Vasco: the origins of “The shots above”, a song of rebellion
One of the most famous songs of Vasco, a song of rebellion against power, was inspired by an alternative rock group of Dublin. “The shots above” of Blasco, released in 1993, is the Italian reworking of the song “Celebrated” of the Irish An Emotional Fish released a few years earlier. The piece gave Rocker the inspiration for his song that started with a refrain vocally similar to that “This party’s over”. “The shots above”, today more current than ever, then became a gigantic success, something in its own right compared to the song that made its spark arose. Vasco took this song and transformed it into A powerful hymnenriching it with a strong and direct message. The piece starts with a bass riff that emerges between sounds of helicopters and clashes, bringing the listener into a tense climate.
“The shots above” emerged in a period of great instability, marked by the war in the former Yugoslavia. It is a rock against hypocrisy, against the indifferent, against the abuses, but also against those who do not take sides and want to remain safe. The song remains current, especially in difficult times such as those we live today, marked by conflicts and wars. In the text there are fiery phrases such as “And if the armies are turned and the heroes disappear, if the war (then now) we begin to do it“. Another curiosity: the video was shot in the United States In the same penitentiary of the film “Escape from Alcatraz”with a cinematographic budget simply crazy for those times in Italy. And the clip was in fact also broadcast on the big screen becoming of worship.
