Città vuota

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"Città vuota"
Artwork for 1963 release
Single by Mina
from the album Studio Uno
LanguageItalian
B-side
  • "È inutile"
  • "Valentino vale"
ReleasedDecember 1963 (1963-12)[1]
GenrePop
Length2:34
LabelRi-Fi
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Piero Gosio
Mina singles chronology
"Bis zum nächsten Mal"
(1963)
"Città vuota"
(1963)
"Ja, die Liebe lebe hoch"
(1964)

"Città vuota" (English: Empty city) is a song recorded by Italian singer Mina in 1963. This song is Italian version of "It's a Lonely Town" by Gene McDaniels. The song was written by Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman, and adapted by Giuseppe Cassia.

Original version[edit]

It was the singer's first single on the RiFi label. After the release, the song quickly became popular and rose to number three on the Italian singles chart.[2] The songs "E inutile" (written by Ricky Gianco and Gian Pieretti) and "Valentino vale" (by Vittorio Buffoli and Vito Pallavicini) were used as a b-side. Mina also recorded Spanish version called "Ciudad solitaria".

This single marked Mina's return to television after she was banned by RAI TV because of the singer's personal life.[3]

Track listing[edit]

7" single – 1963
A. "Città vuota" – 2:34
B1. "È inutile" (Gian Pieretti, Ricky Gianco) – 1:56
B2. "Valentino vale" (Vito Pallavicini, Vittorio Buffoli) – 2:11
7" single – 1978 (Ri-Fi)[4]
A. "Città vuota" – 2:34
B. "Un anno d'amore" (Mogol, Alberto Testa, Nino Ferrer) – 3:10

Charts[edit]

Initial chart performance for "Città vuota"
Chart (1963–1965) Peak
position
Italy (Musica e dischi)[2] 3
Peru (La Prensa)[5] 1
2012 chart performance for "Città vuota"
Chart (2012) Peak
position
US World Digital Songs (Billboard)[6] 8

1978 remake[edit]

"Città vuota (It's a Lonely Town)"
Single by Mina
from the album Live '78
LanguageItalian
B-side"Ancora, ancora, ancora"
ReleasedMay 1978 (1978-05)
Recorded12 May 1978 (1978-05-12)[7]
Genre
Length5:00
LabelPDU
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Piero Gosio
Mina singles chronology
"Giorni"
(1977)
"Città vuota (It's a Lonely Town)"
(1978)
"Anche un uomo"
(1979)

In 1978, Mina released a disco-style remake, conceived and arranged by Pino Presti with the inclusion of a jazz part. Combined with "Ancora, ancora, ancora" (by Cristiano Malgioglio and Gian Pietro Felisatti),[7] it became one of the most successful singles of the summer of that year, reaching number five in Italian singles chart in August.[2] Mina performed this version during her concerts in Bussoladomani and later included it on her live album Live '78.

Track listing[edit]

7" single – 1978 (PDU)
A. "Città vuota (It's a Lonely Town)" – 5:00
B. "Ancora ancora ancora" (Cristiano Malgioglio, Gian Pietro Felisatti) – 4:19

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "Città vuota (It's a Lonely Town)"
Chart (1978) Peak
position
Italy (Billboard)[9] 4
Italy (Musica e dischi)[2] 5

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Città vuota/È inutile/Valentino vale". Discografia nazionale della canzone italiana (in Italian). Istituto centrale per i beni sonori ed audiovisivi. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Racca, Guido (2019). M&D Borsa Singoli 1960–2019 (in Italian). pp. 306–308. ISBN 9781093264906.
  3. ^ Ruggeri, Roberto (1990). "Mina". In Castaldo, Gino (ed.). Dizionario della Canzone Italiana L-Z (in Italian). Rome: Armando Curcio Editore. p. 1736. ISBN 88-9750-877-4.
  4. ^ "Mina – Città Vuota (1978, Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 77, no. 3. 16 January 1965. p. 19. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. ^ "Chart History: Mina". Billboard. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Città vuota/Ancora ancora ancora". Discografia nazionale della canzone italiana (in Italian). Istituto centrale per i beni sonori ed audiovisivi. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  8. ^ "La Città vuota di Mina". RAI Cultura (in Italian). Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  9. ^ Ruscitto, Geramno (7 July 1978). "Hits of the World – Italy" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 90, no. 40. p. 77. ISSN 0006-2510.

External links[edit]