French Chanson's Enduring Influence in Italy

A new issue of artpress2 dedicated to French chanson prompts a look at how this repertoire remains remarkably alive in Italy. Cultured Italian youth maintain knowledge of Brassens, Brel, and Ferré far beyond what is reciprocal in France. French singers of the 1960s often treated Italy as a secondary market, performing translated versions of their songs. Comedian Gigi Proietti's sketch humorously depicts nightclub singers imitating French chansonniers, parodying Brel's 'Ne me quitte pas' as 'Nun me rompe er ca...' (Don't break my balls). Franco Battiato, a pioneer of electronic music in Italy, recorded three albums titled 'Fleurs' (1999-2008) featuring forty covers of French songs, including translations by writer Gesualdo Bufalino and Battiato himself. His minimalist style strips away the vocal bombast typical of French singers. Fabrizio De André, heavily influenced by Georges Brassens, transposed the French chanson spirit to an Italian context on his 1967 album 'Volume 1', notably in 'Bocca di rosa', a song about a promiscuous woman run out of town but celebrated elsewhere.