Ciao amore, ciao

History

Tenco spent considerable time refining the lyrics for "Ciao amore, ciao", writing roughly ten different versions before settling on the final one. During this process, he sought advice from Mogol, a collaborator on "Se stasera sono qui", who felt the lyrics were already perfect. The earliest known draft, developed with Sergio Bardotti, was influenced by Bob Dylan's "Rainy Day Women Nos. 12 & 35" and called for discarding "false values"; this version later appeared in a recording by Nicola Di Bari under the title "Il mondo gira".

A penultimate version, titled "Li vidi tornare", was vocally antimilitaristic. RCA Italiana considered this version too extreme and advised changes, but Tenco recorded it in full; it was not published until 1972. Even the final version left Tenco unconvinced, but after meeting Dalida at RCA Italiana's Rome headquarters in 1966, she persuaded him to submit it for the Sanremo Festival. That summer, they decided both would perform the song, and they were admitted to the competition.

The arrangement was set to a pop style by Gian Piero Reverberi. Originally titled "Ciao amore", a second "ciao" was added about three weeks before the festival for legal reasons. The night before the festival began, Tenco asked friends for their opinion on the song, promising dinner if it won. During rehearsals, Dalida's performance was reportedly better received.

The two premiered the song on the first night, 26 January 1967. Before going on stage, Tenco told presenter Mike Bongiorno, "This is the last time"; Bongiorno later said he thought Tenco meant the end of his artistic career. Tenco's performance was negatively affected by his consumption of a medicinal drug and pear grappa, making it difficult for conductor Reverberi to keep pace. Dalida was heard backstage complaining that Tenco was "spoiling the song."

Composition and lyrics

The song is in the key of G major. Tenco's version begins directly with the first stanza, while Dalida's opens with an instrumental introduction. The lyrics blend a love song with a protest against contemporary society, telling of a person leaving the countryside—where survival depends on weather—for the city in search of opportunities, but forced to leave a lover behind. The protagonist then experiences disorientation, nostalgia, and a desire to return home.

Cover versions and usage

The song has been covered on albums by artists including Steven Brown (1988), Eugenio Finardi (2001), Renato Sellani (2001), Giuni Russo (2002, from an earlier live performance), Gianna Nannini (2015), Franco Simone (2016), and Peter Hammill (2021). It was released as a single by Giusy Ferreri (featuring samplings from Tenco's recording, 2010) and Bianca Atzei (featuring Alex Britti, 2015). At the Sanremo Music Festival, it was performed by guest Edoardo Bennato in 2010 and by contestants Marco Mengoni in 2013 and Bianca Atzei in 2015. Dalida's rendition appears in the soundtrack to James Ivory's film A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998).