Sergio Bardotti, Lucio Dalla, Ron | 3:14 |
| 2. | "Convento di pianura" | Paola Pallottino, Lucio Dalla | 3:52 |
Charts
edit| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italy (Musica e dischi)[4] | 10 |
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[5] | 7 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[6] sales from 2009 |
2× Platinum | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Poggini, Massimo (1 March 2022). "Le canzoni: I brani dedicati alla città natale". Lucio Dalla. Rizzoli. ISBN 978-88-318-0733-3.
- ^ a b Beatrice, Luca (25 April 2016). Per i ladri e le puttane sono Gesù bambino: Vita e opere di Lucio Dalla (in Italian). Baldini & Castoldi. ISBN 978-88-6865-789-5.
- ^ a b Salvatori, Dario (2001). "Piazza Grande". Dizionario delle canzoni italiane. Piazza Grande. ISBN 8888169016.
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 5 April 2024. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Piazza Grande".
- ^ "Classifica settimanale WK 9 (dal 27.02.2012 al 04.03.2012)". FIMI (in Italian). Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "Italian single certifications" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
External links
editPiazza Grande at Discogs (list of releases)