Il pescatore
Il pescatore ["The fisherman"] is a song by Fabrizio De André, with lyrics by himself and music by composers Gian Piero Reverberi and Franco Zauli. Backed with "Marcia nuziale", De André's translation of by Georges Brassens's 1957 song "La marche nuptiale", it was released in 1970 by the Italian branch of Liberty Records as a standalone single, De André's first of only two such releases in his career. Upon release, the song became popular among De André's fan base, although it did not have any significant impact on Italian charts. Its popularity was significantly boosted by a 1979 live remake, with PFM backing De André in a new rock arrangement.
| "Il pescatore" | |
|---|---|
 Cover art for the single | |
| Single by Fabrizio De André | |
| B-side | "Marcia nuziale" |
| Released | 1970 |
| Recorded | 1970 |
| Genre | Folk, singer-songwriter |
| Length | 2:19 |
| Label | Liberty Records (Italy) |
| Songwriter(s) | Fabrizio De André, Gian Piero Reverberi, Franco Zauli |
| Producer(s) | Roberto Dané |
Track listing
- "Il pescatore" (De André [lyrics]/Gian Piero Reverberi-Franco Zauli [music]) – 2:19
- "Marcia nuziale" (Georges Brassens; italian lyrics by De André) – 3:10
The songs
"Il pescatore"
One of De André's narrative songs, typical of his early production, "Il pescatore" is about an elderly fisherman, whose peaceful slumber on the shore is interrupted by a convicted killer on the run, approaching him and waking him up, then asking him to break his bread and pour his wine (identifying the fisherman with a Christ-like figure through a passing mention of the Eucharist). Not caring about who the man is but just about the fact that he is hungry and thirsty, the fisherman complies. Later, when two policemen arrive on the beach looking for the killer and wanting to interrogate the fisherman, they find out he has fallen asleep again.[1] The original version of the song features a simple folk/country arrangement, including two acoustic guitars, a double bass, a lap steel guitar, a whistled hook and no drums.
1979 remake
The song was revolutionized and turned into a rousing rock anthem during the famous 1979 concerts held by De André in Bologna and Florence with the progressive rock band Premiata Forneria Marconi, also known as PFM. The new version, mainly arranged by Franz Di Cioccio, features prominent keyboards, drums, percussion, electric guitars and a country fiddle, played by Lucio Fabbri, while the whistled melody is joyously sung by the entire band as a "la-la-la" choir. This version is the one De André kept performing live until his very last show.
"Marcia nuziale"
"Marcia nuziale" ["Wedding march"] is a very faithful translation of Brassens' original 1957 song "La marche nuptiale". Following the original writer's dryly ironical style, De André narrates a fantasy account of his parents' marriage, described as poor, peasant, and plagued by wind and rain. The song is arranged as a semi-classical minuet, built on two acoustic guitars and a double bass.
Music video
A music video, directed by Stefano Salvati, was produced and released in 2011 for the original version of "Il pescatore". It is set in Ravenna in a contemporary context; the killer is depicted as a (younger) boatman himself, running from the police in order to be reunited on the boat with his 10-year-old son. The child, in spite of the elder fisherman's insistent gaze on his father, remains happily unaware of everything until the very end, when he discovers a concealed gun inside his father's backpack. An excerpt from PFM's arrangement of the song is featured over the end credits.[2]
References
- Song description based on the commentary by Dennis Criteser, on his blog Fabrizio De André in English – including English translation of De André's entire recorded output.
- Stefano Salvati's music video on YouTube.