La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture

La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture
Writing, Lesson 2
Writing
Lyrics of a song
PER TE
di Lorenzo Cherubini (Jovanotti)
The songwriter
Lorenzo Cherubini, better known as Jovanotti, is an Italian singer-songwriter and rapper.
The name Jovanotti derives from the plural form of the Italian word giovanotto ("young man"), i.e. giovanotti. Lorenzo
Cherubini originally auditioned a band with the name "I Giovanotti", but the record producer was interested only in
him. He then decided to Italo-Americanize his name as "Joe Vanotti" before conjugating it to his famous moniker
"Jovanotti". The spelling Jovanotti is anglicized; the letter J is not often used in Italian, as it does not belong to its
current alphabet.
Jovanotti gradually departed from his early mix of hip hop, rap and disco, taking in funk, world music and even
classical arrangements and ska influences. As his musical influences changed, so too did his lyrics, which, over time,
began to increasingly address philosophical, religious and political issues, which are more typical of the Italian
cantautore tradition. His social and political commitment increased as well. Some of his earlier work is also closer to
keyboard-heavy 1980s pop.
Most of his songs are sung in Italian; he also released a Spanish-language greatest hits album. His live album includes a
short version of the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight". Jovanotti appears on several international compilations, most
notably Red Hot + Rhapsody, a 1998 tribute to George Gershwin, on which he performed "I Got Rhythm". His most
famous songs are "L'Ombelico del Mondo" and "Serenata Rap". Jovanotti has also appeared in one of Luciano
Pavarotti's charity concert in 1996.
The song we’ll dictate today is Per te
Per te is a lullaby (ninna-nanna) written by Lorenzo Jovanotti Cherubini for his daughter Teresa. Per te is a sweet, feelgood tune whose poetical lyrics are a dedication to a loved one of all in life that is pleasant, beautiful and happy.
Now listen to the song and enjoy it. Then, write the lyrics we will dictate and find out which are the beautiful things
he dedicates to his newborn daughter. The first line is done for you.
Per te
È per te che sono verdi gli alberi….
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
1
Created by New Realm Media per La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture © September 2012
La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture
Writing, Lesson 2
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
2
Created by New Realm Media per La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture © September 2012
La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture
Writing, Lesson 2
PER TE
È per te che sono verdi gli alberi
e rosa i fiocchi in maternità
è per te che il sole brucia a luglio
è per te tutta questa città
è per te che sono bianchi i muri
e la colomba vola
è per te il 13 dicembre
è per te la campanella a scuola
è per te ogni cosa che c'è ninna na ninna e...
è per te che a volte piove a giugno
è per te il sorriso degli umani
è per te un'aranciata fresca
è per te lo scodinzolo dei cani
è per te il colore delle foglie
la forma strana della nuvole
è per te il succo delle mele
è per te il rosso delle fragole
è per te ogni cosa che c'è ninna na ninna e...
è per te il profumo delle stelle
è per te il miele e la farina
è per te il sabato nel centro
le otto di mattina
è per te la voce dei cantanti
la penna dei poeti
è per te una maglietta a righe
è per te la chiave dei segreti
è per te ogni cosa che c'è ninna na ninna e...
è per te il dubbio e la certezza
la forza e la dolcezza
è per te che il mare sa di sale
è per te la notte di natale
è per te ogni cosa che c'è ninna na ninna e...
3
Created by New Realm Media per La Bella Figura – Experience Italian Culture © September 2012