Cuccurucucù

"Cuccurucucù"
cover of the French single
Song by Franco Battiato
from the album La voce del padrone
Released1981
GenrePop, New wave
Length5:19
LabelEMI Italiana
Songwriter(s)Franco Battiato, Giusto Pio
Audio
"Cuccurucucù" on YouTube

"Cuccurucucù" is a 1981 song by Italian singer-songwriter Franco Battiato, from his best-selling album La voce del padrone.

Background

The song's lyrics consists of fragments of memories of Battiato's youth, [1][2] even if some biographical verses were eventually modified and adjusted for metric and sound purposes, eg. 'Istituto Magistrale' replacing 'Liceo Classico'.[2]

The title as well as the refrain and part of the melody are citations of Tomás Méndez' "Cucurrucucú paloma".[1][2] The song also includes citations and references to other songs which marked Battiato's adolescence, including Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman" and "Like a Rolling Stone", The Beatles' "Lady Madonna" and "With a Little Help from My Friends", The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" (which Battiato will eventually cover in his album Fleurs), Mina's "Le mille bolle blu", Nicola Di Bari's "Il mondo è grigio, il mondo è blu", and Milva's "Il mare nel cassetto".[1][2] Lyrics also contain citations from Homer's poem Iliad.[1][2] American soprano Marilyn Turner[1] and, uncredited, Giuni Russo, serve as backing vocalists.[2] The song was released as a single in some foreign territories, notably in Switzerland, where it charted.[3] The song was described by Italian writer Michele Serra as 'a dadaist scherzo'.[4]

Charts

Chart (1981) Peak position
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[5] 11

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[6]
Sales from 2009 		Platinum 100,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Zuffanti, Fabio (30 June 2020). "Cuccurucucu". Franco Battiato: Tutti i dischi e tutte le canzoni, dal 1965 al 2019 (in Italian). LIT Edizioni. ISBN 978-88-6231-868-6.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Spessato, Carla (20 October 2021). "Cuccurucucu". Franco Battiato: Come un incantesimo (in Italian). Giunti. ISBN 978-88-09-95527-1.
  3. ^ "Franco Battiato - Cuccurucucu". lescharts.com. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  4. ^ Jachia, Paolo (17 May 2022). "Cuccurucucu". Battiato voglio vederti danzare: Gli album e le canzoni (1979-2019). Àncora Editrice. ISBN 978-88-514-2617-0.
  5. ^ "Franco Battiato – Cuccurucucu". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Italian single certifications – Franco Battiato – Cuccurucucù" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 26 March 2024.