Lucio Battisti

The Italian pop singer Lucio Battisti had a significant impact on Italian popular culture in the 1970s which is still present today and it is said by critics that his writing defined Italian songwriting. He was born in 1943 and began his career during the 1960s playing for local bands in Rome and Naples. After moving north to Milan he turned professional and joined the backing band of Italian crooner Tony Dallara. During this period he began writing songs for other artists and enjoyed a number of significant hits although his own solo releases failed to make any impact on the charts. Things changed after he made an appearance at the Sanremo Song Festival and after teaming up with the Italian lyricist Mogol, the duo enjoyed a string of hits, many of which have become standards and Battisti became a household name. Outside Italy his most famous song is 'Il Paradiso', better known as '(If Paradise Is) Half As Nice' after it was covered by the Amen Corner. Battisti was a reluctant celebrity and was naturally shy and reticent; during the 1990s he all but disappeared from public life recording his last album 'Hegel' in '94. In 1998 he succumbed to cancer and his death generated a huge outpouring of grief across Italy.

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