Roberto Vecchioni
Barbapapà

After releasing a daring album like "Il re non si diverte", featuring the lengthy title track that had already established itself as one of the most successful songs by the singer-songwriter from Carate Brianza, and before the masterpiece "Ipertensione", in the same year as the album "Irene" and "I poeti", Roberto Vecchioni takes a detour into childhood. With the choir of Le Mele Verdi, he participates in 11 tracks that make up the soundtrack of the television series "Barbapapà". The series is not Italian, as it was first broadcast in France, and likewise, the songs are not an original product. The original songs were composed in Dutch, with music by Joop Stokkermans and lyrics by Harrie Geelen. Roberto, a professor of Latin and Greek and a "Man of Words" in every sense, translated the eleven compositions into Italian. Seven songs in total are sung by Roberto together with the choir that was formed in 1974 and dissolved in 1987, while the four songs sung only by the girls are La canzone di Barbottina, Rosso, bianco verde e blu, La canzone di Barbalalà, and Barbabella, bella, bella. Mainly because these are children's songs, the track lengths are decidedly short, with just one song exceeding three minutes (Chi ce l'ha un'idea) and three are even under 120 seconds (Ecco arrivare i Barbapapà, Com'è divertente aiutar papà, and La canzone di Barbottina). Two years after the album's release, a 45 with the tracks La famiglia di Barbapapà/Il migliore amico degli animali was published, which, on the whole, are also the most successful tracks of the soundtrack, along with Chi ce l'ha un'idea, Barbapapà Rock, and La canzone di Barbalalà. The album, referring not to the 45 but to the 33 rpm, was released in two vinyl editions, the first of which contained the lyrics in the inner sleeve. Still today, 45 years after its release, there are no CD, digital download, or streaming platform versions. This soundtrack thus remains a relic for children's television lovers and for Professor Vecchioni, here grappling with a genre foreign to the 1970s singer-songwriter style. Rating: 3 stars.