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Napule è mille culure Napule è mille paure Napule è a voce de' criature Che saglie chianu chianu E tu sai ca' nun si sulo Napule è nu sole amaro Napule è addore e' mare Napule è na' carta sporca E nisciuno se ne importa E ognuno aspetta a' sciorta Napule è na' camminata Int' e viche miezo all'ate Napule è tutto nu suonno E a' sape tutto o' munno Ma nun sanno a' verità. Napule è mille culure (Napule è mille paure) Napule è nu sole amaro (Napule è addore e' mare) Napule è na' carta sporca (E nisciuno se ne importa) Napule è na' camminata (Int' e viche miezo all'ate) Napule è mille culure (Napule è mille paure) Napule è nu sole amaro (Napule è addore e' mare) Napuleeee Napule é © 1977 Pino Daniele "Napule é" is a song that highlights one of the characteristics of Neapolitan music - beautiful melody. This melancholy ballad, which speaks of the contradictions of Naples, has become an almost official hymn of the city and is one of the songs most closely associated with Pino Daniele. |
Naples is a thousand colors, Naples is a thousand fears, Naples is children's voices that rise up slowly and you know that you’re not alone. Naples is a bitter sun, Naples is the smell of the sea, Naples is a dirty wrapper and nobody cares about it and everyone awaits their destiny. Naples is a walk in the alleys, among the others, Naples is all a dream and the whole world knows her but they don’t know the truth. Naples is a thousand colors, Naples is a thousand fears, Naples is a bitter sun, Naples is the smell of the sea, Naples is a dirty wrapper and nobody cares about it, Naples is a walk in the alleys, among the others, Naples is a thousand colors, Naples is a thousand fears, Naples is a bitter sun, Naples is the smell of the sea, Naples . . . English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser Terra mia was released in 1977. The songs are in the local dialect of Naples and the music reflects a strong grounding in the centuries-old song tradition of the city - canzone napoletana - with an infusion of blues. The album was well received and several of its songs became mainstays in Pino Daniele's long career. Indeed, "Napule é" became a contemporary theme song of Naples; it's the only song on the album not arranged by Daniele himself. He said of the album that it "represents the birth of a new Neapolitan song, and also the social condemnations of a new generation that didn't accept compromises and that, through music, was able to express its own discontents." One of Daniele's ambitions at the time was to "write songs like Luigi Tenco." |
I began exploring Italian popular songs as part of learning Italian. Here are my translations for some of my favorite "canzoni" by Italian singers, songwriters, and bands whose work I admire. It's a work in progress that can serve as a curated introduction to Italian popular music, with an emphasis on the 1950s through the 1990s. If you speak Italian, send me a message if you see lyrics I've misunderstood.
