Released 2012 | Writer(s) Erisvaldo Da Silva | |
"Il Pulcino Pio" is an Italian song released as a single on 18 July 2012 on Globo Records by the Rome radio station Radio Globo. The song is credited to the character Pulcino Pio (literally the chirping chick) and is actually interpreted by Morgana Giovannetti, an actress and host of the station. It became the 2012 summer hit single in Italy peaking in the FIMI official Italian Singles Chart at #1 and staying at top for 8 consecutive weeks (August to October 2012). It also became a hit in France, Spain, the Netherlands, and other European countries in their respective local language versions. The English version was released as "The Little Chick Cheep", the French version as "Le poussin Piou", the Spanish version "El Pollito Pío", the German version as "Das kleine Küken Piept", the Dutch version "Het kuikentje Piep", the Catalan version "El Pollet Piu", and the Russian version "Цыпленок Пи".
Contents
Details
"Il pulcino Pio" is an Italian language adaptation of the Brazilian song "O Pintinho" alternatively titled "O Pintinho Piu" by author and composer Erisvaldo Da Silva who composed the song in 1985. It was first interpreted by "Trio Nortista" in Brazil. The song, whose rights were acquired by Globo Records S.r.l. was produced by Bruno Benvenuti ( C.E.O. of Globo Records ) and Max Moroldo ( President of Do it yourself) and was translated to Italian by Bruno Benvenuti, Luca Scarpa, Alessandro Tirocchi, Maurizio Paniconi and Morgana Giovannetti.
The Rome station Radio Globo had scored a big hit by producing and airing its own version of "Mr. Saxobeat" in 2011 with the station hosts and staff featuring Maurizio Paniconi, Alessandro Tirocchi and Morgana Giovannetti and produced by Luca Scarpa. Named "Radio Globo Morning Show - Mr. Saxobeat Ostia Beach version") Video on YouTube, the Radio Globo Italian version. The station followed the trend a year later by launching "Il pulcino Pio" featuring Morgana Giovannetti during their Morning Show based on a Brazilian tune using seemingly "Pulcino Pio" (literally a chicken that chirps)
In similar fashion to "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" where various animals are used, "Il pulcino Pio" uses sounds of a hen, a rooster, a turkey, a pigeon, a cat, a dog, a goat, a sheep, a cow and a bull. The song culminates with a tractor hitting the "vocal" chirping chick, running it over.
After the huge success of the song, a more racy faster version was produced with an accompanying music video by Do It Yourself Multimedia Group S.r.l. with animation created by Federico Mancosu. It was launched online in May 2012. The YouTube music video attracted more than 6 million views in the three months that followed and has been viewed over 930 million times as of February 2017.
The structure of the lyrics is a reverse aggregation of animal sounds. The list of animals comprises a chick, a hen, a rooster, a turkey, a pigeon, a cat, a dog, a goat, a sheep, a cow, and a bull in that order. A different background instrument is added each time a new animal is introduced, and the song enumerates the animals introduced up to that point, in reverse order. At the end of the list, there are several repeats of the chick sounds. Interestingly, there is a complex pattern of repeats of the final chick sound per verse: 6, 5, 4, 3, 4, 3, 4, 3, 4, 5, 4. In the final verse there is only a tractor sound, and the list is not enumerated but the song skips directly to the chick, with no chick sound.
Versions
The song had great following and a number of covers and parodies emerged.
It was a massive hit in summer resorts where coaches would lead groups of vacationers of all ages to dance to the different movements. It also became a feature in many night venues and clubs.
Many language versions followed like:
etc.
Offshoots
On 17 September 2012, Radio Globo launched an alternative version called "La Vendetta" in which the chirping chick takes revenge on the tractor that ran over it in the original music video.
The Pulcino Pio character and distinctive voice was used in other releases as well in different settings. For example the follow-up single "Superstar" Video on YouTube features Pulcino Pio, now a big sensation, is being pursued relentlessly by ardent fans and paparazzi and is trying to avoid them.
Albums
After the popularity of the single in France, a compilation album was released in February 2013 called Piou Piou Dance Party (2013) featuring a number of local French and international hits of the previous year. The album entered the SNEP French Albums Chart at #10 in its first week of release.
Tracklist:
- Le Poussin Piou - "Il Pulcino Pio"
- Carlprit - "Fiesta'
- Cash Cash - "Michael Jackson"
- Jose de Rico - "Rayos De Sol"
- Radio Project - "Celebration'
- David Guetta feat Sia - "She Wolf"
- Mika - "Celebrate"
- Sexion d'Assaut - "Balader"
- Asaf Avidan - "One Day"
- Keen V - "Elle t'a maté (Fatoumata)"
- Psy - "Gangnam Style"
- Axel Tony - "Avec toi"
- Rihanna - "Where Have You Been"
- DJ Mam's - "Fiesta Buena"
- R.I.O. - "Summer Jam"
- Alex Ferrari - "Bara Bará Bere Berê"
- Avicii - "Last Dance"
- Tacabro - "Tacata'"
- M. Pokora & Tal (Génération Goldman) - "Envole-moi"
- Tal - "Rien n'est parfait"
- Shy'm - "On se fout de nous"
Charts
Besides Italy, the song has charted in other countries. In November 2012, the French station NRJ promoted the song heavily resulting in chart success in France.