It sounds like a march. The lawyer from Asti wraps himself tighter in his jacket, then finishes sipping his hot coffee. When he gets up from the bar table he has already decided that it is time to solemnly not care what the press thinks. Paolo Conte pays and leaves smiling. Maybe he can actually dodge the codes and the courtrooms. Perhaps his career as a composer, hitherto oscillating, is about to take off.
What some – few – critics are trying to demolish is “Sky blue”one of the most iconic songs of Italian music. Written by Paolo Conte, with lyrics by Vito Pallavicini and the music of the composer from Asti would have been interpreted by Adriano Celentano and published in 1968. Soon becoming a universal symbol of Italianness.
The birth of the song
The genesis of “Azzurro” is singular. Paolo Conte, a young author and composer at the time, already had an established career, but his fame was still limited. In 1967, when he was commissioned to write a song for Adriano Celentano, Conte was still far from becoming one of the greatest authors of Italian music. The idea for “Azzurro” was born from a meeting with Vito Pallavicini, Celentano’s trusted lyricist, who suggested the theme of travel and the search for an ideal place. Conte, who was looking for a different tone from that of the more melodic and traditional songs, wrote catchy and fresh music, with a frenetic rhythm and an intensity that would immediately win over the listener. The title itself, “Azzurro”, recalls the color of the sky, freedom, but also a sense of melancholy, as if the blue were a distant and unattainable ideal place. This game of contrast between hope and dissatisfaction became one of the distinctive features of the song.
Adriano Celentano’s interpretation
When Adriano Celentano, one of the most famous and loved artists of the time, recorded “Azzurro”, the song immediately acquired great added value. His unique voice and his unmistakable style transformed the song into a success that crossed the Italian borders. Celentano interpreted everything with the usual mix of energy and irony, managing to convey that sense of desire for change and escape that is central to the text. His performance took no prisoners: people were humming the song and swaying with smiles all over the country.
The reaction of the press and the public
When “Azzurro” was published in the summer of 1968, the response from the press and the public was enthusiastic. Although the song was very different from the traditional songs of the time, characterized by slower and more romantic melodies, its cheerful rhythm and freshness won over. The song immediately became a hit, playing on the radio and in nightclubs, and also made its way to other countries, such as France, where it was performed by various local artists, making Celentano even more famous internationally.
Most of the Italian press praised the song for its originality and ability to combine a captivating melody with lyrics that dealt with universal themes, such as loneliness, the search for a sense of belonging and
desire to escape from the daily routine. “Azzurro” thus became a generational anthem, speaking to all those who, in an era marked by profound social and political changes, were looking for an escape route in music.