Claude Barzotti
Encyclopedia
Claude Barzotti, is a Belgian singer of italian origin of the 1980s. Barzotti recorded several songs which each sold hundreds of thousands of copies. He first achieved success in 1981 with his song "Le Rital."
, but raised in Italy
. Barzotti moved back to Belgium at the age of 18, settling in the town of Court-Saint-Étienne
. Barzotti began his musical career in France in 1981 with his song "Madame," which sold 400,000 copies. However, later in the year, Barzotti found widespread success with his song "Le Rital," which propelled him to household-name status.
"Rital" is a difficult to translate French slang
term used to refer in a derogatory sense to people of Italian
descent, the song deals with Barzotti's experiences as a young child and how "he wanted to be named Dupont (a common French surname
)," but the song also deals with his pride concerning the term, exemplified in lines such as "Je suis rital et je le reste," which translates to "I'm Italian and will so remain." Barzotti's career continued throughout the 1980s, and his last major successful song was in 1990s "Aime-moi" (English:Love Me), at which point many people believed his career was far from over. Although Barzotti profited from the wave of nostalgia
which gripped France at the turn of the 21st century, he was unable to capture the musical prominence he had once held. Because of his distinctive voice and great successes in the French music industry, he is considered one of the most prominent French pop musicians of the 1980s. Barzotti's music was also popular in Francophone Canada, with songs such as "Je ne t'écrirai plus" (English: I Won't Write You Anymore), "Prends bien soin d'elle" (English: Take Good Care of Her), "C'est moi qui pars" (English: It's Me Who's Leaving), and "J'ai les bleus" (English: I Have the Blues).
Barzotti's songs have also been featured in movies and DVD
s in France, the movies in which his songs have been featured have sold more than five million copies. He also wrote the Belgian entry to the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest.
This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding French Wikipedia article as of 27 September 2007.
Biography and Career
Barzotti, whose real first name was Francesco, was born in Châtelineau, BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, but raised in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Barzotti moved back to Belgium at the age of 18, settling in the town of Court-Saint-Étienne
Court-Saint-Etienne
Court-Saint-Étienne is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On January 1, 2006 Court-Saint-Étienne had a total population of 9,408. The total area is 26.64 km² which gives a population density of 353 inhabitants per km².See also: List of municipalities in...
. Barzotti began his musical career in France in 1981 with his song "Madame," which sold 400,000 copies. However, later in the year, Barzotti found widespread success with his song "Le Rital," which propelled him to household-name status.
"Rital" is a difficult to translate French slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
term used to refer in a derogatory sense to people of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
descent, the song deals with Barzotti's experiences as a young child and how "he wanted to be named Dupont (a common French surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
)," but the song also deals with his pride concerning the term, exemplified in lines such as "Je suis rital et je le reste," which translates to "I'm Italian and will so remain." Barzotti's career continued throughout the 1980s, and his last major successful song was in 1990s "Aime-moi" (English:Love Me), at which point many people believed his career was far from over. Although Barzotti profited from the wave of nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
which gripped France at the turn of the 21st century, he was unable to capture the musical prominence he had once held. Because of his distinctive voice and great successes in the French music industry, he is considered one of the most prominent French pop musicians of the 1980s. Barzotti's music was also popular in Francophone Canada, with songs such as "Je ne t'écrirai plus" (English: I Won't Write You Anymore), "Prends bien soin d'elle" (English: Take Good Care of Her), "C'est moi qui pars" (English: It's Me Who's Leaving), and "J'ai les bleus" (English: I Have the Blues).
Barzotti's songs have also been featured in movies and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s in France, the movies in which his songs have been featured have sold more than five million copies. He also wrote the Belgian entry to the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest.
Today
Barzotti's compilation "best of" was released in France in 2003, and he also recorded a more traditional Italian song, "Vado Via." He has released a new single, "Jada," on 8 August 2007, the proceeds from which go to benefit children in poor countries who do not have access to education.Selected discography
- 1981: Madame
- 1981: Le Rital
- 1982: Je te n'écrirai plus
- 1989: Elle me tue (English: She Kills Me)
- 1990: Aime-moi
External links
This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding French Wikipedia article as of 27 September 2007.