Azzurro

Conte and Pallavicini wrote "Azzurro" especially for Celentano. The song describes a lonely summer in the city. Structurally it typically reflects Conte's writing style, combining simple and catchy melodies with unusual elements, like the military march music bit in the middle. Conte would record the song himself in 1985, ten years into his own solo career as a performer. Together with "Via con me" and "Sotto le stelle del Jazz", it is now one of his most popular songs.

The first line of the chorus goes: "Azzurro, il pomeriggio è troppo azzurro e lungo per me..." ("Blue, the afternoon is too long and blue for me..."). Note that, in Italian, azzurro does not bear the negative connotation of "depressing" that blue has in English.{{cite book|first=Peter|last=Benjaminson|title=The Story of Motown|year=1979|page=306}}

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{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=single|award=Gold|artist=Adriano Celentano|title=Azzurro|relyear=1968|certyear=2021|accessdate=February 15, 2021|note=since 2009}}

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The song was covered by numerous Italian singers, like Mina, Gianni Morandi and Fiorello. Even the Italian football national team has sung the song on one occasion. German covers were done by Peter Rubin, Die Toten Hosen, Peter Alexander and Rummelsnuff. French cover by Régine. Spanish cover by Gabinete Caligari. Czech cover by Waldemar Matuška, (lyrics by Zdeněk Borovec). Hungarian cover by László Aradszky (lyrics by Kálmán Vándor). In the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, German F1 driver Sebastian Vettel sang a farewell song to his Ferrari team after the final race for them, which was based on the song.

In Israel, it is a famous song known for its Hebrew version by Arik Einstein "Amru Lo" (Hebrew: "They told him..."). The lyrics, by prominent Israeli songwriter Eli Mohar, do not feature a translation of the original lyrics; Instead, the Hebrew version humorously tells the life story of a youngster who chooses a precarious career as an artist and becomes a fan of an underdog sports team, despite having always been told to "choose the correct path in life" - a reference to Arik Einstein's own life story.

In 2023, German house artist Wolfgang Lohr released a modern electro swing cover of the classic Italian song "Azzurro," originally popularized by Adriano Celentano. This reinterpretation, created in collaboration with Club27 and vocalist Renato Legato, brings a fresh, danceable twist to the iconic tune. Lohr’s rendition infuses "Azzurro" with upbeat electronic swing elements, merging vintage Italian charm with contemporary electronic beats. The cover has garnered attention for its innovative approach, blending the nostalgic essence of the original with Lohr's characteristic house style, and has been well received in the electro swing and European dance music communities.

{{Infobox song

| name = Azzurro

| cover = Azzurro.gif

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Die Toten Hosen

| album = 125 Jahre die Toten Hosen: Auf dem Kreuzzug ins Glück

| released = June 5, 1990

| format =

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Punk rock

| length = 2:32

| label = Virgin Records

| writer = Paolo Conte
Vito Pallavicini
Michele Virano

| producer =

| prev_title = Alles wird gut

| prev_year = 1990

| next_title = All die ganzen Jahre

| next_year = 1990

}}

"Azzurro" (on many releases mistitled "Azzuro") was covered by Die Toten Hosen for the album Auf dem Kreuzzug ins Glück as a tribute to 1990 FIFA World Cup.

The single was released with differently coloured covers: green, orange, pink and yellow.

The video was directed by Hanns Christian Müller.

The band drives around Italy in an Opel, having to push-start it every time. In the end it gets stolen right before them.

1. "Azzurro" (Conte, Virano/Conte, Pallavicini) − 2:32
2. "Herzlichen Glückwunsch" (Sincere congratulation) (v. Holst/Frege) – 2:03
3. "Dr. Sommer" (Dr. Summer) (Breitkopf/Frege) – 1:57
4. "Feinde" (Enemies) (Frege/Frege) – 2:20

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{{Adriano Celentano}}

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Category:1990 singles

Category:Italian pop songs

Category:Songs in Italian

Category:Die Toten Hosen songs

Category:Adriano Celentano songs

Category:Songs with lyrics by Vito Pallavicini

Category:1968 songs

Category:Virgin Records singles

Category:Number-one singles in Italy

Category:Songs with music by Paolo Conte