Grande grande grande
Encyclopedia
"Grande grande grande" is a 1972 Italian song, written by Alberto Testa and Tony Renis. It was a No. 1 hit for Mina
in Italy and for Shirley Bassey
released as "Never Never Never" in the U.K., U.S. and Australia.
for Mina in 1972, from her No. 1 self-titled album
. The single was released in early 1972 and entered the Top 10 the week of February 26.
After a steady climb to No. 2 (behind "Imagine
" by John Lennon
) the week of March 11, the song seemed to have run out of steam after falling 2 places to No. 4 to new hits by Delirium, Nicola Di Bari
and Nada
("Imagine" had dropped to No. 5). By April 1, the song had once again climbed to its peak No. 2 position were it remained the whole month of April before finally reaching No. 1 on April 29. "Grande grande grande", arranged by Pino Presti
, ruled the charts the first three weeks of May until "I giardini di marzo" by her collaborator Lucio Battisti
, and her own hit "Parole parole" knocked it out of the top spot down to No. 3 the week of May 27. "Grande grande grande" remained in the top 10 until the week of July 8, often trading places with "Parole parole". By the year's end, only "Il Padrino" by Santo and Johnny had enjoyed a longer life on the charts and Mina had to settle for the runner up position for 1972's biggest hit on the Italian singles chart.
Mina (singer)
Anna Maria Quaini, Grand Officer , known as Mina, is an Italian pop singer. She was a staple of Italian television variety shows and a dominant figure in Italian pop music from the mid-1960s to mid-1970s known for her three-octave vocal range, the agility of her soprano voice, and her image as an...
in Italy and for Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
released as "Never Never Never" in the U.K., U.S. and Australia.
Mina version
"Grande grande grande" was a No. 1 hit on the Italian Singles ChartFederation of the Italian Music Industry
The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy....
for Mina in 1972, from her No. 1 self-titled album
Mina (1971 album)
Mina is an album by Italian singer Mina released in 1971.The album is one of the singer's most successful, yiedlding the hit singles "Amor Mio" and "Grande grande grande" and outselling every other album release in 1972.- Track listing :...
. The single was released in early 1972 and entered the Top 10 the week of February 26.
After a steady climb to No. 2 (behind "Imagine
Imagine (song)
"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...
" by John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
) the week of March 11, the song seemed to have run out of steam after falling 2 places to No. 4 to new hits by Delirium, Nicola Di Bari
Nicola Di Bari
Nicola di Bari is an Italian singer. He was born in Zapponeta, Apulia, as Michele Scommegna.He won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1971 and 1972...
and Nada
Nada (Italian singer)
Nada is an Italian singer. She was nicknamed Il pulcino di Gabbro ....
("Imagine" had dropped to No. 5). By April 1, the song had once again climbed to its peak No. 2 position were it remained the whole month of April before finally reaching No. 1 on April 29. "Grande grande grande", arranged by Pino Presti
Pino Presti
Pino Presti is an Italian bassist, arranger, composer, conductor, record producer, born in Milan....
, ruled the charts the first three weeks of May until "I giardini di marzo" by her collaborator 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....
, and her own hit "Parole parole" knocked it out of the top spot down to No. 3 the week of May 27. "Grande grande grande" remained in the top 10 until the week of July 8, often trading places with "Parole parole". By the year's end, only "Il Padrino" by Santo and Johnny had enjoyed a longer life on the charts and Mina had to settle for the runner up position for 1972's biggest hit on the Italian singles chart.
Cover versions
- Shirley BasseyShirley BasseyDame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
had a No. 8 hit in the UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
with "Never Never Never", an English version with lyrics by Norman NewellNorman NewellNorman Newell, OBE was born in Plaistow, Essex , and was a successful British record producer in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as co-writer of many notable songs...
. It was also No. 1 in Australia, No. 1 in South Africa, No. 3 in Singapore, and her only single to make three US charts: No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, No. 8 on the Adult Contemporary ChartHot Adult Contemporary TracksThe Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
, and No. 67 on the R&B Chart. It is also a concert staple. - Celine DionCeline DionCéline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
with Luciano PavarottiLuciano Pavarottiright|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
1997 (Released as "I Hate You Then I Love YouI Hate You Then I Love You"I Hate You Then I Love You" is song sung as a duet between Céline Dion and Luciano Pavarotti. It was first released as a track on Celine Dion's 1997 album Let's Talk About Love...
") - Julio IglesiasJulio IglesiasJulio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
with Nana MouskouriNana MouskouriNana Mouskouri , born Ioánna Moúschouri on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a Greek singer who has sold about 300 million records worldwide in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She was known as Nána to her friends and...
. Iglesias also sang covers in languages such as Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese and French. - Dana Winner
- Mireille MathieuMireille MathieuMireille Mathieu is a French chanteuse, and pop singer. Hailed in the French press as the successor to Édith Piaf, she has achieved great commercial success, recording over 1200 songs in nine different languages, with more than 120 million records sold worldwide.-Childhood to early...
- Sergio FranchiSergio FranchiSergio Franchi was an Italian tenor.Franchi was born in Cremona, Italy. His father wanted him to become an electrical engineer, so he studied both music and engineering simultaneously. The family moved to South Africa in 1952, where Sergio worked part-time as a draftsman, while continuing to study...
covered this song in English ("Never Never Never") on his 1976 DynaHouse Album 20 Magnificent Songs. - Orietta Berti
- PimpinelaPimpinelaJoaquín and Lucía Galán, better known as Pimpinela are an Argentine duet famous for singing romantic relationship musical pieces and for their original style of singing...
- Vikki CarrVikki CarrVikki Carr is an American singer and humanitarian from El Paso, Texas. She has performed in a variety of music genres, including jazz, pop and country, but has enjoyed her greatest success singing in Spanish.-Career:After taking the stage name 'Vikki Carr', she signed with Liberty Records in 1962...
- John HoltJohn Holt (singer)John Holt is a reggae singer and songwriter.-Biography:Holt was born in Kingston in 1947. By the age of 12, he was a regular entrant in talent contests run at Jamaican theatres by Vere Johns...
("Never Never Never")