The early years
Gigliola Cinquetti Was born in Verona on 20th December 1947...
Why don't we let her tell us about her life? At least till a few months after
the evening of 1st February 1964, when the sky of Italian and international
music acquired a new star! We propose the account of her life told by Gigliola
herself to the magazine "ALBI BOLERO FILM" in August 1964...:
"I was born in December 1947 in Verona in a block of flats in via Pascetti
1.
I introduce to you my family: my father Luigi, draftsman, my mother Sara, a
specialist with apple pies, and my sister Robbi (Rosabianca, 20 months older),
my ever present playfellow and colleague of studies. 
I was six months old and my mother says that I was always cheerful during the
day, in the night instead I already showed my attitude towards singing, since
I used to keep her awake with my cries...
I've always been a rebel as a kid. One of my principal worries at that time
was that my dolls shouldn't feel cold. Even in the hottest Summer days I dressed
them in wool and took them to bed with me. I had to provide even for Robbi's
dolls, since she didn't care very much for them!
We used to spend our Summer holidays in Cerro, a small town of 1000
inhabitants that is still (after the international triumphs in Sanremo and Copenhagen)
our favourite place, but we went often to the seaside, too, to Bellaria or Cesenatico.
When I was five I had my first experience on stage. I took part to a
children's play playing the part the Holy Mary. I had to cradle Infant Jesus,
but, since he was too heavvy for me, a series of wires, hanging from the ceiling,
were supposed to help me holding him. All of a sudden, however, they broke and
I had to hold him all alone... every time I think of that I remeber the fear
I felt! However everything went well... my presence of mind was already working
at that time... and we got plenty of applauses. Afterwards my grandparents took
me to Piazza delle Erbe to eat cream puffs, a sweet I still like, and my grandmother
gave me a canary who still lives: he's thirteen now!
When my musical talent was discovered my parents had me attend music
lessons. My teacher was a nice nun who now has moved to America. I remember
long hours of solfeggios and exercises with Robbi. 
When
I was singing for my family I often heard people saying: "How skilful is our
Gigliola!". Our Gigliola... my Gigliola... looks like I belong a bit to everybody!
And that makes me really happy, because I can feel everybody's sincere affection...
I'll tell you about my favourite games when I was a kid. Robbi and I
used to mask ourselves with leaves and ivy we tore from the garden, with much
displeasure of our neighbours! When we managed to avoid their reproaches we
used thos hand-made costumes to play Romeo and Juliet. Our Romeo was, unluckily
for him, the only boy of our company and it was hard for him to hold all his
Juliets at bay. When the ivy was running out our neighbours, to keep us calm,
gave us a small field we turned into a vegetable garden. What a good idea! We
planted lots of things but we had our best success with potatoes. We even had
a party with fried potatoes as main snack!
In Winter we went skiing
in Lessinia, but I liked best sleighing! I don't like sports very much! I tried
with no success to become a swimmer, I tried some tennis and rollerskating but
always with poor results! On the contrary I was good at drawing and singing!
The first to follow me in my natural attitudes and to convince my parents
of them was commendatore Gerosa, a dear friend of my father's. Thanks to him
I started studying with maestro Ravazzin and in 1959, a bit shivering, I tread
the boards for the first time, at Ristori theatre in Verona. My heart was thumping,
but my voice came out clear and strong and, after the first notes I was calmer
(It was a singers' contest. Gigliola won, among the other partecipants a certain
Dino Zimbelli, later simply known as Dino). 
Everything
went well and from then on I started taking parts to variety shows organized
by E.N.A.L. My new passion for the theatre didn't let me neglect my studies.
I set the alarm for four o'clock to study but I couldn't even open my eyes so
I set it again for five o'clock, then for six o'clock and so on, till I ended
up studying on the tram on my way to school! Luckily I always had good results,
or my father wouldn't have allowed me to go on singing! My sister Robbi was
often with me in my variety shows. Such experience was fantastic, but much more
amusing were the weekend trips we took with our friends. Our favourite destination
Cerro, the town were we usually went on holiday. There are no pubs, or ballrooms
there, so we went to the garage to dance frenetic twists. Of course, sooner
of later, I was asked to sing. Michelino (a parrot) always listened to my songs
before and sang along with me. Poor Michelino! I can't really imagine how he
managed to survive being in our hands... I remember that once we even cut his
nails because, according to us, they were too long.
But let's go back to my... musical career! I was at first baffled by the silence
the audience kept when I came on stage. I was afraid because I didn't know if
it was good or bad. But in the end the applauses reassured me! It was good!
To tell you the truth I was happy with all that and my only ambition was to
appear at least once on TV, an ambition all kids do have. Therefore I accepted
maestro Ravazzin's suggestions and got my parents' permission to take part to
the Castrocaro Song Contest".
Let's stop Gigliola's tender memories for some more biographical information.
In the Summer of 1963 Gigliola underwent a selection for the Italian State TV
in Venice to join the Venetian team in the TV game show "Gran Premio". In the
selection committee the Gino Becchi who said to Gigliola's parents: "I like
this girl. She has a good voice for low and medium tones: she shouldn't however
strain her chords in high tones, but get used to sing as she speaks". A really
precious suggestion!
In August the State television company invites her to Milan for the final selection...
but that letter remained on the doorstep, since Gigliola was on holiday with
her parents. Maestro Ravazzin manages to contact her on the very day of the
selection at 14:00 and leaves with her and her parents on the FIAT 600 of Gigliola's
father (called "Filippa"), not faster than 90 Km/h. The selection committee
was already leaving but accepts all the same to examinate Gigliola... after
her triumph in Castrocaro she retires from the selection, but thanks all the
same the judges who had agree to her examination though the delay. Gigliola
says her parents had approved her partecipation to the Castrocaro Song Contest.
Her father did more than that. He had wanted such partecipation, encouraged
her since she was a child and later he'll become with her a public figure...
Gigliola had undergone another selection for the State TV, before the one for
"Gran Premio" when she was younger. To seem older she wore high heels
but didn't pass the selection because a member of the selection committee found
her teeth were "too large"!!!
However let's go back to Castrocaro, a song contest invented by Gianni Ravera
which had become a starting point for many young singer, since the winners are
allowed to the Sanremo Song Contest. Many famous singers had moved their first
steps in Castrocaro. Among them Carmen Villani, Eugenia Foligatti (who had won
the previous year and got afterwards a third position at the Sanremo Song Contest)
and Iva Zanicchi (another revelation of the previous year though the final selection
was against her). 
Gigliola
passes all selections over 4000 partecipants. Only 28 are selected for the contest,
10 of them go to the final selection and just two are allowed to take part to
the Sanremo Song Contest.
Gigliola's victory is announced on 22nd September by a young Pippo Baudo, at
his first experience as host of a music contest.
But let's go back to Gigliola's tale: " On that occasion I got to know
Giorgio Gaber who was to be my "godfather" in Castrocaro. He told
me: 'I entrust you with my song 'Le strade di notte'! Have care of it,
Gigliola. It's in your hands! Or better, in your throat!'... 'Don't
worry, Giorgio! - I answered - I'll do my best.'... I was a perfect stranger
and I had all the most famous music stars facing me (in addition to Gaber
Gigliola finds in Castrocaro Tony Renis, the great Petula Clark and the refined
French singer Françoise Hardy to whom Gigliola is immediately compared for her
style in singing her two chosen songs: "Le strade di notte" and "Sull'acqua").
As usual I was very frightened to be on stage, but in the end I calmed down
seeing that Giorgio Gaber trusted me and who was smiling. Of course I
couldn't imagine I was going to win! That was my first victory and I shared
it with Bruno Filippini, a very nice boy with whom I enjoyed myself
very much at that time. We also took part to bicycle races and performed, with
not much success, on roller skates. And always together we appeared for the
first time on TV with Mike Bongiorno in the show ' La fiera dei sogni'.
All those machines around me made me uneasy. I felt alone and harmless among
strange monsters with long arms. 'Penso alle cose perdute' was my first
record. I particularly like the song because it reflects a part of my personality:
thinking that time runs so fast and events happen one after another without
stopping makes me sad... When I walk down the streets of my town and I see all
places of my childhood, I'd really like to go back to my children games, to
my first years of school, to my first friendships... And even all other songs
I was given are really fit for me. I think this is the reason of my success.
When I sing them I feel deeply alive and sincere! I hate any falsehood and I
won't like to sing a song that doesn't fit me. I liked a lot even the second
song I recorded: 'Quando vedo che tutti si amano'. It gave me a sort of sweet
sadness that surely added to my interpretation.
Working made me hungry! I still remember the big dishes of pasta I ate with
Mike Bongiorno and Filippini… just as we were starving. I worked
a lot on TV at that time! I was also invited to an important Spanish TV show.
The most important event in my life, the Sanremo Song Contest, was approaching
fast!"
Let's stop again Gigliola's tale to say something more abot this "magic"
edition of the Sanremo Song Contest. It's Gianni Ravera's masterpiece, a milestone
in the history of the Italian music, a show of a quality that was never attained
again. For the first time Italian interpreters are joined by foreign ones in
singing the same songs. So the contest sees the partecipation of stars like
Paul Anka, Gene Pitney, Frankie Avalon, Los Hermanos Rigual, the mythical Frankie
Laine, Peggy March, Ben E. King... and a certain Patricia Carli, a French singer,
who is singing Gigliola's song "This is my prayer".
All Italy however falls in love with sixteen-year-old Gigliola and for her the
contest is a triumph... her partner, informed of their victory, faints. Gigliola
doesn't. "They say we've won - tells her director Franco Monaldi - Mike
is looking for you. It should be true. Bongiorno is a great professionist".
And with the same great professionality Gigliola is ready to sing again, facing
the cameras and smiling to the photographers. "I won too - says Patricia Carli
- but it's Gigliola's merit".
" A star who blushes... Perhaps times are changing for the best"
writes Gigi Vesigna on Bolero. On the other hand Mina, among the audience with
Corrado Pani, had foretold: "Perhaps you're thinking about Modugno, or Paul
Anka or the other stars, but be careful to Gigliola Cinquetti: the audience
likes her even more".
Of course there's no shortage of criticism, especially since the announced
winner, Bobby Solo, had to retire from the contest for an illness who
prevented him to sing live (though some said he was only afraid to be on stage).
His label press agent had obtained for him a playback performance. Thanks to
that later the song became a hit but the selection committee declared it out
of the contest.
Let's see how Gigliola remembers those moments:
" On that occasion I met several foreign singers and Mina, who immediatly
trusted me and said I could win, even if I couldn't believe that myself. I remember
the emotion behind the curtain. Antonio Prieto didn't remember his song
anymore; Frankie Avalon, Paul Anka and Rydell, quite
nervous, were making a lot of noise. My lips were trembling. I was afraid the
audience could notice. When my turn came I suddendly felt calm, but when I left
the stage I couldn't avoid weeping. When I was told I had won I risked fainting.
Patricia Carli was so surprised that she broke the tape recorder with which
she was toying while we waited for the result. My head was spinning but I didn't
lose my nerves. While Patricia Carli cried of joy I barely could control my
happiness. After the Sanremo song contest I got very busy. I flew for the first
time and the commander, who knew that, organized a sort of party on the plane.
It was a calm flight and I was never scared. I can say it was also very exciting!
When I arrived in Paris I sang at the Olympia theatre (with Jacques Brel)
and I visited the city I had always dreamt about looking for painters. I
could also meet many important people from French television.
I started paying the price of success... two sandwiches eaten in a hurry
instead of my mother's good lunch! Some times being famous is hard, but the
warm sympathy of the audience makes me happy. 
I
had also the honor to sing with Mina and Ornella Vanoni in a TV show. Though
they're very different from me I admire them very much!
And then it came the day of my victory in Copenaghen!
On 21st March I represented Italy for the first time at ESC and it was a
hard fight! Just two our before the contest I risked elimination because all
songs had to last not more than 3 minutes. 'This is my prayer' lasts 3 minutes
and 19 seconds! Luckily director Franco Monaldi managed to cut those 19 seconds
in excess. A real miracle! We arrived at the evening of the contest very tired
and very worried! Before singing I was so frantic that I broke a glass. Luckily
I recovered on time to sing without any problem. That evening was very exciting
even because a guy came on stage with a sign of political protest... and the
Danish Guard had to intervene. That created a certain confusion but in
the end everything went well... especially for me!
After the victory in Copenaghen I got even busier. While I was back to Paris
I was invited by Maurice Chevalier to sing with him 'L'italiano'".
The duet with Maurice Chevalier is surely one to remember since the great "chansonnier"
had sung before just with one woman: Mistinguett. Gigliola will often remember
their meeting. Her French was not yet good and their dialogue was problematic
but her father Luigi didn't worry and managed to build up a familiar dialogue
with Chevalier speking in Venetian dialect! Another of Gigliola's historical
encounters happen in that same period in England. She meets the Rolling Stones,
still at their first experience while she was already an international star.
Their rude behaviour is not among her most pleasant memories!!
"In Paris I visited the famous painter Lorjou who made my portrait and
I, as a good student of the Art School, made his... and he liked it! I told
him of my studies and I liked to find out that we had the same tastes about
art: Greek sculpture, Etruscan art, Giotto were our favourite conversation topics.
Unfortunately our conversation was limited since I speak just Italian... and
Veronese! I have to put a remedy to that since when I went to London I was very
uneasy. The only sentence I understood was 'Oh, Gigliola Cinquetti!".
Talking about England I didn't resist going to see the famous guards that
do not move... It's really true! It seems the world around them does not exist!
If you happen to go to London you should know that there are enormous ice creams
which are very good! Well... Perhaps you noticed that I like sweets... I love
coffee and strawberry flavours and my mother's apple pie... I've not much time
to rest and chat! They always ask me to be photographed.. there's even a doll
with my name! Recently I received a silver reproduction of the form I filled
to take part to the Castrocaro Song Contest (dated 13th April 1963) that
was the beginning of my new life. On the same occasion my label gave me a platinum
record for the two million records of the song 'This is my prayer' sold all
over the world. That song gained the first positions in the hit parades in France,
Swiss, Belgium, Danemark, Spain, and Mexico, the second position in Argentina
and Hong Kong and the third in Germany and England".
"This is my prayer has been indeed translated in several languages
and mainly recorded by Gigliola in all of them, with the exception of some,
more "exotical" versions. It became one of the most popular Italian
songs, selling more than 5 million copies. His success is second just to that
of "Volare".
"I was also offered to star in a movie but I refused since I don't feel
ready yet. I'd like instead to play a small role in an important movie by a
god director.
Mi life now is very busy. Sometimes I have to sign autographs and records
for a whole afternoon. I've no fixed schedule and I have to neglect my studies.
My father and my mother's life has deeply changed to follow mine. Everybody
helps me answering to my letters. Now I receive 1500 letters per day while I
was used to less than a postcard every month! Now I'm at the top of my success
but I know that all this is going to end someday and I'm not afraid of that.
My main ambition is still to marry and have many children."
Here ends Gigliola's tale. Let's then start ours...
After the Sanremo Song Contest Gigliola has to chose the songs for her new record.
It's not an easy choice since the audience got accustomed to her as an innocent
young girl and her press office doesn't want to disrupt such image. Her new
single is "Il primo bacio che darò/Non è niente lasciami stare" and it becomes
immediately a hit, while the success of "This is my prayer" is still
going on. After that Gigliola records "Quando passo il ponte con te", Italian
version of a French song by George Brassens, and "Prima o poi…telefonerai".
Her next record is "Caro come te/Barbablù". Many of these songs are translated
into other languages and become hits even abroad.
In the Summer Gigliola stars for eight weeks in the variety show "Johnny 7",
hosted by Johnny Dorelli. With her Paola Pitagora at her first experience and
Anna Maestri. Gigliola sings her own signature tune "Tutte meno una" and all
hits of her singles and first album. She doesn't record "Le strade di notte",
the winning song at the Castrocaro Song Contest, but just the other one she
presented on that occasion: "Sull'acqua". The song is also recorded in French
with the title "Reste la".
After her partecipation to "Johnny 7" Gigliola records two other singles: a
tribute to Verona with two songs in dialect "Sui scalini dell'Arena/Se a Verona
ghe fusse il mar" and "Le mie poesie preferite", in which she doesn't sing but
reads famous Italian poems as a real actress.
And what about school? Gigliola's life has changed much but she manages to study
all the same and doesn't leave the school. At the end of the academic year she
fails in art history but she manages to pass brilliantly her reparation exam
in September. She can then attend to the forth year of the art school "Accademia
Cignaroli" in Verona. Her schoolmates are very excited to have a star in the
classroom but she appears to be still the girl she was before her triumphs in
Sanremo and Copenaghen.
To get her diploma hard work will be needed since Gigliola is quire a busy girl
now. On 13th October she's back to Paris for a TV show and at the end of the
month she sings again at the Olympia theatre in Paris for two weeks. In Italy
she takes part to "Napoli contro tutti" (the 1964 edition of "Canzonissima").
A song contest hosted by Nino Taranto that opposes Neapolitan songs to songs
from all over the world. Gigliola is the only one to bring through all selections
two songs gaining both the second and the fourth position (with "This is
my prayer" and "Anema e core", her first recording of a Neapolitan song).
A great result, especially counting that Domenico Modugno had preferred Ornella
Vanoni to her as interpreter of his "Tu si 'na cosa grande", winning song at
the Neaples Song Contest of that year. Modugno had also contested her victory
in Sanremo defining it as a "prank". However a couple of years later
he'll change his mind...
