Lucio Dalla Francesco De Gregori
Banana Republic

THE REVIEW

By De Gregori - "Banana Republic" 1979

There are songs you never forget: I have this vivid memory, a magnesium flare - one of those blinding ones from Kodak Instamatic flash cubes, just to immerse ourselves in the late seventies vintage that's so trendy today: it was the winter of '79, the Love is... calendar marked December, and I had to go to one of those incredibly important, fateful, vital middle school parties that even Elio from Storie Tese would recall with a tear of Gorgonzola on his cheek. And behind the fogged-up glass of memory, I see this kid asking mom and dad for money to buy a Farrows sweater and a pair of Camperos, even if they weren't original, to attend the birthday party of the nerdy girl in the front row, the one rumored to touch her privates with her Bic pen. So, the party promised to be quite the event.

There it was; the winter routine of Rome from the house window, the Christmas tree with lights going pif-pof, and my parents finally gave me the green light for the pre-80ies typical indulgences;  and from the radio, from the TV, or maybe just from my mind, there was this song I would hum continuously..Down there in the tropical country, where the sun is more sun than here.. Well it filled my soul with a strange melancholy.

The entire album contains several precious little songs including the Italo soul of Cosa sarà. The vague reflection that pervades the live performance mirrored well with my generation, already so superficial, disco-going, and unengaged. Even then, our idea of engagement was the new wave; punk was too exotic and far away, singer-songwriters generally repellent, clothes and looks already so important to feel included, not discriminated against by the group. Wikipigs notes: Steve Goodman is the original author of the song Banana Republics, made in USA 1977. It was too good to be solely De Gregori's creation.

What a sadness to see Dalla-De Gregori today, touring with their new show, so worn out and bloated. I did well not to follow the singer-songwriter path; only this way can I afford to still be cool at my age.

Rating: Wavering and reflective album, to be listened to with a classmate from those days, preferably still hot and available as a lover. And forget that dreams have become reality: Italy has finally become a Banana Republic, and the post-com-PD Dalla-Degregori have become as wealthy as the Americans, they mimic nostalgia, telling themselves the same lie a thousand times without believing it...I'll pay if you pay.