It looks like an original, but it’s a translation! Here are some examples

By definition, a cover is the performance of someone else’s song by another musician (or band) according to their own stylistic and artistic criteria. To define a cover exactly, the musical and textual part of the original song must be respected.

Then there is another category: the one that involves linguistic modification, in practice translation. These are songs that respect the musical and melodic part, but are sung in a different language than the one in which the song was written, new lyrics that can be the translation or a re-adaptation of what was composed by the original author.

Please note that Italian law requires that in order to record a discographic version with the new text and deposit it in SIAE, you need to have, through the publishers, the authorization of the original author of the song. Otherwise, legal problems may arise. At that point, the “translator/adapter” is included in the song’s credits and receives a small share of the rights only for sales in the Italian market. The live issue is different, where a song can be sung with different text, even in another language, recognizing on the bordereau only the original author, without any compensation for the performer, much less becoming an author.

This practice of translation was common practice in the 60s and early 70s in our country. The phenomenon of beat lived a lot on this and produced numerous translated versions of international songs both successful and unknown to the general public.

In the following years this practice has diminished but some sensational episodes have not been lacking and on many occasions few people know that these are songs by international artists, “misled” by an Italian text.

Let’s see some.

Let’s start from Fabrizio De AndréWe can attribute at least four of these types of executions to him. There First in chronological order is “The Gorilla”, translation (made in 1968 and included in the album “Volume III”) of “The Gorillas” published in 1952 written by the French singer-songwriter George Brassens, a song that was censored in France for a long time.

The Ligurian singer-songwriter also tried his hand at translating “Susanne”, written in 1967 by fellow Canadian Leonard Cohen, based on one of his poems and included in his debut album “The songs of Leonard Cohen”. De Andrè translated it in 1972, keeping the original title and including it in a 45 rpm record whose B-side was the translation of another song by Cohen, “Joan of Arc“became”Giovanna D’Arco”. Both songs ended up in the 1974 album “Canzoni”. Also in that album we find another translation, this time signed by Francesco De Gregori, it is “Poverty Street” (lasting over 9 minutes) or ”Desolation Row” from the 1965 album “Highway 61 Revisited” by Bob Dylan. Finally, another translation among De Andrè’s hits, this time in complicity with Massimo Bubola, is that of “Romance in Durango” still by Bob Dylan who becomes “Durango” which we find in the album “Rimini” from 1978.

Let’s stay in the 70s, exactly in 1979. Between June and July of that year a trio of singer-songwriters made a great revolution in the live world, bringing concerts in large spaces back to the public, after a very difficult period, even having the doors of some stadiums in Italy opened for them. The three were Lucio Dalla, Ron and Francesco De GregoriThe tour in question was called “Banana Republic” and took its name from the unreleased song used to “launch” the tour. The song in question was, however, a translation of the song “Banana Republics”, written and recorded in 1976 by Steve Goodman (with his musicians Steve Burgh, guitarist for the lyrics, and wind player Jim Rotherme) and then brought to success by Jimmy Buffett the following year with his more pop version. The Italian translation was done by Francesco De Gregori.

In 2015 Francis DeGregori he recorded a record, openly declaring that it was a translation, with songs by Bob Dylan entitled “De Gregori sings Bob Dylan – Love and theft”.

Let’s close the Bob Dylan “chapter” by remembering that also Bobby Solo he tried his hand at translating the Nobel Prize. “Farewell, Angelina“, an outtake from Bob Dylan’s “Bringing It All Back Home” – later made famous by Joan Baez in 1965, becomes “Goodbye Angelina” a 1970 single by the Roman singer with the lyrics translated by Michele Murino.

In 1980 Rosalino Cellammare published his first album under his own name Ron by title “A city to sing”, whose opening title track was a cover of the song “On The Road”signed by the American singer-songwriter Danny O’ Keefe who in 1972 included it in his album of the same name. The most famous version was however that of Jackson Brown from 1977 contained in the album “Running On Empty”. The translation sung by Ron was edited by Lucio Dalla, who “softened” his translation where the original referred to the use of drugs in the musician’s life on the road described in the song.

In more recent times, even the champions of national rock, Vasco Rossi and Luciano Ligabue, have tried their hand at translating English songs. The “rockers from Zocca” has two episodes under its belt: “The shots above”, big hit of 1993 comes from the original (less famous) “Celebrate” which An Emotional Fish, an Irish alternative rock band formed in 1988, released in 1990.

In 2009 always Vasco Rossitook charge of translating into Italian “Creep” 1992 hit by the Americans Radiohead. In Italian the Kommandante proposed it with the title “At any cost”, making it the promotional single for the Europe Indoor Tour. The song remained at the top of the national charts for two weeks.

Also famous is the Italian transcription made by Luciano Ligabue who transformed the text of “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” by R.E.M. from 1987 in “What time is the end of the world?” contained in the album of the same title released in 1994. A few years later, in 1997, a Ligabue at the height of his success included in his first live album “Su e giù da un palco” a studio version of “Last Tango in Memphis”, Italian adaptation of “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley, written for the King in 1968 by Mark James. It was Presley’s last US number one hit.

Always remaining in the world of great singer-songwriters too Antonello Venditti he tried his hand at a translation operation. His choice fell on “Don’t Dream It’s Over” a single by the New Zealanders Crowded House (signed by their leader Neil Finn) released in 1986 which in the Roman musician’s version becomes “High Tide” and ends up in the album “Benvenuti in paradiso” from 1991, a song which, unlike the original, became a hit.

Sugar is one of the most appreciated Italian musicians abroad, he often collaborates and compares himself with illustrious “colleagues” from beyond the border. From this exchange was born “Indigo with the eyes of the sky” taken from the 2004 album “Zu & Co.” where it was performed in duet with Vanessa Carlton. The original song is “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime” by the English Korgis in 1980.

It should also be noted that “A question of looks” sung by Paola Turci in 2000 is the Italian version of “This kiss” Of Faith Hill of 1998. Always for the Roman singer-songwriter “You know it’s a moment” from 1997 is the Italian transposition of “Time to let go” by Jude Cole from 1990, while “I should have known better” Of Jim Diamond of 1984 Turci translated it in 1997 in “It is only for you” in the album “Beyond the Clouds”.

Some curiosities.

There is an unthinkable connection between Mark Masini hey Metallica. The elimination of the six degrees of separation between the two occurs with “And who cares” by the ever sober Florentine singer-songwriter who is nothing other than the translation of “Nothing Else Matters”, Metallica’s worldwide success. What is surprising, however, is to discover that there is a connection between the Green Day And Mino Reitano. The Calabrian singer, not without irony, translated “Basket houses” of the American band, which in his hands became “Mino where are you going?”

Seeing is believing

Finally, three reports: “The Wings of the Mind” Of My Martini is nothing more than the Italian version of “Little Wing” Of Jimi Hendrix and the little known “Where are you” of Kaigo (1999) is that of “Lovely day” by Bill Withers from 1977, while “Hello American Dream” is Mario Venuti’s version of “Ashes of American Flag” by Wilco.