During an interview with Radio Italia, Tiziano confirmed that the album will have a sixth single and that it’s “L’amore è una cosa semplice”! It will be used as the soundtrack of the film L’amore è imperfetto, but judging from its trailer it’s pretty terrible. Oh well, so was Ho voglia di te, and that didn’t stop “Ti scatterò una foto” from becoming a huge hit.
<3
“Eri Come L’Oro Ora Sei Come Loro” from the album Centoundici
Another song that’s not mentioned in the book, but one that he’s covered for his new EP. I decided to post this now because after he performed it yesterday he said it’s strange that even though the song is almost ten years old, he “could’ve written it two days ago, unfortunately.”
:(
English translation of “Eri Come L’Oro Ora Sei Come Loro”:
“You Were Like Gold, Now You’re Like Them”
It didn’t suffer in silence
This love, when it died
I realized just now that I’ve lost
But what did I lose?
Being together isn’t a game
Maybe I’ve lost only you
And I return to look at the sunset
The fading of the yellow light, extinguished
The hill where we once pretended it’d last forever
We didn’t care about anyone else
They were just faces, just people
Spectators of a scene
We kind of felt sorry for them
You were like gold, now you’re like them
You were like gold, now you’re like them
And at this point, no one’s entered my golden limbo
An abandoned kitten, feeling cold, tired
We didn’t care about anyone else
They were just faces, just people
Spectators of a scene
We kind of felt sorry for them
You were like gold, now you’re like them
You were like gold, now you’re like them
And each kiss you’ve withheld is something you’ve lost of me
And each “I love you” that I left unsaid is something I’ve lost of you
And each time you smiled without saying anything was a picture of us
And each tired glance was already the end
I also think it’s a lot better to break it off
And it’s a good thing because you were feeling a lot better, you know
And you’re grateful because you’re a little less fragile
And we’ll hear from each other soon, “call me”… so they say!
We didn’t care about anyone else
They were just faces, just people
Spectators of a scene
We kind of felt sorry for them
You were like gold, now you’re like them
You were like gold, now you’re like them
Tiziano is currently performing in the RDS Auditorium Multimediale for a few lucky contest winners. He’s showcasing his new EP, but it’s a full concert, so he’ll be doing other songs as well. It’s not streamed online, but I think we’ll get to see/hear it later. Check this Facebook page for updates.
“So wait for me, I’m coming.”
― Tiziano in an interview in early 2002 before his international breakthrough.
“Giugno ‘84” from the album Centoundici
This is a personal song where he talks about some childhood traumas. I don’t know the significance of June ‘84, but July ‘91 is when his brother Flavio was born. Tiziano was already 11 years old at the time, and he’s always been very fond and protective of his little brother. He also has “Flavio” tattooed on his left wrist.
He does not mention the song in the book, and I’ve never heard him talk about it, so there’s not much more I can tell you. He hasn’t performed it live in a long time, if ever. Perhaps because the song contains his highest note… I don’t think I want to hear him attempt that one live, especially with his matured voice! (Though I have to say, he still hit some nice falsetto notes on tour this year.)
English translation of “Giugno ‘84”:
“June ‘84”
I want clearer agreements and less sex
I want you to call me more often
I want you to tell me that you have a little faith in me
I don’t ask for much but certainly
I want to know why you chose a break, abruptly
I’d like to hear from you once in a while and
Really, I want to know what you’re like
Forgetting about the rest
Up until the other day, whenever you left me alone
You brought a gift home with you
And I consoled myself and you felt a bit better
As I hid in that gift, my need
And now I have regrets, regrets
And I dream that it’ll be a bit nicer, a bit nicer for me
And if I remember the look on your face, that June ‘84
My regret will always be you
I was secretly intelligent
Behind my drawings and your radio
Dreams advertised on TV
Meanwhile, joy was at work
I hope, forgetting the way I used to be
I freeze, leaving behind what’s dark
Good, to mask unhappiness
My love always incognito
Up until the other day, whenever I was alone
The dawn was an enemy
And my couch was a spaceship
I played volleyball with the whole world
And to not disturb you, I did so quietly, quietly
And now I have regrets, regrets
And I dream that it’ll be a bit nicer, a bit nicer for me
And if I remember the look on your face, that June ‘84
My regret will always be you
And glances, missteps, portraits, New Year’s Eve celebrations
They all go away
Happy like no other, that July ‘91
Thanks to you
And now I have regrets, regrets
And I dream that it’ll be a bit nicer, a bit nicer for me
And if I remember the look on your face, that June ‘84
My regret will always be you
And now I have regrets, regrets
And I dream that it’ll be a bit nicer, a bit nicer for me
And if I remember the look on your face, that June ‘84
My regret will always be you
Tiziano was a guest on C’è posta per te yesterday. Last month he was on the Spanish version of the show as part of a gay marriage proposal (see here), this time he was used as a birthday gift for a young woman whose mother died when she was little and whose father died a few months ago. He was his usual charming self, assaulting the host Maria De Filippi and being generally cute. At the end he also “sang” Troppo Buono (it was playback with pre-recorded vocals).
Check out the whole thing here (skip to 1:23:30).
http://soundcloud.com/tzninternational/sets/lamore-una-cosa-swing
Short previews of the new EP! Sounds nice! Can’t wait to hear the full tracks.
After this latest “scare”, I’ve again come to appreciate Tiziano’s fans, and the feeling of protectiveness that we have towards him. It’s not the usual, selfish “I want him for myself” kind of feeling that is pervasive in stan culture, but a genuine desire to form a human shield and protect him from all harm.
It also made me want to translate a bit more of his darkest year, 2009. In what I now consider to be poor taste, I pretty much started this blog with a translation of his saddest moment, a moment that explains our aversion of “Tiziano” and “pills” being used in the same sentence. I’ve been careful not to overdo these depressing entries, because despite everything he is a sweet, uplifting and fun-loving guy, and this blog shouldn’t be negative all the time. But I think this is a good time to share a bit more.
February 27th 2009
I’m at home and I’m not able to move.
After going to the gym and doing the Austrian interviews, depression has taken over. Now that there are two specialists convinced of the fact that I’m depressed, how can I rebel against the evidence? It’s silly to write it down, but for a while now I’m thinking about suicide and the only thing that really makes me angry is knowing that I don’t have the courage.
The truth is that I can’t give in to this fogging up of the mind. I know well that suicide is nothing more than a desire for a clean and abrupt change. I want to see the reality that surrounds me shake itself up, but to manage it I have to first change, more than anything, that what’s within myself. Actually, this is the time when I’d like to have a weapon, although the real weapon is the one that I perhaps will have when I’ve learned to love myself, also for my weaknesses, and to value myself.
Now I don’t know what to do or how to get out of it, I haven’t passed through such a dark corridor in a long time, and the loneliness certainly doesn’t help. Not just my own loneliness, the one in this house today, it’s the universal loneliness that destroys me. I should open up to someone else, I’m starting to suspect that my point of view is distorted.
Maybe I should cry, but I’m not even able to do that. Probably because I’ve never been able to pity myself, but this state of absolute and general indifference is slowly tearing me apart. I’m sick of feeling like I’m unable to cope with any situation. All the scenarios in the world seem unfit for what and who I am, and reinventing myself is not enough anymore, it’s no longer good.
I don’t feel like dealing with anything, yet I deal with everyone and everything.
The day of my birthday I was surprised. I was sitting on the kitchen floor, with my back to the window overlooking the street, staring into space. I was thinking of how strange the number 29 is and meanwhile I was creating my upcoming dinner menu for one.
I heard a knock at the door.
I was amazed: normally at this hour no one comes looking for me, since I don’t have any friends here and I’m visited only by the postman or the delivery guys from the supermarket, never more than one in an afternoon. It was a delivery: a cube-shaped package of a significant size. I pushed it inside, it was very heavy and I had no idea what could be in it. Finally I opened it, very curious, and inside there was a collection of bottles of Irish stout, from my dearest Italian friends.
I was moved, and if I had the accompanying note in my hand now I’d copy it here, because it was really beautiful. I really felt loved, and in that moment I wanted to tell each of them how stupid I’ve been to isolate myself and to get away from everything. How naively cruel I’ve been to myself during these years, feeling too fucking wrong and worthless to share who I am with these people who actually would only want to find out and understand it.
But I can’t do it, I can’t do it.
The actions are unable to follow the intentions and so I end up like this, in the kitchen, drinking beer and imagining that my friends are happy with the idea that I’m happy. Only imagining them.
I’m going to stop writing and jump into bed, and I’ll try not to think. Not to think again about me, about others who are thinking what I’m thinking, about food, about albums, about beer. Or I could go out, and exile myself among those who don’t see, don’t know, don’t understand, don’t even have the desire to try and understand.
March 1st 2009
I’m at the airport, waiting for a flight to Milan. Obviously I have not killed myself. I knew I wouldn’t do it, but I have a kind of controversial, subconscious feeling of pride and vengefulness that makes me feel angry at the idea of not being able to do it.
The drugs are weakening me and I try to react with movements and brain activity. I’m writing a lot, I’m thinking about the upcoming tour, I’m going to the movies, the theater, I’ve started a yoga class, I do language exercises, but the only thing that beats it all is sleep.
Tomorrow and the day after I’m recording a special version of El regalo más grande with Amaia Montero, we’ll also sing one of her songs in Italian that I’ve adapted for her, for her upcoming release in Italy. Alla mia età has magically returned to #1, it’s given me a great charge and a strong emotional drive, and it’s led me to write new things.
“Ed Ero Contentissimo” from the album Nessuno È Solo
Some personal theorizing in this post so beware! It’s one of his toughest songs to interpret but here are my thoughts.
One thing you should know about the books is that sometimes it’s a bit hard to understand what his relationship is with certain people that he mentions. It’s a diary and not a narrative, so no one is ever properly introduced. Plus it’s edited, I’m sure a lot of the more personal stuff (particularly concerning other people in his life) was removed before publication. That brings me to one of the more intriguing people close to him, a certain “Anna”. Later we learn that she is a childhood friend, but in the book he first mentions her in September 2003:
“I don’t know if it’s due to too many disappointments or just the melancholy, but I’d like to hug Anna to death. I hadn’t talked to her in a long time, luckily yesterday her messages were sweet. I hate myself, but I want to see her.
I know that what’s between us won’t ever be good for me, but I need it.
Maybe one day we will be happy: for now we are just enemies, facing each other on a battlefield situated in the middle ground of too much love.
Our relationship is the only real thing that I seem to have and need to protect in recent years.”
A month later they meet up in Amsterdam:
“On our way from Amsterdam to Brussels, by train because we missed the flight. Yesterday Anna was there too, she’d arrived a day later than planned.
I went to a bar with her and later to a club. She had too much to drink and I couldn’t leave her alone, but we had a lot of fun and it was an early night, she was very sweet to me and maybe I also to her.
I have a bag full of junk food, but I prefer not to eat it, I’ve already eaten too much yesterday.”
This was the night that inspired the song. From April 2004:
“Meanwhile, songs for a new album continue to be born, I’ve written one that makes me reflect and it’s dedicated to the night spent in Amsterdam with Anna: Ed ero contentissimo.
Maybe there are too many ballads on this album, but if that’s what I carry within, then honestly I have to get them out without feeling ashamed: I feel compelled to show this gesture of true honesty to those who listen to me.”
From what I can tell from this and other writings in the book, for years he sort of tried to maintain an on-and-off long distance relationship with her, though most of the time it seems to have been just a good friendship. The point is that he really wanted to be more for her (for obvious reasons), and I think that is what “Ed Ero Contentissimo” is all about. A relationship that doesn’t work out because there’s something missing; in Tiziano’s case the fact that he’s not attracted to women in that way. When he begs God for “more, more, more” in the chorus (using the word “ancora”, meaning he wants it to last longer) it seems to me that he is begging God to make him feel more, so he can be for this woman what she deserves. By pushing her away he is really doing her a favor, even if she doesn’t realize it.
As a side note, while his love songs are traditionally genderless, this is a song where the “other person” is explicitly female: “eri contentissima”. The songs “Ti Scatterò Una Foto” and “Il Regalo Più Grande” have a similar feminine adjective (albeit less obvious) and they were likely inspired by Anna as well.
English translation of “Ed Ero Contentissimo”:
“And I Was So Happy”
Now that you’ll be a bit lonely
Between your job and the bed sheets
Quick, tell me, how will you manage?
Now that everything’s left to chance
Now that I’m no longer a burden
Tell me, what excuses will you invent?
You’ll invent that you don’t have time
You’ll invent that everything’s extinguished
You’ll invent that now you love yourself a little more
You’ll invent that now you’re strong
And you’ll close all the doors
Laughing, you’ll find an excuse
One more, one more
And I was so happy, it was late outside the house
And I was waiting for you
Take me by the hand and let’s go…
Deep down you were so happy visiting Amsterdam
The falling rain didn’t matter to you…
Only a candle, it was so beautiful
And the memory of the memory that hinted to us
That no matter what, sooner or later, I would tell you that I was so happy
But I never told you, I asked God more, more, more
Something consoles you
With friends, time flies
But something’s not the way it was before
It’s that I’m cold and don’t cover myself
It’s that in any case, sooner or later
By convincing yourself, you’ll believe it
You’ll believe that it’s warmer
Now that I’m no longer next to you
And maybe it’s better
Because you smile a little bit more
A little bit more
And I was so happy, it was late outside the house
And I was waiting for you
Take me by the hand and let’s go…
Deep down you were so happy visiting Amsterdam
The falling rain didn’t matter to you…
Only a candle, it was so beautiful
And the memory of the memory that hinted to us
That no matter what, sooner or later, I would tell you that I was so happy
But I never told you, I asked God more, more, more
And the memory of me will come to find you when you feel awful
And instead when you feel well, I’ll remain at bay
Because in the end, what I’ve always asked the sky
Is for this life to give you joy and true love
And I was so happy, it was late outside the house
And I was waiting for you
Take me by the hand and let’s go…
Deep down you were so happy visiting Amsterdam
The falling rain didn’t matter to you…
Only a candle, it was so beautiful
And the memory of the memory that hinted to us
That no matter what, sooner or later, I would tell you that I was so happy
But I never told you, I asked God more, more, more
And I was so happy but I never told you
And inside I screamed, God, more, more, more
Thought someone was trolling my ask box but there is indeed a rumor going around that Tiziano was hospitalised two days ago, due to some “bad medication”. The article claims that Tiziano was staying at a Madrid hotel and called for help himself when he started feeling unwell. He spent several hours at the hospital under observation.
Hope it’s not true, but if it is, then I hope he’s okay. Especially mentally.
EDIT: Tiziano posted a reassuring message on Facebook, he’s okay and he loves us. <3
EDIT 2: It was only some food poisoning. No worries! Just bad journalism.
To end on a more uplifting note, here at 2:20 you can see Tiziano’s almost offended and funny reaction when they ask him about the persistent and stupid rumors that his boyfriend is Miguel Bosé.
The bol.it online store says the special edition of the album contains an 18 minute documentary about the Rome stadium concert, and a “swing” disc where he reinterprets some of his old songs:
- L’Olimpiade
- Il Bimbo Dentro
- Xverso
- Eri Come L’Oro Ora Sei Come Loro
- TVM/Quiero Vivir Con Vos
- La Differenza Tra Me E Te
- Per Te (written by Chris Botti and Tiziano, originally sung by Andrea Bocelli, listen here)
Not exactly what I was hoping for, but I’ll take it! I’m especially looking forward to the new version of “Il Bimbo Dentro”.
Surprise! According to amazon.it this is coming out on November 20th and contains two discs. Not yet known what will be on the second disc, but I’m sure we’re all extremely eager to find out!
Saw this two days ago and it’s been haunting me since! I had no idea that he already had a line of “Alla Mia Età” written in 2002 (obviously it’s not “Imbranato” like the video says), plus it’s one of the rare occasions he’s playing an instrument. Very cool.
