Strani giorni - Strange Days

In nineteen fortyfive I came to this planet Ascoltavo ieri sera un cantante uno dei tanti E avevo gli occhi gonfi di stupore   I've seen many things in this part of the world Nel sentire: "il cielo azzurro appare limpido e regale"   Let me tell you something (il cielo a volte, invece, ha qualche cosa d'infernale) Strani giorni viviamo strani giorni Cantava:   Life can be short or long Sento un rumore di swing provenire dal Neolitico   It depends Dall'Olocene   Where you go at night Sento il suono di un violino   Alone and walking alone   through the grey Sunday streets E mi circondano l'alba   Looking for someone E il mattino   The place was clean well lit Chissà com'erano allora   I went in and I said (I suppose I said) Il Rio delle Amazzoni   Whisky please Ed Alessandria la grande   The place was clean well lit E le preghiere e l'amore?   Two men in a corner were waiting Chissà com'era il colore?   I saw it from their hands   You look at the hands Not at the face If you want to stay out of trouble Mi lambivano suoni che coprirono rabbie e vendette Di uomini con clave Ma anche battaglie e massacri di uomini civili   Looking for someone L'Uomo Neozoico   Where you go at night Dell'Era Quaternaria Strani giorni viviamo strani giorni   Strange days I lived through strange days Nella voce di un cantante Si rispecchia il sole Ogni amata ogni amante Strani giorni viviamo strani giorni I've fallen into reverie I dreamed a vague outline The whisky flowed Sending me into the past Action roll the cameras Here comes a lighting tour of my life The two in the corner didn't say a word Strani giorni © 1996 Franco Battiato & Manlio Sgalambro "Strani giorni" combines two story lines, the one in English sung by Nicola Walker Smith.

In 1945 I came to this planet. I listened last night to a singer, one of many, and my eyes were filled with wonder   I’ve seen many things in this part of the world in hearing: “the blue sky appears limpid and regal.”   Let me tell you something (The sky at times, instead, has some hellish things.) Strange days, we live strange days. She sang:   Life can be short or long I hear a sound of swing hailing from the Neolithic,   It depends from the Holocene,   where you go at night I hear the sound of a violin   Alone and walking alone   through the grey Sunday streets and the dawn surrounds me,   Looking for someone and the morning.   The place was clean and well lit Who knows how they were then,   I went in and I said (I suppose I said) the Amazon River   Whisky please and the great Alexandria,   The place was clean well lit and the prayers and the love?   Two men in a corner were waiting Who knows what color was like?   I saw it from their hands You look at the hands, not at the face, if you want to stay out of trouble. Sounds lapped me that cover rages and vendettas of men with clubs, but also battles and massacres of civil men –   Looking for someone the Neozoic Man   Where you go at night of the Quaternary Age. Strange days, we live strange days.   Strange days, I lived through strange days. In the voice of a singer is reflected the sun, every beloved, every lover. Strange days, we live strange days. I've fallen into reverie. I dreamed a vague outline. The whisky flowed, sending me into the past. Action, roll the cameras, here comes a lighting tour of my life. The two in the corner didn't say a word. 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.

Back to Album List         Back to Song List