Fiorella Mannoia
Fiorella Mannoia is an Italian singer and songwriter.
Biography
The Beginning
Fiorella Mannoia's father Luigi was an Italian film stuntman, and Fiorella, her brother Maurizio and sister Patrizia began work in this area as children. Fiorella Mannoia's first film role as a stuntwoman was at the age of 13 in the film Non cantare, spara! . She often acted as a stand-in for Monica Vitti, e.g., in Amore mio aiutami, and was also a stand-in for Candice Bergen in The Hunting Party. She debuted in the world of music at the Castrocaro Music Festival in 1968, singing Un bambino sul leone by Adriano Celentano. Although she didn't win, she obtained a record contract with Carisch, with whom she recorded her first 45, Ho saputo che partivi, which had on the B-side Le ciliegie, written by the young guitarist Riccardo Zappa.In the Spring of 1968, she participated in Un disco per l'estate, a Summer song festival broadcast on RAI, with the song Gente qua, gente là, the music for which was written by Bruno De Filippi, while the lyrics were written by her producer, Alberto Testa. Her third 45 featured Mi piace quel ragazzo lì, whose text is dedicated to Adriano Celentano, with Occhi negli occhi on the B-side, reused from the previous record. These discs, while still being influenced by certain "beat" sounds, presented evidence of Mannoia's vocal qualities, although they did not sell well. The tracks are available in the collection I primi passi, containing songs by Fiorella Mannoia and Carla Bissi, published by On Sale Music.
In 1970 she got to know the singer and guitarist Memmo Foresi, who had put out some 45s as a solo act and with whom she formed a relationship. After signing a contract with the label It founded by Vincenzo Micocci, in 1971 she cut a 45 of a song written by Enzo Perrotti and a Foresi track on the B-side; this too went unnoticed.
The next year, the collaboration with Memmo Foresi led to the release of the album Mannoia Foresi & co. for RCA Italiana. The track Ma quale sentimento was retitled Prologo for release as a single. In 1974, her new single Ninna nanna was censored because of the lyrics by Marco Luberti, which were considered too raw. Fiorella Mannoia then decided to leave RCA and go to the label Ricordi, with whom she released three 45s, Piccolo, Tu amore mio and Scaldami.
In the early 70s, she had minor roles in the spaghetti Westerns Un colt in mano del diavolo, E il terzo giorno arrivò il corvo and Sei bounty killers per una strage .
Sanremo Music Festival
On leaving the label Ricordi, Mannoia signed with CGD. Her first recording for the new label was not for a record of her own but for an album by Pierangelo Bertoli, entitled Certi momenti. She sang a duet with Bertoli on Pescatore and the great success of this single and of the album, also helped to make her name known.In 1981, she performed at the Sanremo Music Festival with Caffè nero bollente, which made her widely known in Italy. That year she also had a moderate hit with E muoviti un po' , written by the Torinese singer-songwriter Valerio Liboni, with whom she took part in Festivalbar. She continued recording albums and 45s produced by Mario Lavezzi. She again changed record companies, moving to Ariston.
She entered the Sanremo Music Festival once more in 1984 with Come si cambia, written by Renato Pareti, which had a certain amount of sales success. She won the final of Premiatissima with the song Margherita by Riccardo Cocciante. In 1985, L'aiuola was a big hit for her and the album Premiatissima '84, which included Margherita, was released.
Success
Great success came when she changed labels to DDD and subsequently won the Critic's Prize at the Sanremo Music Festival for two years in a row. In 1987, she won with Quello che le donne non-dicono, her first number-one hit, written specifically for her by Enrico Ruggeri and Luigi Schiavone. She won again in 1988 with Le notti di maggio, written by Ivano Fossati. In 1988, the album Canzoni per parlare was released, which included these and other songs by leading Italian songwriters, including Ron and Riccardo Cocciante. This was also her first record produced by the musical director and guitarist Piero Fabrizi, who has played an important role in all of her subsequent work.The album Di terra e di vento, on which she collaborated for the first time with Francesco De Gregori, was released in 1989. This album also contains an Italian version of the song O Que Será by the great Brazilian singer-songwriter Chico Buarque de Hollanda, sung as a duet with Ivano Fossati, who also translated the lyrics from Portuguese.
In 1992, Fiorella Mannoia released the pivotal album I treni a vapore, which, as well as the title track by Ivano Fossati, also contains the popular tracks Il cielo d'Irlanda by Massimo Bubola, Tutti cercano qualcosa by Francesco De Gregori and Inevitabilmente by Enrico Ruggeri and Luigi Schiavone, which was used on the soundtrack of the film Caro diario by Nanni Moretti.
Her next album Gente comune was released in 1994. Highlights include the songs Crazy Boy, written for her by Samuele Bersani and Piero Fabrizi, Il culo del mondo written by the Brazilian singer-songwriter Caetano Veloso, who sang with her on this number, and Giovanna d'Arco , written for her by Francesco de Gregori.
On Belle speranze she collaborated with younger songwriters including Daniele Silvestri and Gianmaria Testa. This album also contained the ironic Non sono un cantautore written by Piero Fabrizi. Certe piccole voci, the first live album of her career, contained the Vasco Rossi song Sally, one of her most popular numbers. This double CD was a huge hit in Italy, reaching number one a couple of months after release, and, ultimately, double platinum status.
2000s
In 2000, Fiorella Mannoia was invited to the 50th Festival of Sanremo as Italian Super Host.During the early to mid-2000s, she did a lot of touring, initially with Pino Daniele, Francesco De Gregori and Ron, and more recently solo. After the studio album Fragile, Fiorella Mannoia released the live album In tour with Daniele, De Gregori and Ron. Returning to her cinema roots, she played a cameo role in the film Prima dammi un bacio, a romantic comedy written and directed by Ambrogio Lo Giudice. In 2003, she dueted with Niccolò Fabi, recording the song "Offeso", included in his album La cura del tempo.
In 2004, the solo live album Concerti was released, together with Due anni di concerti, a DVD recorded at the visually stunning Teatro Valli di Reggio Emilia. In 2005, she sang three songs at the Live 8 concert, Rome: Sally, Clandestino, and Mio fratello che guarda il mondo, written by Ivano Fossati.
During her career, Fiorella Mannoia has won the prestigious Targa Tenco for Italian singers five times. She is the only performer to have won the Targa Tenco in this category more than once.
On 2 June 2005 the President of Italy, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, conferred on Fiorella Mannoia the rank of Ufficiale in the Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana.
In 2006 she released the single Cravo e canela, written by Milton Nascimento and Ronaldo Bastos. This was followed by the album Onda tropicale, from which the single was taken. The tracks on the album, six translated into Italian by Piero Fabrizi and five in the original Portuguese, are all from the rich carioca repertoire of Brazil. All of the tracks are duets with well-known Brazilian artists. This was the first time anyone had succeeded in bringing all these important Brazilian artists together in a single project. Her longtime collaborator Piero Fabrizi, guitarist, musical director, arranger and songwriter, again played an important role on this album.
Mannoia competed in the Sanremo Music Festival 2017 with "Che sia benedetta", ultimately coming second. She competed in the Sanremo Music Festival 2024 with "Mariposa".
Other ventures
Fiorella Mannoia has also devoted herself to social issues, lending her attention to subjects such as abortion and divorce, and has also expressed her solidarity with the aid association Emergency.During her career, Fiorella Mannoia has sung in a number of languages including French, Spanish, Portuguese and English, as well as Neapolitan and her native Italian.
Discography
45 rpm
Ho saputo che partivi/Le ciliegie Gente qua gente là/Occhi negli occhi Mi piace quel ragazzo lì/Occhi negli occhi Ore sei/Mi gira la testa Ma quale sentimento/Che cos'è Ninna nanna/Rose Piccolo/Che sete ho Tu amore mio/Viva Scaldami/Cover girl Caffè nero bollente/Meno male che il temporale sta passando E muoviti un pò/Vigliacca notte nera Il posto delle viole /Torneranno gli angeli Come si cambia/Fai piano Ogni volta che vedo il mare/Chiara L'aiuola/Canto e vivo Quello che le donne non-dicono/Ti ruberò Le notti di maggio/Fino a fermarmi Il tempo non-torna più/Le notti di maggio La giostra della memoria/Lunaspina- ''Cuore di cane/Oh che sarà''
CD singles
Le notti di maggio Cuore di cane I venti del cuore Il cielo d'Irlanda L'altra madre Crazy boy Belle speranze Non sono un cantautore Il fiume e la nebbia Sally L'amore si odia duet with Noemi Il peso del coraggio- ''Mariposa''
LPs and CDs
Mannoia Foresi & co Fiorella Mannoia and E muoviti un po' )Momento delicato with the addition of the song Come si cambia )Premiatissima '84 Fiorella Mannoia Canzoni per parlare Di terra e di vento I treni a vapore Gente comune Belle speranze Certe piccole voci Fragile In tour Concerti Onda tropicale Canzoni nel tempo – Il movimento del dare – Ho imparato a sognare – Personale- ''Padroni di niente''
Compilation CDs
Tre anni di successi Canto e vivo Basta innamorarsi Così cantiamo l’amore Come si cambia '77-'87 Le canzoni Le origini Il meglio I primi passi- ''I grandi successi originali''
DVDs
Due anni di concerti Live in Roma 2005- ''Ho imparato a sognare''
Prizes
- 1987 – Sanremo Music Festival: Critic's Prize for Quello che le donne non-dicono
- 1988 – Sanremo Music Festival: Critic's Prize for Le notti di maggio
- 1988 – Targa Tenco: best singer for Canzoni per parlare
- 1990 – Targa Tenco: best singer for Di terra e di vento
- 1995 – Targa Tenco: best singer for Gente comune
- 1999 – Targa Tenco: best singer for Certe piccole voci
- 2004 – Targa Tenco: best singer for Concerti
- 2006 – Oscar Capitolino