Prisencolinensinainciusol: How Adriano Celentano's Meaningless Song Became an Immortal Hit (5 photos)

You've probably sung songs in foreign languages ​​just the way you hear them. It sounds funny, but only when performed by the average music lover. If a pop star takes on the task, it could very well turn into a real hit that will be loved even half a century later. Adriano Celentano's creation, with the strange title "Prisencolinensinainciusol," is an example of how a good song doesn't need meaning at all.





The fashion for all things American arrived in sunny Italy after the end of World War II. It was with the entry of American troops into Rome in June 1944 that a period of peace and creativity began for the country. Having recovered somewhat, Italians began to create cultural products inspired by the films, songs, and books brought back from the United States by their liberators.



A vogue for all things overseas reigned in Italy from the early 1950s to the early 1980s, and during this time, many notable films and pop hits were created. In 1972, the rising singer Adriano Celentano, together with his wife Claudia Mori, recorded the song "Prisencolinensinainciusol" (Prisencolinensinainciusol).

You'll agree, the title is unusual, and it's immediately clear that the song isn't Italian. After listening to it, many Celentano fans, not particularly familiar with languages, will confidently assume it's in English. They'd be mistaken, as this hit is sung in a language that never existed.





Phonetically, the song's lyrics are very similar to English, and its style is American. But in reality, Celentano simply rhymed a bunch of non-existent words into a completely meaningless lyric. For its time, it was a bright and bold experiment; today, it's clear to us that the master of Italian pop even used rap, which was unknown in the 70s.



For almost a year, the song was played at Celentano's concerts without much public interest. Its moment of glory came a year later, in 1973, when the singer performed it on Italian Public Television. The meaningless song quickly became popular in its home country, and then something unexpected happened, even for Adriano himself: it began topping the charts one after another in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark. That same year, it reached the US charts, where it steadily climbed into the top ten.

"Prisencolinensinainciusol" was forgotten only in the early 1980s, but it turned out that the hit in "gibberish" was too early to write off. For some reason, the song regained popularity in 2010, though not on radio or television, but online. People began listening to it, discussing it, and posting concert recordings on YouTube. Then remixes from professional and lesser artists from various countries followed.

Of course, the composer of the hit song didn't remain indifferent. Back then, 72-year-old Adriano Celentano had no idea that decades after writing the playful song, he would have to talk about it. The singer explained to reporters that although the lyrics to "Prisencolinensinainciusol" don't make sense, the song itself is quite profound. While working on it, Celentano wanted to address the issue of communication between people from different countries, which has always been difficult due to language and mentality.



According to Celentano, he wanted to write a song that would unite people from different countries and make them feel equal when listening to it. It seems he succeeded.