Lucio Battisti

Lucio Battisti (Photo from Wikipedia)

When Lucio Battisti died in 1998, the world of Italian music seemed to stop, with the entire country mourning a legend. Battisti was not just a singer, but a man who, through music and mastery of composing, was able to connect three generations. The end guitar of "Non e' Francesca" is an instrumental piece of genius that deserves full credit and admittance to the Olympus of guitar, just next to Jimmy Hendrix. Lucio's talent was of course supported by the extraordinary lyrics of Mogol, who is a poet and a true genius. Their songs hit right on the heart of every Italian, as each note and word seemed to be custom written for the person listening. Even today if you listen to a Battisti record you still feel the same way.

Battisti came from Rieti, Italy and a very humble background. The musician conquered Italian quickly and soon became the undisputed king of the music scene, the benchmark that every Italian musician then and after would measure themselves by. The songs that came out of Battisti will remain forever, so to the myth he was able to build. Although considered the best singer/musician Italy has ever had, Battisti never wanted to perform live, he never gave a concert and, just like Mina, he eventually decided to disappear from public life and simply record out of a studio. Because Battisti always kept himself out of the public eye he was able to remain, in an almost mythic way, in the hearts and minds of fans even after his death.

Lucio Battisti

Battisti's songs can truly be considered the soundtrack of our lives, regardless of age and social status. As we go into the future, his music lives on and his popularity keeps on growing. The singer's CDs still top the charts and his video appearances are very much searched on the web and often broadcast the networks. The sound of Battisti's notes became a soundtrack for generations--music to fall in love to, break up to, and grow up with. The real secret of this amazing artist is not just his ability to connect, but also to produce fresh and contemporary music. Even Battisti's older pieces remain current, his ability to seem like he's talking directly to you not diminished by time. And while Battisti's voice was far from being the best the way he sang and his sense of rhythm and emotion made him unique and a perfect match for the music he composed.

Lucio Battisti - La Canzone del Sole

Among all the hits that Battisti produced, we would like to remember three: "Emozioni" (Emotions), "Acqua azzurra, acqua chiara" (Blue Water, Clear Water) and "Il mio canto libero" (My Free Chant). These three songs summarize Battisti's style and his music, in its total complexity and sound research. Mogol's lyrics were phenomenal, but were often shadowed by the brilliance and geniality of the music. Battisti knew exactly what he was doing and was not afraid to experiment; on this matter his sound is very different from songs to songs. In the second part of his life, he moved to a London studio, seeking new inspiration, but also to avoid the Italian media, confirming his desire to be left out of the gossip and left alone by the paparazzi. From London, Battisti was able to produce some other great masterpieces, even if he interrupted his collaboration with Mogol. Battisti's new lyrics sounded more experimental and less in depth than before, but the change of style paid off and the new music reached the success of his early work.

Lucio Battisti - Ancora tu

This success helped him also to communicate with a brand new generation, which from the 80's on changed its taste and music trends. The new teenagers now were listening to same guy that their parents listened to. Of course this also exposed the younger generation to his older work, which was equally appreciated, despite being 25 years old. Battisti seemed to feel very comfortable navigating between the generations and his sales continued to soar. Of course, keeping himself out of the public eye only added to the legend and sparked the curiosity of the Italian people.

During his career Battisti also tried also to sing in Spanish and other languages, but he did not find the same success and probably never really cared to go international. On a day in September in 1998 the life of this great artist ended much like one of his songs, leaving the soul touched and the listener questioning the mysteries of life.