Edoardo Bennato & Bo Diddley - Attento Joe (video) - 1992. Hey, you who want to be a rebel
Hey, you who want to be a hero
Sooner or later, whether you like it or not
You have to pay a price, pay, yes
Yes, pay
And just to give you an example
If you want to go on the news
You have to pass under those Caudine Forks
Of San Martino, you have to pass, pass
Yes, pass
Careful Joe, watch what you do, do
Do, do
Don't pull the string too tight, or you'll regret it - rai
-Rai, -rai
In the album "Il paese dei balocchi" from 1992, released by Edoardo Bennato just after the album under his alter ego Joe Sarnataro "È asciuto pazzo 'o padrone" (which I’ve been discussing on the site lately), also from 1992, there’s this song, "Attento Joe," sung in duet no less than with Bo Diddley. This piece, dedicated to Joe Sarnataro himself, criticizes the power of Rai and its executives who, to allow a spot on their national broadcasts, impose the choice of certain locations for concerts. In particular, Bennato refers to journalist Gianni Raviele and his Rassegna di Spettacolo e Cultura San Martino Arte that took place in his hometown, San Martino Valle Caudina. As a "punishment," following the release of this piece, Bennato was not invited to the TV show "Prisma."
«And just to give you an example, if you want to go on the news, you have to pass under those Caudine Forks of San Martino...»
Bennato himself, "masked" as Joe Sarnataro, had indeed performed in this location, along with other Italian artists who were then at the peak of their careers.
«Careful Joe, watch what you do, do, don’t pull the string too tight, or you’ll regret it - rai!» (That "rai" is definitely not random, as you may have guessed).
Now, you can think what you want, of course, like that here Edoardo was at the end of his rope and had already shot his best shots earlier, especially in the '70s (even though for me, the album under Joe Sarnataro’s name is a masterpiece), but there is a fact: his two immediately previous singles, "Viva la mamma" from 1989 and "Un'estate italiana" aka "Notti magiche" sung in duet with Gianna Nannini from 1990, and his two previous albums, "Ok Italia" from 1987 and "Abbi dubbi" from 1989, sold tremendously well.
From here on out, however, he wouldn’t sell (almost) anything anymore: a coincidence? Who knows...
