Tu vuò fà l'americano
Encyclopedia
"Tu vuò fà l'americano" is a Neapolitan language
song by Italian singer Renato Carosone
.
Carosone wrote the song in collaboration with Nicola "Nisa" Salerno
in 1956. Combining swing and jazz
, it became one of his best known songs. Commissioned by Ricordi
director Rapetti for a radio contest, the music was composed by Carosone in a very short time after reading Nisa's lyrics; he immediately believed the song would become a great success. The song was featured in the 1960 Melville Shavelson
film It Started in Naples
, in which it was sung by Sofia Loren. It was also performed by Rosario Fiorello
in the 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley
and was covered by The Puppini Sisters
.
The lyrics are about an Italian who imitates the contemporary American lifestyle and acts like a Yankee
, drinking whisky
and soda, dancing to rock 'n roll, playing baseball
and smoking Camel
cigarettes, but still depends on his parents for money. The song is generally considered a satire on the process of Americanization
that occurred in the early post-war years, when southern Italy was still a rural, traditional society.
Carosone himself wrote that his songs "were deeply based on the American dream
, interpreting jazz and its derivatives as a symbol of an America, lively land of progress and well-being, but always Neapolitan-style, folding that symbol in a sly parody of its customs". According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica
, "Tu vuò fa l'americano" is the symbol of Carosone's artistic parabola, as he retired from music in 1960, just four years after releasing the song.
Neapolitan language
Neapolitan is the language of the city and region of Naples , and Campania. On October 14, 2008 a law by the Region of Campania stated that the Neapolitan language had to be protected....
song by Italian singer Renato Carosone
Renato Carosone
Renato Carosone , born Renato Carusone, was among the greatest figures of Italian music scene in the second half of the 20th century. He was also a modern performer of the so-called canzone napoletana, Naples' song tradition.-Beginnings:Carosone was born in Naples...
.
Carosone wrote the song in collaboration with Nicola "Nisa" Salerno
Nicola Salerno
Nicola Salerno, also known as Nisa was an Italian lyricist. He formed a famous songwriting duo with Renato Carosone.-Career:Nicola Salerno was born in Naples....
in 1956. Combining swing and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, it became one of his best known songs. Commissioned by Ricordi
Casa Ricordi
Casa Ricordi is a classical music publishing company founded in 1808 as G. Ricordi & Co. by violinist Giovanni Ricordi in Milan, Italy...
director Rapetti for a radio contest, the music was composed by Carosone in a very short time after reading Nisa's lyrics; he immediately believed the song would become a great success. The song was featured in the 1960 Melville Shavelson
Melville Shavelson
Melville Shavelson was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. He was President of the Writers Guild of America, West from 1969 to 1971, 1979 to 1981, and 1985 to 1987. He came to Hollywood in 1938 as one of comedian Bob Hope's joke writers, a job he held for the next...
film It Started in Naples
It Started in Naples
It Started in Naples is an American romantic comedy film made by Paramount Pictures and released in August 1960. It was directed by Melville Shavelson and produced by Jack Rose from a screenplay by Suso Cecchi d'Amico based on the story by Michael Pertwee and Jack Davies...
, in which it was sung by Sofia Loren. It was also performed by Rosario Fiorello
Rosario Fiorello
Rosario Tindaro Fiorello , known just as Fiorello, is an Italian comedian, singer, radio and television presenter.-Career:...
in the 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Talented Mr. Ripley (film)
The Talented Mr. Ripley is a 1999 American psychological thriller written for the screen and directed by Anthony Minghella. It is an adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith 1955 novel of the same name, which was previously filmed as Plein Soleil .The film stars Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, Gwyneth...
and was covered by The Puppini Sisters
The Puppini Sisters
The Puppini Sisters are a vocal trio. Arion Berger described them as part of "Retro's futuristic vanguard" and described their sound as "swing-punk". The group has sought to be associated with a burlesque revival....
.
The lyrics are about an Italian who imitates the contemporary American lifestyle and acts like a Yankee
Yankee
The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...
, drinking whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
and soda, dancing to rock 'n roll, playing baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and smoking Camel
Camel (cigarette)
Camel is a brand of cigarettes that was introduced by American company R.J. Reynolds Tobacco in the summer of 1913. Most current Camel cigarettes contain a blend of Turkish tobacco and Virginia tobacco. Early in 2008 the blend was changed as was the package design.-History:In 1913, R.J...
cigarettes, but still depends on his parents for money. The song is generally considered a satire on the process of Americanization
Americanization
Americanization is the influence of the United States on the popular culture, technology, business practices, or political techniques of other countries. The term has been used since at least 1907. Inside the U.S...
that occurred in the early post-war years, when southern Italy was still a rural, traditional society.
Carosone himself wrote that his songs "were deeply based on the American dream
American Dream
The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each...
, interpreting jazz and its derivatives as a symbol of an America, lively land of progress and well-being, but always Neapolitan-style, folding that symbol in a sly parody of its customs". According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica
La Repubblica
la Repubblica is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. Founded in 1976 in Rome by the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, as of 2008 is the second largest circulation newspaper, behind the Corriere della Sera.-Foundation:...
, "Tu vuò fa l'americano" is the symbol of Carosone's artistic parabola, as he retired from music in 1960, just four years after releasing the song.
Covers and sampling
- The two main characters sing this song at a jazz bar in the movie "The Talented Mr. RipleyThe Talented Mr. Ripley (film)The Talented Mr. Ripley is a 1999 American psychological thriller written for the screen and directed by Anthony Minghella. It is an adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith 1955 novel of the same name, which was previously filmed as Plein Soleil .The film stars Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, Gwyneth...
". - Lou BegaLou BegaDavid Lubega , also known as Lou Bega, is a German musician of Italian and Ugandan descent, and is famous for his song "Mambo No. 5 ". This song is a remake of the Perez Prado instrumental from 1949...
made a cover of the song entitled You Wanna Be AmericanoYou Wanna Be Americano"You Wanna Be Americano" is a song by Lou Bega. It is a cover version of the Italian song Tu vuò fà l'americano by Renato Carosone. Bega's version starts with an excerpt from The Star-Spangled Banner...
. - The Brian Setzer Orchestra covered this song with their song, "Americano." This song appeared on their album "VaVoom."
- The song was sampledSampling (music)In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
in 2010 by the Australian duo Yolanda Be CoolYolanda Be CoolYolanda Be Cool is an Australian band made up of Sylvester Martinez and Johnson "Durango Slim" Peterson. They collaborated with Australian producer DCUP to release an international single "We No Speak Americano" on the indie Australian label Sweat It Out they founded, sampling on a 1956...
and producer DCUPDCUPDuncan MacLennan, better known by his stage name DCUP, is an Australian music producer, DJ and remixer. He is best known for his co-operation with fellow Australian duo Yolanda Be Cool on their international hit single "We No Speak Americano", which samples Renato Carosone and Nicola Salerno's 1956...
in their song "We No Speak AmericanoWe No Speak Americano"We No Speak Americano" is a song by Australian duo Yolanda Be Cool and producer DCUP. It was released on the independent Australian label Sweat It Out on 27 February 2010. The song samples the 1956 Italian song - although sung in Neapolitan language - "Tu Vuò Fà L'Americano" by Renato Carosone,...
" that became an international hit. It was subsequently re-recorded by Marco CalliariMarco CalliariMarco Calliari is a singer-songwriter based in Quebec, originally from Italy. He began his career in 1989 in forming the thrash metal group Anonymus alongside Carlos Araya and brothers Daniel and Oscar Souto...
. - Don OmarDon OmarDon Omar, also known as El Rey Don Omar, also known as El Rey Don Omar, also known as El Rey (born William Omar Landrón Rivera; February 10, 1978, is a Puerto Rican Reggaetón singer and actor.-Early life:...
- We No Speak Americano (Remix) - This was used as one of the demo songs used for the singing synthesizer software VocaloidVocaloidis a singing synthesizer application, with its signal processing part developed through a joint research project between the Pompeu Fabra University in Spain and Japan's Yamaha Corporation, who backed the development financially—and later developed the software into the commercial product...
Tonio and featured both him and another Vocaloid "Big Al" singing the song. - The Puppini SistersThe Puppini SistersThe Puppini Sisters are a vocal trio. Arion Berger described them as part of "Retro's futuristic vanguard" and described their sound as "swing-punk". The group has sought to be associated with a burlesque revival....
recorded this on their album "Betcha Bottom Dollar" in 2007. - Background music during a cafe scene in the movie The AmericanThe American (2010 film)The American is a 2010 American thriller film directed by Anton Corbijn and starring George Clooney, Thekla Reuten, Violante Placido, Irina Björklund, and Paolo Bonacelli. It is an adaptation of the 1990 novel A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth...
with George Clooney, 2010. - PitbullPitbull (rapper)Armando Christian Pérez , better known by his stage name Pitbull, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. His first recorded performance was from the Lil Jon album Kings of Crunk in 2002, after which he released his debut album in 2004 titled M.I.A.M.I. under TVT Records...
(2010)- Bon Bon (We No Speak Americano) - In 2002 the Chilean rock band Pettinellis recorded a cover entitled "Americano" as part of their debut album (titled). The voice is performed by keyboardist Camilo Salinas, Chilean-Italian musician born in Rome during the exile of his father, the musician Horacio Salinas.
- Joe PennaJoe PennaJoe Penna , known online as MysteryGuitarMan, is a Brazilian guitarist, animator, and filmmaker. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.-YouTube:...
, the famous YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
r known as MysteryGuitarMan, made a video cover of this song, using traditional musical instruments from Bali, in 2010. - Elliot Kevin & The Broken released this song on their album Damage of this Day
- Rita ChiarelliRita ChiarelliRita Chiarelli is a Canadian blues singer. She has been dubbed "the goddess of Canadian blues" by CBC Radio One's Shelagh Rogers.-Biography:Born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Chiarelli began performing in Ronnie Hawkins' band in the early 1980s. She subsequently spent several years in Italy...
released this song on her album Italian Sessions - Also served as the Autoblow soundtrack
- Actor Darren CrissDarren CrissDarren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater company StarKid Productions. He currently portrays Blaine Anderson, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX television series Glee...
covered the song At the Yale Club Benefit on May 14, 2011