“Se Telefonando” was released as a single in May 1966, for the BMG Ricordi music editions. On the B side of the disc was recorded the song “No”, written by Gianni Boncompagni. The two songs were then included in the “Studio Uno 66” album and the videos became part of the second cycle of commercials that Mina shot for Barilla, which were aired during the Carosello broadcast. The
piece “Se Telefonando” is an unsurpassed piece for melody, text and interpretation. The vocal difficulty of the song is evident, but Mina’s extraordinary talent exceeds all expectations: with a very complicated vocal progression “the tiger of Cremona”, born Anna Maria Mazzini, she reaches peaks that many have tried to imitate.
The text tells of the telephone end of a relationship, of a sudden and fragile passion that quickly runs out and does not leave the two lovers the time to reflect and explain what happened. The inability to understand and at the same time to let the love relationship continue pervade the atmosphere of the piece and the sense of incompleteness manifests itself in a direct and tangible way in the conditional of the refrain.
The song was also a huge success abroad, so much so that in 1966 Francoise Hardy recorded two versions, one in French (Je changerais d’avis) and one in English (I Will Change My Life). How the song was born
In a 2018 interview released by telephone on Radio Radioto Rudy Zerbi, Maurizio Costanzo told: “There were three of us: Ennio Morricone, Ghigo De Chiara and me. The combination arose from the fact that Enrico De Chiara and I were writing a piece for a variety program for Rai, which was called “ Air conditioning ”. In those years the head and tail acronyms still existed and De Chiara, who had worked with Morricone in a theatrical show, said to try and ask Morricone if he agreed. He said yes and, while De Chiara and I were working on the piece at De Chiara’s house, Morricone intervened on the phone and said ‘Think of the siren of the Marseille police’. I was lucky enough to say the word telephone, arguing with De Chiara that the telephone was becoming more fashionable in those years (there were still no cell phones); Se Telefonando was born. ”
And to conclude, he added: “They told us later that maybe Mina was available and we went to Via Teulada. We found them the impresario of Mina and Mina, and Morricone sat down at the piano and played Se Telefonando. A moment later Mina asked to hear the text and, in front of us, amazed by that gesture, I sing the song. I am still grateful to her because she has been, and still is, sung all over the world. ” The text
The amazement of the night
Wide open
On the sea
It surprised us that we were unknown you and I
Then in the dark your hands
Suddenly
On mine
It grew too fast
This love of ours
If by
calling I could say goodbye
I would call you
If I saw you again I was sure that you do not suffer
I would see you again
If looking into your eyes I could tell you enough
I would look at you
But I cannot explain to you
That our newborn love is
already over
If by calling I wanted to say goodbye
I would call you
If I seeing you again I was sure that you do not suffer
I would see you again
If looking into your eyes I could tell you enough
I would look at you
But I can’t explain
that our newborn love is
already over
