Thursday, February 25, 2010

Get Me Out Of This Place

Dicevo tirarmi fuori da questo luogo, prima ero ancora nato


In 1976, an Italian man who would go on to become a leading voice for the European integrationist* movement by the name of Toto Cutogno spoke of other international concerns. Specifically, reconciling his easy-going Mediterranean heritage with the encroaching anxiety and concrete cityscapes of high modernism. Like all good bohemians, he looked towards an idealized primitive - in this case, south to Africa.

Any of you who are into Moments of Relaxation, Tranquil Moments, or taking mind-trips to exotic locales through the power of your Hi-Fi while reclining in your Gae Aulenti-designed rumpus room may recognize certain sonic similarities between this mellow groove and Joe Dassin's L'été indien. You're quite perceptive for an idle member of the leisure class. Tuto Cutogno wrote a number of songs to be recorded by Joe Dassin, the Pan-Atlantic chanseur son of blacklisted American film-maker Jules Dassin.

* Was his 1990 Eurovision winning entry Insieme: 1992 a neo-functionalist or intergovernmentalist anthem?

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