Zucchero Sugar Fornaciari | Ridammi il sole (early demo) | "Miserere" sessions September 1991

🎧 𝐀𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨 𝐨𝐟 “𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢 𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐞” 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨 𝐨𝐟 “𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢 𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐞”, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐙𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨’𝐬 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟐 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞 "𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐞". The demo dates back to September 1991, recorded during the very first sessions for the album at the legendary Olympic Studios in London — the same rooms once graced by The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and David Bowie. 🎥 The images accompanying this unique recording come from the original VHS "Miserere Story" — directed by Stefano Salvati and released in 1992 — combined with scenes from the official music video of “Ridammi il sole.” Together, they create a powerful visual and emotional frame for one of Zucchero’s most heartfelt works in progress. This version shows the song still taking shape: the rhythm is moderate, the arrangement embryonic, and the voice full of instinctive emotion. Zucchero is searching for melody and meaning, channeling light through darkness — the very essence of "Ridammi il sole" (litterally “Give Me Back the Sun”). 🎤 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 “𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐢 𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐞” In its final form, “Ridammi il sole” conveys nostalgia, longing, and the desire for warmth — both physical and spiritual. The Italian version was written and composed by Zucchero, arranged and produced by Corrado Rustici, and mixed by Gordon Lyon. It departs slightly from the blues core of "Miserere", embracing a more melodic and introspective sound. An English-language version, titled “Come Back the Sun”, was also released as a single by Polydor Records in 1992. The English lyrics were written by Paul Buchanan (The Blue Nile), whose poetic melancholy blended perfectly with Zucchero’s style. During the "L’Urlo Tour 1992–1993", “Ridammi il sole” was a fixture in every setlist, often greeted by thunderous applause. Despite its popularity, it disappeared from Zucchero’s live shows for many years, returning only occasionally during the "All The Best Tour" (2008) and in select dates of the "Wanted Tour "(2018). It’s no coincidence that, in the song’s bridge, Zucchero sings “𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑖 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑖𝑜” (“laugh, clown”) — a deliberate nod to "Pagliacci", the opera by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The reference fits perfectly within the artistic fabric of Miserere, an album infused with classical and operatic influences, heightened by Luciano Pavarotti’s powerful presence on the title track. It’s Zucchero’s subtle homage to the world of opera — a musical universe where pain hides behind performance, just as his own songs balance melancholy and soul. 🎚️ 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐢 The creation of Miserere was a long and emotional journey: 📌 𝑆𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 1991 — 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑂𝑙𝑦𝑚𝑝𝑖𝑐 𝑆𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑜𝑠, 𝐿𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑛 (𝐵𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑠, 𝑊𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝐿𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑛). 📌 𝐹𝑒𝑏𝑟𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑦–𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ 1992 — 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑀𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑜𝑠, 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑛 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝐶ℎ𝑎̂𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑢 𝑑𝑒 𝑀𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑙. 📌 𝐴𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑙 1992 — 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑑𝑢𝑏𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑖𝑥𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝐷𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑜𝑠, 𝐶𝑎𝑝𝑟𝑖. After eight months of work, the album was released worldwide on 1 October 1992, marking a pivotal moment in Zucchero’s career — a bridge between the earthly and the spiritual. 🎸 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 The core lineup for Miserere included: Zucchero, Corrado Rustici (guitars & production), Polo Jones (bass), Peter John Vettese (keyboards), and Michael Shrieve (drums). Other contributing musicians: Carl Perizzo, Paul Rekow, U.K. Gospel Fusion, Mino Vergnaghi, Iskra Menarini, Antonella Pepe, Giorgia Todrani, Rosario Jermano, Tessa Niles, Lance Ellington, Linda Taylor, Carl Kenyon, Martin Beedle, Andy J. Forest, the Ocarine di Budrio, Omero Da Fano, and Franco Liguori. Special guests included David Sancious, Wayne Jackson, Andrew Love, I Sorapis, Luciano Pavarotti, conductor Michael Kamen, and Léo Ferré. The album’s songwriting credits feature Zucchero, Moss, Brown, Costello, Ferré, Buchanan, Musker, Lyon, and Bono — a lineup as diverse as the album’s emotional range. 📀 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐞: 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡, 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 Miserere remains one of Zucchero’s most spiritual works — a meeting point of gospel, blues, and opera. Songs like "Ridammi il sole", "Povero Cristo", "Il pelo nell’uovo", and "L’urlo" explore pain, hope, and redemption, wrapped in arrangements that oscillate between the sacred and the deeply human. Upon its release on 1 October 1992, the album sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide, earning both commercial and critical acclaim. "Miserere" is not just a record — it’s Zucchero’s soul laid bare: a confession, a prayer, and a call for light in the midst of shadow. If you love exploring the hidden stories behind Zucchero’s music — rare demos, early takes, and deep inspirations — don’t forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications. #Zucchero #Miserere #RidammiIlSole #demo