Luca (Italian teacher ánd singer songwriter) shares his love for this Canzone Napoletana with you!
Reginella – written in 1917 – is one of the most famous Canzone Napoletana, with an outstanding melody and bittersweet lyrics.
It tells the story of a man who sees his old love in the street.
She works as a “sciantosa” now: a singer in a café chantant (from the French word “chanteuse” ) who is also a “femme fatale”.
He recalls that when they were together they were poor but happy because their love was all they needed (“all you had to eat was bread and cherries…we lived on kisses” Non magnave ca pane e cerase, Nuie campavamo ‘e vase), but now she is rich and shows off her new clothes and her fake French accent. Suddenly he realizes that she is not the girl for him and that he has to break free from the thought of her.
Nevertheless such a strong passion could never completely fade away:
“I loved you, you loved me. Now love is gone but sometimes you distractedly think of me”.
T’aggio vuluto bene a te…
Tu m’è vuluto bene a me!
Mo nun ‘nce amammo cchiù,
Ma ‘e vvote tu
Distrattamente pienze a me!
Suggesting that maybe she was happier before.
This version was recorded by Roberto Murolo in the 60’s and it is intentionally simple and faithful to the original score.
The lyrics of the song are in Neapolitan language, a dialect spoken in the Naples area, with several influences from French and Spanish.
Five words from the song:
Neapolitan -> Italian -> English
- Chiagnere -> piangere -> to cry
- Cardillo -> cardellino -> goldfinch
- Patrona -> padrona/signora -> mistress
- Accussì -> così -> so
- Cajola -> gabbia -> cage
And the full lyrics:
REGINELLA
(Libero Bovio, Gaetano Lama)
Te si’ fatta ‘na veste scullata,
Nu cappiello cu ‘e nastre e cu ‘e rrose…
Stive ‘mmiezo a tre o quattro sciantose,
E parlave francese… è accussì?
Fuje l’autriere ca t’aggio ‘ncuntrata?
Fuje l’autriere, a Tuleto, gnorsì…
T’aggio vuluto bene a te…
Tu m’è vuluto bene a me!
Mo nun ‘nce amammo cchiù,
Ma ‘e vvote tu
Distrattamente pienze a me!
Reginè, quanno stive cu mmico
Non magnave ca pane e cerase,
Nuie campavamo ‘e vase! E che vase,
Tu cantave e chiagnive pe’ me…
E ‘o cardillo cantava cu ttico:
Reginella ‘o vuo’ bene a ‘stu rre
T’aggio vuluto bene a te…
Tu m’è vuluto bene a me!
Mo nun ‘nce amammo cchiù,
Ma ‘e vvote tu
Distrattamente pienze a me!
Oj cardillo, a chi aspiette stasera?
Nun ‘o vide? aggio aperta ‘a cajola,
Reginella è vulata, e tu vola!
Vola e canta, nun chiagnere ccà!
T’he’ ‘à truva’ ‘na patrona sincera
Ca è cchiù degna ‘e sentirte ‘e cantà.
T’aggio vuluto bene a te…
Tu m’è vuluto bene a me!
Mo nun ‘nce amammo cchiù,
Ma ‘e vvote tu
Distrattamente pienze a me!
