It was the 2 June of the 1981, the summer had just begun and "it came with clouds swollen with hope". Due to a tragic car accident, Rino Gaetano, that morning he never saw the sun rise. The night before the songwriter's car, traveling on the Via Nomentana a Roma, invaded the opposite lane and crashed head-on into a truck. After being rejected by several hospitals, Rino's life and dreams died away at the dawn of that day. They have passed 41 years from his disappearance and, that any guy of the South with the soul from ballad singer, is still in the hearts of many fans (young or not) who listen to and appreciate his simple but meaningful songs. Songs like "You you you you you" or "But the sky is always bluer”(To name a couple) are still as relevant today as they were (almost) fifty years ago.
The South, social exclusion, non-sense and politics
Born in Crotone in 1950, at the age of 10, Rino moved with his family to Roma (where the father had found work). Although he has spent almost his entire life in the capital, the singer-songwriter has always had a special bond with his homeland. "For example, I like… the South","This too is South" or "Pick my rose of love”Are songs that well express the love of the songwriter for the South. Another theme very dear to Rino Gaetano is that ofemigration. Among the most representative pieces, in addition to those mentioned above, there are "And he sang the songs " and "Agapito Malteni the railwayman". This is also linked to thesocial exclusion, which is found in passages such as "Dog excluded"and "My brother is an only child". According to Rino, the outcast is a very normal person, who however "he is convinced that the exploited, the underpaid and the frustrated still exist".
Rino Gaetano is famous to the general public especially for his songs nonsense. These, behind cheerful music and word games, hide deeper meanings. "Gianna","I love you Maryanna" or "Ouch Maria”Are just some of the most emblematic pieces, of which various interpretations have been made over the years. Finally, as a man and a free artist, Rino also composed pieces aimed at policy, almost always hidden provocations from the non-sene. "Berta was spinning","Nun te reggae anymore"(The most explicit of all) or"And the old woman who jumps with the pole”Are other examples of the compositional genius of Calabrian singer-songwriter. For some songs Rino had to deal with the censorship. In some cases for words like "sex"(Gianna) or"asshole"(Spend, Spread Effendi). In other cases for very strong phrases for those years such as "who throws the bomb, who hides his hand"(But the sky is always bluer).
Rino Gaetano Day 2022
On the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the death of the singer-songwriter, the artist Jorit he made a mural dedicated to Rino Gaetano in the neighborhood 300 accommodations a Crotone. This was inaugurated in recent days, during the event "In the footsteps of Rino", Evening organized by the municipality of Crotone, which was attended by Rino's sister, Anna Gaetano and the son Alessandro, frontman of the Rino Gaetano Band. Furthermore, the 2 and the 3 June (two days as an exception) will take place at Sixty-eight Village di Roma il Rino Gaetano Day. This event, born in 2011 at the behest of Anna and Alexander Cajetan, intends to remember the late Rino by retracing his brief, but significant, artistic career. Among the guests of this twelfth edition there will be singers NaElia, Tricarico, Andrew Strange e Rachel Bastreghi. The event will then be closed by the Rino Gaetano Band, which since 1999 has been carrying the memory of the beloved singer-songwriter around Italy.
Rino Gaetano is still considered today one of the most important Italian artists of the last century. His songs, his poetics and the topics covered (starting from the "southern question”) Have touched the hearts and hearts of millions of people. Rino is an unforgettable myth of Italian music, which continues to inspire new generations today (and will do so for years to come). During these 41 years, the "world and its ugliness " they could have given Rino various food for thought to write new songs. Unfortunately, however, due to cruel fate, we will never know what you would have thought of the last decades of Italian history and of the events that have upset the world. To us that we listen to your records perhaps smiling… Rino we miss you more every day.
Photo: © official Facebook page “Rino Gaetano”.
