Fabrizio De André

His first records came out in the sixties. At that time it was already clear he was a special singer-songwriter, mixing the traditional with the modern. He took songs from French artists like Brassens, translated them into Italian, and put them in his style. He also used sounds from Italy and more international things. He did everything with a simple but poetic language, which made him unique. De André also translated other authors, like Dylan and Cohen.

In 1968 he released the first conceptual album of Italy, Tutti morimmo a stento. It was like a story about drug addicts, crazy people, sad kings and children who see war. Everything in a psychedelic atmosphere. De André's gaze was always clear, deep, human.

In 1970 La buona novella came out, an album about Mary, Jesus and Joseph, with lyrics inspired by apocryphal gospels. To many it seemed like a betrayal, but the album became something strong, prophetic and humanist. Over time, it became a reference.

In 1971 he released Non al denaro, non all’amore né al cielo, where he put music to the "Antologia di Spoon River" by Edgar Lee Masters. Songs like "Un giudice" or "Il suonatore Jones" stayed in collective memory.

In 1973 came Storia di un impiegato, another conceptual album. It spoke about a frustrated employee who, after seeing the 1968 protests, decides to get involved in terrorism. De André questioned power, violence, the system, society. The song "Canzone del maggio" had a repeated phrase, like a cry to power: "per quanto voi vi crediate assolti, siete per sempre coinvolti". It is still today, in Italy, a strong political song.