Carmen Villani
Encyclopedia
Carmen Villani is a former Italian pop
singer and actress. She had a recognisable voice and an outstanding musical sense. Villani was a versatile performer, featuring elements of gospel
and blues
. She is considered among the finest examples of the early beat music
in Italy. She also collaborated with some of the top film score
rs in Italy. Villani's fame was limited to her homeland, where she charted records and gave several performances broadcasted nationwide by RAI
. After her failure to chart hits in the early 1970s, she became a softcore pornographic actor.
, Province of Modena
. She won the nationwide singing talent contest of Castrocaro
in August 1959 with the swing song "Quando una ragazza (a New Orleans)" (When a Girl (in New Orleans)). Consequently, she signed a recording contract
with the Bluebell record label
. The two tracks Villani recorded with the label were noticed by Fred Buscaglione
who hired her as the female lead singer for his orchestra called the Asternovas. Buscaglione taught Villani to sing in the American swing style which she kept to throughout her career. The Asternovas stapled for a month at the Royal Club in Naples
. The collaboration ended with the death of Buscaglione in a car accident on 3 February 1960. Villani's solo career continued with Bluebell issuing two more singles in 1961. She made her acting debut as The Singer in the film A Man for Burning by Valentino Orsini
, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
. As the film received the Italian Film Critics Award at the Venice Film Festival
, the Bluebell used the opportunity for launching a nationwide campaign for Villani's singles off the soundtrack. This led to Villani's first Italian chart hit "Brucia" (Burning). Subsequently, she was hired by the RAI and collaborated with Lelio Luttazzi in the TV shows Strettamente musicale and Strettamente musicale and Il Paroliere questo sconosciuto. The single "La mia strada" (My Street) became #14 on the Italian weekly chart in the same year. Villani took part of the Cantagiro
Festival of 1963, performing "Io sono così", a cover of "The Love of a Boy" by Burt Bacharach
. The performance prompted an offer from Bacharach to record the Italian version "Anyone Who Had a Heart
" which was turned down by the Bluebell leaving Petula Clark
to enjoy the #21 biggest selling hit of 1964 in Italy.
starting off with "Congratulazioni a te". The single failed to reach the Italian charts as did her next beat records. This prompted her record label for a makeover to go with her new sound with her girl-next-door brunette was changed for a blond hairdo. Her clothes styling, however, failed to catch the Mod fashion integral for the beat style and the result was more of office wear. The new look was due to be presented at the Sanremo Music Festival in 1965, scheduled to perform "La verita" (The Truth) alongside Paul Anka
(these times in the Sanremo Festival, each entry was performed twice by two different interpreters). Anka's record label pulled out of the competition as a protest, leaving Villani without a place in the contest. She went on to record the theme of The Avengers
TV series with a group credited as Avengers. Villani also participated in the Naples Festival with "Io ca te voglio bene" sung in Neapolitan
. Villani continued with her beat style in "Passo il tempo" (Time passes) which was used to open the Questo e quello TV programme in 1966 and made the Italian top 30 as the B-side of "Anche se mi vuoi", a cover of "Tossin' and Turnin'
" by The Ivy League
. "Bada Caterina", lyrics by Franco Migliacci
and music by Armando Trovaioli
, was the title track of the film Adultery Italian Style. The song's structure was simple and repetitive, being based on the call and response
between the choir and Villani's variations of the main musical theme. That resulted in a portrait of a rebellious girl who wishes to dance all night long (played by Catherine Spaak
) set against the strict rules of the adults represented by the choir. The naughty text and the cheeky beat made teenage Italian girls identify themselves with the character and to turn on the volume in the spirit of the track. Villani provided the vocals for another piece on the soundtrack called "Brillo e bollo". The track was included in the Women in Lounge CD collection issued in 2002. Villani continued in the protesting spirit, recording the track "Mille ghitarre contro la guerra" (A Thousand Guitars Against the War) and performing it at the Festival delle Rose. Her final single with Bluebell "Non c’è bisogno di camminare" marked the end of Villani's beat period. The label also issued her collection album Carmen in 1967.
"Io per amore" (I for Love), written and co-performed by Pino Donaggio
, became 11th in the Sanremo Festival of 1967 and charted in Italy. A series of deeply emotional ballads followed: "Grin grin grin" (written by Paolo Conte
and presented in the elaborate studio set of the Diamoci del tu TV show), "Per dimenticare" (Made to Forget), "Trenta 0233". Her 1968 output included "Questa sinfonia" (This Symphony). The title track for another film, Il profeta has been included in a number of collection albums. The flipside upbeat "Non prenderla sul serio" (Don't Take It Seriously) was the theme to the Su e giù TV programme. Villani returned to the final of the Sanremo Festival and the Italian charts with "Piccola piccola" in 1969. The track won the Tokyo
Festival and was a big success in Japan, but remained her last chart hit to date. The rest of her 1969 output, including "Se" (If) written in the signature style by Conte and presented at the Canzonissima contest, failed to make impact on the charts. For the subsequent two years, Villani co-hosted Sunday variety shows musically directed by Gorni Kramer
. Her Sanremo success continued with a 12th place for her performance of "Hippy" alongside the author Fausto Leali
in 1970. Her last single with Fonit Cetra was "L’amore è come un bimbo" (Love is Like a Child).
, RCA
signed a contract with Villani. She and Modugno teamed up for the year's Sanremo Festival achieving the 6th place for the performance of "Come stai" (How Do You Feel) composed by Modugno. Villani's intention was to make a turn in her career, to shake off the label of light pop tunes and to establish herself as a serious interpreter. Ennio Melis, the chief of RCA Italy initiated the collaboration of Villani with the singer-songwriter
Piero Ciampi. In autumn 1971, Villani qualified to the second round of the Canzonissima contest and performed "Bambino mio" (My Baby) by Ciampi. The fact that the theme of the lyrics was divorce, which was legalised only in 1974, demanded some extra courage to perform it at the nationwide televised show. Villani handled the situation delivering a poignant performance which is now considered among her best. Villani and Ciampi recorded a couple of tracks in the studio in mid-February, 1972. Thereafter, Ciampi, known for his difficult character, refused to collaborate with Villani. Later in the year, Ciampi started to work with Nada
, another female singer, which concluded with Nada's album Ho scoperto che esisto anch'io. This left Villani under pressure from RCA who were expecting a commercial album while she was still in need of serious material. This led to the breakup between the singer and the record label. This also meant the shelving of the material dedicated for the album. Among the ditched tracks was "Perchè dovrei" (Why should I) by Lucio Battisti
which she had already presented at the Senza rete live televised concert in July 1972 to appear only on a compilation album of Battisti more than thirty years later. Villani's last recording with the RCA was the title track of the thriller film L'ultimo uomo di Sara (Sara's Last Man) composed by Ennio Morricone
.
magazines. She attempted a few musical comebacks in the 1980s, though without success. In the 1990s, she starred in the stage musical Roma birbona, and in 2004 she made a guest performance on the album Weekend al Funkafè by the group Ridillo.
and Women in Lounge.
Italian popular music
The expression Italian Popular Music refers to the musical output which is not usually considered Academic or Classical Music but rather have its roots in the popular traditions, and it may be defined in two ways: it can either be defined in terms of the current geographical location of the Italian...
singer and actress. She had a recognisable voice and an outstanding musical sense. Villani was a versatile performer, featuring elements of gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
. She is considered among the finest examples of the early beat music
Beat music
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
in Italy. She also collaborated with some of the top film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
rs in Italy. Villani's fame was limited to her homeland, where she charted records and gave several performances broadcasted nationwide by RAI
RAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
. After her failure to chart hits in the early 1970s, she became a softcore pornographic actor.
Biography
Carmen Villani was born in RavarinoRavarino
Ravarino is a comune in the Province of Modena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 30 km northwest of Bologna and about 15 km northeast of Modena...
, Province of Modena
Province of Modena
The Province of Modena is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Modena.It has an area of 2,689 km², and a total population of 659,925 . There are 48 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Modena.At May 31, 2005, the main comuni by population...
. She won the nationwide singing talent contest of Castrocaro
Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole
Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole is a comune in the Province of Forlì-Cesena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 60 km southeast of Bologna and about 10 km southwest of Forlì....
in August 1959 with the swing song "Quando una ragazza (a New Orleans)" (When a Girl (in New Orleans)). Consequently, she signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with the Bluebell record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. The two tracks Villani recorded with the label were noticed by Fred Buscaglione
Fred Buscaglione
Ferdinando "Fred" Buscaglione was an Italian singer and actor who became very popular in the late 1950s. His public persona – the character he played both in his songs and his movies – was of a humorous mobster with a penchant for whisky and women.-Biography:Ferdinando Buscaglione was born in...
who hired her as the female lead singer for his orchestra called the Asternovas. Buscaglione taught Villani to sing in the American swing style which she kept to throughout her career. The Asternovas stapled for a month at the Royal Club in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. The collaboration ended with the death of Buscaglione in a car accident on 3 February 1960. Villani's solo career continued with Bluebell issuing two more singles in 1961. She made her acting debut as The Singer in the film A Man for Burning by Valentino Orsini
Valentino Orsini
Valentino Orsini was an Italian film director.After his first interests to arts in his hometown, in 1954 Valentino Orsini directed with the brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani the documentary San Miniato: luglio...
, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
Paolo and Vittorio Taviani are noted Italian film directors and screenwriters...
. As the film received the Italian Film Critics Award at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
, the Bluebell used the opportunity for launching a nationwide campaign for Villani's singles off the soundtrack. This led to Villani's first Italian chart hit "Brucia" (Burning). Subsequently, she was hired by the RAI and collaborated with Lelio Luttazzi in the TV shows Strettamente musicale and Strettamente musicale and Il Paroliere questo sconosciuto. The single "La mia strada" (My Street) became #14 on the Italian weekly chart in the same year. Villani took part of the Cantagiro
Cantagiro
Cantagiro was an Italian summer festival held from 1962 to 1972 and 1990 to 1993. It had three categories, A for famous artists, B for newcomers and C for groups. The "Father" of the competition was Ezio Radaelli.- Cantagiro :-Nuovo Cantagiro:...
Festival of 1963, performing "Io sono così", a cover of "The Love of a Boy" by Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
. The performance prompted an offer from Bacharach to record the Italian version "Anyone Who Had a Heart
Anyone Who Had a Heart
"Anyone Who Had a Heart" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick in 1963. Warwick's original recording hit the Top Ten in the United States, Canada, Spain, The Netherlands, South Africa, Belgium and Australia in January 1964.Cilla Black's version was a UK #1 hit in...
" which was turned down by the Bluebell leaving Petula Clark
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
to enjoy the #21 biggest selling hit of 1964 in Italy.
Beat period (1964–1966)
The year 1964 marked Villani's shift to beat musicBeat music
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
starting off with "Congratulazioni a te". The single failed to reach the Italian charts as did her next beat records. This prompted her record label for a makeover to go with her new sound with her girl-next-door brunette was changed for a blond hairdo. Her clothes styling, however, failed to catch the Mod fashion integral for the beat style and the result was more of office wear. The new look was due to be presented at the Sanremo Music Festival in 1965, scheduled to perform "La verita" (The Truth) alongside Paul Anka
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
(these times in the Sanremo Festival, each entry was performed twice by two different interpreters). Anka's record label pulled out of the competition as a protest, leaving Villani without a place in the contest. She went on to record the theme of The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
TV series with a group credited as Avengers. Villani also participated in the Naples Festival with "Io ca te voglio bene" sung in Neapolitan
Neapolitan language
Neapolitan is the language of the city and region of Naples , and Campania. On October 14, 2008 a law by the Region of Campania stated that the Neapolitan language had to be protected....
. Villani continued with her beat style in "Passo il tempo" (Time passes) which was used to open the Questo e quello TV programme in 1966 and made the Italian top 30 as the B-side of "Anche se mi vuoi", a cover of "Tossin' and Turnin'
Tossin' and Turnin'
"Tossin' and Turnin" is a song written by Ritchie Adams and Malou Rene, and originally recorded by Bobby Lewis. The record reached number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 on July 10, 1961, and R&B chart,, and has since become a standard on oldies compilations. It was named Billboard's number-one...
" by The Ivy League
The Ivy League (band)
The Ivy League are an English vocal trio, created in 1964, who enjoyed two Top 10 hit singles in the UK Singles Chart in 1965. The group's sound was characterised by rich, three-part vocal harmonies.-Career:...
. "Bada Caterina", lyrics by Franco Migliacci
Franco Migliacci
Franco Migliacci is a lyricist, producer, and actor. He is also known as Francesco Migliacci.- Biography :...
and music by Armando Trovaioli
Armando Trovaioli
Armando Trovaioli is an Italian film composer and pianist with over 200 credits as composer and/or conductor, many of them jazz scores for low-budget exploitation films of the Commedia all'italiana genre. He collaborated with Vittorio De Sica on a number of projects, including one segment of...
, was the title track of the film Adultery Italian Style. The song's structure was simple and repetitive, being based on the call and response
Call and response
Call and response is a form of "spontaneous verbal and non-verbal interaction between speaker and listener in which all of the statements are punctuated by expressions from the listener."...
between the choir and Villani's variations of the main musical theme. That resulted in a portrait of a rebellious girl who wishes to dance all night long (played by Catherine Spaak
Catherine Spaak
-Biography:Spaak was born at Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine . She is the niece of Belgian politician Paul-Henri Spaak.She spent most of her career in Italy, where she became a teenage star...
) set against the strict rules of the adults represented by the choir. The naughty text and the cheeky beat made teenage Italian girls identify themselves with the character and to turn on the volume in the spirit of the track. Villani provided the vocals for another piece on the soundtrack called "Brillo e bollo". The track was included in the Women in Lounge CD collection issued in 2002. Villani continued in the protesting spirit, recording the track "Mille ghitarre contro la guerra" (A Thousand Guitars Against the War) and performing it at the Festival delle Rose. Her final single with Bluebell "Non c’è bisogno di camminare" marked the end of Villani's beat period. The label also issued her collection album Carmen in 1967.
Fonit Cetra (1967–1970)
The management of Villani's new Fonit Cetra record label had great plans for the singer. Her debut single, the classy torch songTorch song
A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship...
"Io per amore" (I for Love), written and co-performed by Pino Donaggio
Pino Donaggio
Giuseppe "Pino" Donaggio is an Italian composer.Born in Burano , into a family of musicians, Donaggio began studying violin at the age of ten, first at the Benedetto Marcello conservatory in Venice, followed by the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan...
, became 11th in the Sanremo Festival of 1967 and charted in Italy. A series of deeply emotional ballads followed: "Grin grin grin" (written by Paolo Conte
Paolo Conte
Paolo Conte is an Italian singer, pianist, composer, and lawyer notable for his grainy, resonant voice, his colourful and dreamy compositions and his wistful, sometimes melancholic...
and presented in the elaborate studio set of the Diamoci del tu TV show), "Per dimenticare" (Made to Forget), "Trenta 0233". Her 1968 output included "Questa sinfonia" (This Symphony). The title track for another film, Il profeta has been included in a number of collection albums. The flipside upbeat "Non prenderla sul serio" (Don't Take It Seriously) was the theme to the Su e giù TV programme. Villani returned to the final of the Sanremo Festival and the Italian charts with "Piccola piccola" in 1969. The track won the Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
Festival and was a big success in Japan, but remained her last chart hit to date. The rest of her 1969 output, including "Se" (If) written in the signature style by Conte and presented at the Canzonissima contest, failed to make impact on the charts. For the subsequent two years, Villani co-hosted Sunday variety shows musically directed by Gorni Kramer
Gorni Kramer
Gorni Kramer was an Italian songwriter, musician and band leader.- Biography :He was born Kramer Gorni at Rivarolo Mantovano . Despite the exotic sound of Gorni Kramer in Italian language, which lead part of his audience to believe he was a foreigner or had adopted a fancy pseudonym, it was his...
. Her Sanremo success continued with a 12th place for her performance of "Hippy" alongside the author Fausto Leali
Fausto Leali
Fausto Leali is an Italian singer, famous for his rough and aggressive voice, in sharp contrast with Italian melody conventions. Due to his voice, he is nicknamed "The black white" .-Beginnings:...
in 1970. Her last single with Fonit Cetra was "L’amore è come un bimbo" (Love is Like a Child).
RCA (1971–1972)
In 1971, as suggested by the Italian singer Domenico ModugnoDomenico Modugno
Domenico Modugno was an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, and later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu "...
, RCA
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
signed a contract with Villani. She and Modugno teamed up for the year's Sanremo Festival achieving the 6th place for the performance of "Come stai" (How Do You Feel) composed by Modugno. Villani's intention was to make a turn in her career, to shake off the label of light pop tunes and to establish herself as a serious interpreter. Ennio Melis, the chief of RCA Italy initiated the collaboration of Villani with the singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Piero Ciampi. In autumn 1971, Villani qualified to the second round of the Canzonissima contest and performed "Bambino mio" (My Baby) by Ciampi. The fact that the theme of the lyrics was divorce, which was legalised only in 1974, demanded some extra courage to perform it at the nationwide televised show. Villani handled the situation delivering a poignant performance which is now considered among her best. Villani and Ciampi recorded a couple of tracks in the studio in mid-February, 1972. Thereafter, Ciampi, known for his difficult character, refused to collaborate with Villani. Later in the year, Ciampi started to work with Nada
Nada (Italian singer)
Nada is an Italian singer. She was nicknamed Il pulcino di Gabbro ....
, another female singer, which concluded with Nada's album Ho scoperto che esisto anch'io. This left Villani under pressure from RCA who were expecting a commercial album while she was still in need of serious material. This led to the breakup between the singer and the record label. This also meant the shelving of the material dedicated for the album. Among the ditched tracks was "Perchè dovrei" (Why should I) by Lucio Battisti
Lucio Battisti
Lucio Battisti was an Italian singer-songwriter . He is considered to be one of the best-known and most influential musicians and authors in Italian pop/rock music history....
which she had already presented at the Senza rete live televised concert in July 1972 to appear only on a compilation album of Battisti more than thirty years later. Villani's last recording with the RCA was the title track of the thriller film L'ultimo uomo di Sara (Sara's Last Man) composed by Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
.
Pornographic career
Thanks to her film director husband Mauro Ivaldi, Villani moved into acting full-time, enjoying a string of starring roles in softcore pornographic fare, such as La supplente, L’amica di mia madre and Ecco lingua d'argento. In late 1970s, she also modelled for Playboy and PlaymenPlaymen
Playmen was an Italian adult entertainment magazine. It was founded in 1967 by a mother of three, Adelina Tattilo, reaching fame as Italy's Playboy magazine....
magazines. She attempted a few musical comebacks in the 1980s, though without success. In the 1990s, she starred in the stage musical Roma birbona, and in 2004 she made a guest performance on the album Weekend al Funkafè by the group Ridillo.
Legacy
A number of Villani's tracks have been included in compilation albums of the 1960s Italian pop music, among them Beat in CinecittàCinecittà
Cinecittà is a large film studio in Rome that is considered the hub of Italian cinema.-History:The studios were founded in 1937 by Benito Mussolini and his head of cinema Luigi Freddi for propaganda purposes, under the slogan "Il cinema è l'arma più forte"...
and Women in Lounge.