Some evenings are better than others; from time to time it happens to me that I dive into the Youtube ocean of music, I surrender to its decisions and random transitions, and it drags me through strange waters, from one unknown island to another. Once during the second covid year I became obsessed with different performances of Tarantella (fascinating traditional Italian dance, its performing is believed to serve as an antidote to the bite of venomous tarantula spider - one should dance for hours until you're exhausted, and together with your sweat the spider's venom comes out too).
So, watching all the tarantellas Youtube was feeding to me, I found this video and momentarily fall in love with it; although it is not Tarantella. It is Pizzicarilla.
Officina Zoe - Pizzicarella (1997)
With this song, a long musical journey began. With the relentlessness of an insect, Youtube invariably swapped channels to the Notte della Taranta festival; I was sitting in the office, working and listening to one three-hour set after another, traveling to the beginning of time to the most early festival video captures available on YouTube, and periodically put my job to pause to watch the next amazing video sequence :)
I just stuck with this stuff for months and did not want to listen to anything else, I revisited it again and again. There were so many gems there, but this one was really my greatest find. Do watch the video, please.
Zum Zum Zum @ Notte della Taranta festival (2016)
Am I supposed to provide out any comments? the video is self-explanatory...
this improvisational dance (actually ofc it is neatly choreographed... ah, does it matter?) is the quintessence of expression, joy, tomfoolery, joyful and leizure life... plus some beautiful Italian girls included! 😍 There is art in my list that I am ready to re-read, re-listen to, re-watch, absorb endlessly. This is one of them.
I found this original lyrics to the song (with EN translation I had to rely at Google service):
Sarà capitato anche a voi di avere una musica in testa, sentire una specie di orchestra suonare suonare suonare suonare, zum zum zum zum zum zum zum,
la canzone che mi passa per la testa,
non so bene cosa sia
dove e quando l'ho sentita,
di sicuro so soltanto che fa
zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum,
la cantavo stamattina appena sveglia
e cantandola ho pensato che non è poi tanto male
specialmente nel pezzetto che fa
zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum.
Però se va avanti così
finisce che questa canzone
diventa una tale ossessione
e parlo soltanto facendo ogni tanto
zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum,
la canzone che mi passa per la testa
non so bene cosa sia
dove e quando l'ho sentita,
di sicuro so soltanto che fa
zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum,
più ci penso e più mi sembra ch'era un coro,
era un coro di bambini che cantava nel cortile di una scuola
ripetendo sempre
zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum.
Stamattina la cantavo io soltanto,
ma stasera già mi sembra di sentire chiaramente
tanta gente che la canta insieme a me
zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum!!
It will happen to you too to have music in your head, hear some kind of orchestra play play play play, zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum,
the song that goes through my head,
I don't quite know what it is
where and when I heard it,
for sure I just know what it does
zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum,
I sang it this morning as soon as I woke up
and singing it I thought it's not so bad
especially in the bit it does
jump jump jump jump jump jump jump.
But if it goes on like this
ends that this song
it becomes such an obsession
and I speak only doing once in a while
zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum,
the song that goes through my head
I don't quite know what it is
where and when I heard it,
for sure I just know what it does
zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum zum,
the more I think about it, the more it seems to me that it was a choir,
it was a children's choir singing in a schoolyard
always repeating
jump jump jump jump jump jump jump.
This morning I only sang it,
but tonight I already seem to hear clearly
many people who sing it with me
jump jump jump jump jump jump jump!!
I am not sure if it was initially a traditional song or not, but creating this blog today I found this original song from 1968:
Mina - Zum Zum Zum
Youtube also suggested me this arrangement from French singer Sylvie Vartan. Check both and you will agree with me that sometimes a song in itself is nothing, but the performance and brilliant arrangement mean everything! Which version did you like best?
Sylvie Vartan - Zum Zum Zum
Oh, and as for Tarantella -- this was one of the videos I enjoyed most... it really explained me a lot about the dance. I hope you enjoy it.
Tarantella Napoletana
PS. If you became obsessed with 'Notte della Taranta festival' like me, it will make me happy. The post goes for Three Tune Tuesday challenge run by @ablaze. Previous issues: 106 | 107 | 108
