Il merlo - The Blackbird

Merlo, mi canti qualcosa? tristezza fra noi Sono disteso sul letto e qualcosa non va Tu, merlo, cantami una canzone Da portare all'editore Perché sono senza una lira Merlo, ripetila ancora, è bella, lo sai? Ripeti lento che vado al piano a suonare Sono contento di non aver dato Alcun seguito a quel peccato Di volerti un giorno mangiare Io sono felice per questa collaborazione Corro a fissare la sala per una incisione Beviamo insieme un po' di champagne Il mio cuore mi dice che va I problemi finiscono qua Il merlo © 1971 Piero Ciampi, Gianni Marchetti “The Blackbird” is dedicated to the blackbird that lived on the terrace of writer Alberto Moravia in Rome. It was written in the period when Ciampi was his next-door neighbor. In the song, the author is glad that he didn’t follow through on eating the bird, but in fact it was Moravia who killed it, strangling it because when Ciampi returned drunk in the dead of night, he would start whistling duets with the blackbird, thus disturbing Moravia’s sleep.

Blackbird, sing me something? Sadness between us, I’m stretched out on the bed and something’s not right. You, blackbird, sing me a song to bring to the editor, because I don’t have a dime. Blackbird, repeat it again, it’s beautiful, you know? Repeat it slowly so I might go to the piano and play. I’m glad to have not followed through on that sin of wanting one day to eat you. I’m happy for this collaboration, I run to schedule the room for a recording. Let’s drink a bit of champagne together, my heart tells me this works, the problems end here. English translation © 2021 Dennis Criteser Piero Ciampi was released in 1971 and was produced and arranged by Gianni Marchetti, who also composed the music. With this new musical partnership, and given free artistic rein on the album, Ciampi felt he could be himself, unboxed in by the more mainstream and rigid esthetics he'd encountered with previous studio outings. This album was originally going to be on RCA, but Ciampi made off with their advance and spent it all before cutting a single track. In exasperation, RCA handed Ciampi off to one of its subsidiaries and washed their hands of him - in hindsight, probably the best thing that could have happened to all concerned.