...Ein Tag aus dem Leben des kleinen Johannes - . . . A Day from the Life of Little Johann

..ein Tag aus dem Leben des kleinen Johannes La manina che sbuca pallida dal tuo vestito alla marinara Johann klein Johann Bist du denn ein kleines Mädchen? Was soll aus dir werden Wenn du so fortfährst? Er trank an dem bekränzten Tische Den heißen Tee aus der Untertasse La musica ti sfinisce Ist Demagogie, Blasphemie, und Wahnwitz! Ma tu scoppi d'amore Genug, Tony, genug! Ich bitte dich Was setzest du ihm in den Kopf Er saß, ein wenig über die Tasten gebeugt Sedette e cominciò a improvvisare E I capelli castani gli coprivano le tempie In morbidi ricci Così con malinconia lieve Dies war ein Tag aus dem Leben des kleinen Johannes Genug, Tony, genug! Ich bitte dich Was setzest du ihm in den Kopf Er saß... © 1996 Franco Battiato & Manlio Sgalambro The German lines in "...Ein Tag aus dem Leben des kleinen Johannes" are taken from Thomas Mann's novel Buddenbrooks - Tony is the daughter of Johann III. Running through much of the song is a sample of the intro of a song called Buura, by the Tuvan singers Shu-De

. . . A day from the life of little John The little hand that pokes out pale from your sailor suit. John, little Johann, are you a little girl? What should become of you if you continue like this? He drank at the garlanded table the hot tea from the saucer. The music wears you out, it’s demagoguery, blasphemy and madness! But you are bursting with love. Enough, Tony, enough! I beg you. What are you putting in his head? He was sitting a little over the keys, he sat and began to improvise and his chestnut hair covered his temples in soft curls, thus with gentle melancholy. This was a day from the life of little Johann. Enough, Tony, enough! I beg you. What are you putting in his head? He sat . . . English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser L'imboscata (The Ambush) was released in 1996. It marked another change of direction for Battiato, returning to the world of rock and the electric guitar after his turn into classical music sonorities beginning in 1986. He also felt a desire to connect to a larger popular audience (the sales of his previous album were the lowest of all his pop albums going back to 1979; L'imboscata became the second best selling album of the year). The album cover is a painting by Antoine-Jean Gros - Napoleon at the Pyramids. Like the previous album, the lyrics were by the Sicilian philosopher Manlio Sgalambro, with Battiato's input on "Di passaggio" and "La cura." The album was dedicated to the writer Gesualdo Bufalino, a close friend of Battiato's.

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