Fly (Zucchero album)

The album Fly is subtitled "(Come possiamo volare con le aquile se siamo contornati da tacchini)", translated "How we can fly among eagles when we are surrounded by turkeys".^[2] The album is Zucchero's "small cloud of love on the rain of disharmony around us".^[2]

Like in the case of his albums, it includes several notable collaborations. The lyrics of the song "Troppa fedeltà" were co-written by Jovanotti, while those of "È delicato" along Ivano Fossati.^[2] The song "L'Amore è nell'aria" is a cover of British band Feeder's song "Broken", a B-side taken from the single "Just the Way I'm Feeling", originally written by Grant Nicholas. Zucchero rearranged the song by Nicholas, and composed new lyrics in Italian.^[1]

The songs were recorded by many notable musicians like Brian Auger on the piano, electric piano and Hammond organ, Pino Palladino the bass guitar (#2, #5, #9, #11), Randy Jackson the bas guitar (#1, #8), Michael Landau the guitars (#5, #7, #9, #10, #11), Waddy Wachtel (#2, #8), Amir Questlove Thompson founder of The Roots on the drums (#2, #5, #8, #9), Matt Chamberlain the drums (#1, #3, #7), Jim Keltner the drums (#4, #11), Kenny Aronoff the drums (#4, #6), among others.^[1]

The album intentionally includes older instruments like Hammond organ and Mellotron for a vintage feeling. The song "Pronto" has a verse "C’ho paura [I have fear of] degli americani, e degli inglesi, e degli italiani, dei musulmani e anche dei cristiani", by which he showed his concern and fear from those he did and did not cite who are in the permanent worldwide conflicts.^[2][3]

The song "Quanti anni ho" has less concern and is more tranquil, with nostalgia for lost ethic values, dedicated to his son Adelmo Blu. The "Let it shine" is a song dedicated to the New Orleans and tragedy done by Hurricane Katrina. The "Occhi" is another ballad with 70's style about pure romanticism, while "E’ delicato" about the absolute love. The song "Cuba libre" was written in the wake of Fidel Castro's illness, but it's not about him, yet Cuba and its people for whom has special feelings.^[2]

Four singles were released from the album in Italy, "Bacco perbacco", "Cuba libre" and "Occhi" in 2006, "E' delicato" and "Un kilo" in 2007. The album reached number #1 in Switzerland, and Italy, where was at number one four consecutive weeks, with 45 consecutive weeks in the Top 20, being certified 6× Platinum in Italy, 2× Platinum in Switzerland and Gold in Austria and Greece and selling over million copies worldwide.^[3]

Different track listings appear in the three international versions of the album released worldwide. The English and Spanish editions have thirteen tracks instead of eleven. "E di grazia plena" does not appear and there are three bonus tracks: "Nel così blu" (a cover of the Procol Harum hit "A Salty Dog" with new Italian lyrics written by Zucchero and Pasqualle Panella^[2]), "Flying Away" ("Occhi" with English lyrics) and "Shine" ("Let it shine" with English lyrics).

In addition, in the Spanish release, three of the original tracks in Italian are replaced by the same songs with Spanish lyrics: "Bacco Perbacco" is replaced by "Venus Y Bacco"; Cuba Libre" by "Cuba Libre (Mi Amor)"; and "Pronto" by "Pronto (Que Bueno Està). The South American version of Fly has eleven tracks like the original Italian edition, but includes the same three songs with Spanish lyrics, as released in the Spanish version.

Zucchero toured to promote this album in 2007 with Fly World Tour, with over 100 concerts in Europe, North and South America.^[3]