Don Backy argues with Mogol over the lyrics of “L’immensità”

The 86 year old Don Backyto the century Aldo Caponiclaims, with a public letter, as reported by Paolo Martini for adnkronos.com, the paternity of the song “The immensity” which during the Sanremo festival was cited as the work of Mogul.

This is what was written by Don Backy: “In relation to what I observed on the stage of the Sanremo Festival, on the occasion of the Lifetime Achievement Award given to Mogol, I consider it necessary to publicly clarify my position on the authorship of the lyrics of ‘L’immensità’, written by me (together with the music) in October 1966 and of which I retain original autograph documentation, for which Mr. Mogol replaced 3 words 3, ‘A Butterfly Will Fly’ in place of what I already had written, that is: ‘And in that flower you will find happiness’. From that moment, Mr. Mogol became co-owner of the text, perceiving 2/24mi. That it was not even mentioned out of hand, not even as a co-author, even using a few seconds of my image, from the moment I sang it, did not seem right or elegant to me”.

“The immensity” was presented to Sanremo Festival of 1967 in double execution by Don Backy And Johnny Dorelli. It occupied ninth position in the final ranking of that edition which was won by Iva Zanicchi And Claudio Villa with “Don’t think about me”that placement in the rear did not prevent the song from becoming, in the space of a few weeks, a success, to the point of becoming one of the most recorded and best-selling in the history of Italian song.

The inspiration for writing the song was born, according to his own story Don Backyon a gray and rainy day. Empty streets, a sense of unease, then the return home and the urgency to write. The text took shape in a few minutes. Subsequently Said Mariano he contributed to refining the musical part and enriching the arrangement.