redpaul1
Well-known member
I'd researched all these Italian songs in Italian that were either covers of English-language originals, or were Italian originals later turned into English-language hits for the 266th Season Of The Ukulele, only to realise when checking the rubric, that there was a 3-song limit. So without further ado, I present to you the first of 4 songs I knocked off the other night. There's some flubs here and there, but as they were hors concours, I let them go.
This third was released in 1970, some months after Space Oddity itself. Italian lyrics by our man Mogol (Giulio Rapetti) once more.
The reason DB released this Italian-language version was that two Italian bands (Computers and Equipe 84) had already had minor hits with Mogol's lyrics; and so, to protect their investment in the Italian market, his record company got DB to do his own cover - a cover, i.e., of Mogol's Italian-language version!
The story goes that DB only learnt the lyrics phonetically and never checked what he was actually singing about until after 'Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola' was released. When he discovered that instead of telling the tale of Major Tom, he'd actually been singing about a lonely boy and a lonely girl alone in the big city, he went mad - well you would wouldn't you?
Still a great fave in Italy. Three great versions, all very different here, here and here
This third was released in 1970, some months after Space Oddity itself. Italian lyrics by our man Mogol (Giulio Rapetti) once more.
The reason DB released this Italian-language version was that two Italian bands (Computers and Equipe 84) had already had minor hits with Mogol's lyrics; and so, to protect their investment in the Italian market, his record company got DB to do his own cover - a cover, i.e., of Mogol's Italian-language version!
The story goes that DB only learnt the lyrics phonetically and never checked what he was actually singing about until after 'Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola' was released. When he discovered that instead of telling the tale of Major Tom, he'd actually been singing about a lonely boy and a lonely girl alone in the big city, he went mad - well you would wouldn't you?
Still a great fave in Italy. Three great versions, all very different here, here and here
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