14. Radiofreccia: A Rocker from Emilia behind the Film Camera

ELENA BOSCHI 


 

1. Elvis Presley, “Can’t Help Falling in Love”

 From: Radiofreccia: Colonna Sonora Originale. WEA 9548 36858 2, 1996, two cds.

 

Performers: Banda “Bonifazio Asioli” of Correggio (Reggio Emilia)

 

 

(from 5:15)

Discogs

 

This version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” combines elements of Luciano Ligabue’s small-town musical culture and the American influence his music has shown since his debut in 1990. The band, named after local composer Bonifazio Asioli, is from Ligabue’s hometown of Correggio, while Elvis, to whom Ligabue pays homage in the 1995 album Buon compleanno Elvis (Happy Birthday Elvis), epitomises American rock music, which clearly influenced Ligabue’s own songs and his musical choices for Radiofreccia. The protagonist loved Elvis and the piece aptly accompanies his funeral.


 

2. Lou Reed, “Vicious”

From: Radiofreccia: Colonna Sonora Originale. WEA 9548 36858 2, 1996, two cds.

 

Lyrics

Discogs

 

“Vicious” originally appeared on Lou Reed’s 1972 album Transformer and punctuates the confrontation between Freccia and his mother’s partner. The lyrical content provides a perfect commentary for the scene where Freccia headbutts him, breaks his car window, and steals his car stereo. The images are edited to the song’s distinctive vocal performance and guitar riffs from the start, and the sound effects almost become part of the music.


 

3. Roxy Music, “Love Is the Drug”

From: Radiofreccia: Colonna Sonora Originale. WEA 9548 36858 2, 1996, two cds.

 

Lyrics

Discogs

 

“Love is the Drug” opens Roxy Music’s 1975 album Siren and accompanies the montage about the short-lived romance between Freccia and the unreachable Cristina. The song works as a warning about the dangers she poses and the montage establishes her as Freccia’s addiction – even more so than heroin itself. The visuals and Bruno’s narration reinforce the lyrical content’s commentary on Cristina’s destructive effects.


 

4. Iggy Pop, “The Passenger”

From: Radiofreccia: Colonna Sonora Originale. WEA 9548 36858 2, 1996, two cds.

 

(from 00:00 to 01:55)

Lyrics

Discogs

 

“The Passenger” originally appeared on Iggy Pop’s 1977 album Lust for Life and gives a perspective on the inner turmoil Freccia is going through. The lyrical content and the music’s claustrophobic repetitiveness comment on Freccia’s obsession for Cristina, who controls his emotions, effectively leaving him stuck in the passenger’s seat, driving through Correggio and fruitlessly searching for her. The way Freccia “stops” the music by putting his hands on his ears after the umpteenth rejection indicates its ambiguous place, neither inside nor outside the film world – a dimension I defined as “inner scoring.”


 

5. Luciano Ligabue, “Ho perso le parole”

From: Radiofreccia: Colonna Sonora Originale. WEA 9548 36858 2, 1996, two cds.

 

Lyrics

Discogs

 

“Ho perso le parole,” a piece Luciano Ligabue wrote for Radiofreccia, was the first single taken from the soundtrack album. Despite driving the promotion, the song doesn’t feature until the end credits. The video shows several significant moments in the film, such as Freccia falling in love with Cristina, which interestingly accompanies the lyric “Sei bella che fai male / Sei bella che si balla solo come vuoi tu” (You’re so beautiful it hurts / You’re so beautiful we only dance like you want), reinforcing the warning about the influence she has on the protagonist.