A Deep Dive into Raffaella Carrà: Her Music

Spotlighting the hits and forgotten musical gems of this Italian icon.

“One afternoon, when I was about to turn 5, my mom was holding me by the hand as we walked by “Lucarelli,” one of the 2 record shops in my hometown in Puglia. This one was special since records were sold alongside turntables, speakers, fridges and stoves. Among the record covers on display in the window I saw her: she had her signature golden bob, a fuchsia flower pinned to her black, shimmery, billowy-sleeved, semi-sheer blazer, and her gaze seemed to be directly looking at me as she stood under triumphant “Raffaella” sign. I begged my mom to stop and ask the owner of the shop to let me hold the record in my hands. Though my mom was in a rush to go help my father at his drapery shop, she was so amused by my request that we went in. While I was totally entranced by the record, she paid for it, and told me I could keep it and play it at home… As the first notes of the opening track “Black Cat” echoed through, I fell in love…” 

Disco Bambino

Raffaella Carrà was an unparalleled entertainer. She was a TV hostess who could sing, dance, and act well enough to be able to craft shows that were total works of art, where equal importance was given to music, dance, and visuals.

The new three-part documentary Raffa, now available on Disney plus, offers access to the artist’s life to a wide, international audience. However, what the documentary accomplishes in terms of chronicling the ins and outs of her life is counteracted by a patent degree of neglect concerning her music production. Her whole life story is framed in borderline Freudian terms citing paternal abandonment, and her childfree status becomes a topic that talking heads decide to dwell on for way longer than necessary. 

To most of her fans, Raffaella Carrà became an icon because of her dozens and dozens of songs that at least four generations of Italians can sing by heart. Her collaborations with lyricists and songwriters such as the multi-hyphenate Gianni Boncompagni and Cristiano Malgioglio yielded a catalog that, both metaphorically and literally, in Malgioglio’s own words for her obituary, brought color to Italian TV screens, and definitely made the Spanish and Latin-American ones much brighter.

She gained prominence in variety shows, first at Canzonissima (1970-72, 1974-5) then Milleluci (1974) and then her one-woman-show Ma Che Sera (1978) before being anointed the queen of daytime tv in the 1980s. Her earliest hits are actually tied to her hosting roles, as they served as theme songs. Their strategic placement on Italian tv was what turned what might have been a captive audience (tv programs were very limited at the time) into longtime fans. 

Raffaella, a Disco, Pop, and Schlager Crossover Artist

Raffaella Carrà masterfully combined pop, Eurodisco, funk, prog, and Schlager-like sounds, and therein lies the cross-cultural and demographic appeal of her music. On one hand, her demeanor fully encapsulates Italian zest for life, having a repertoire that resonates with more Continental-Europe sounds and also winks at Latin American rhythms fully bolstered her reach. 

Tracks like “Tanti Auguri,” “A Far L’Amore Comincia Tu” “Felicità, ta ta” and “Ma Che Musica Maestro” contain, in equal parts, showtunes, Eurodisco, and Schlager. “Tanti Auguri” and “Ma Che Musica” serve as themes of Carrà’s variety shows, and, true to the characteristics of theme songs, they possess an ear-worm-like quality with memorable, and ever-so-quotable lyrics. “Felicità”  has a steady “oompah” rhythm, and the feel-good nature of lyrics and sound make it fit the Schlager mold. “Ballo Ballo” cements her return in 1982 following an extensive period abroad, and it’s a schlager-like Italo-disco hits with echoes of nostalgia, both to her earlier work and to her past "Io, son qui / Con un pizzico di nostalgia / Che magia / E mi sento ancora a casa mia". Translation: “I am here, with a bit of nostalgia, [it’s a kind of] magic, and it still feels like home.”

The most emblematic case of this successful Eurodisco/Schlager/Showtune-y blend is “A Far l’Amore Comincia Tu,” which, thanks to its ode to taking the lead in sex and its refrain containing the word “Liebelei” both in the Italian original and in the German translation, immediately became a pan European and intercontinental hit. It reached no.9 in the UK, number 20 in Canada.

In Italy, Carrà was also one of the earliest adopters of the disco sound as early as 1974. Her hit “Rumore,” (noise), originally intended for the more virtuosic artist Donatella Moretti, tells the story of a woman who decides to dump her man, but regrets her decision upon experiencing a break-in inside her house. The 4/4 sound, a drum ostinato, mimics the heartbeat, which is also explicitly mentioned in the lyrics “cuore, batticuore.” The fear she experiences can also be interpreted as an ode to lust: is she dreading a break-in or is she lusting for her former lover? Another notable disco track is “Male,” from 1976. “Male” contains drums, strings, and brass instrumental tracks, and is more stereotypically disco than “Rumore.” Last but not least, her whole 1977 album Fiesta can easily be interpreted as a full tribute to 1970s disco music. The album reflects the new disco trend hurricane coming from the states and the whole idea is the American dream aesthetics.

Tango, Rumba, and Bolero: How Raffaella Harnessed Latin Beats and Sounds

One can’t neglect the latin-inflected rhythms of Carrà’s greatest hits. They add a playful, escapist, party-like atmosphere to her songs that complements the Eurodisco/Schlager component. This started when Carrà undertook her expansion to the Spanish-language market, both in continental Spain and in Latin American. “Fiesta,” one of the earliest efforts in this regard, can be classified as a “Rumba” (at least, that’s what producer Gil called it in the documentary Raffa) and, allegedly, Carrà committed a faux pas in one of her early performances in Spain, where she paired it with backup dancers in Sevillan garb.

Her 1980 hit “Pedro” is a joyful Latin funk, which tells the story of a tourist in Santa Fe being whisked away by a local youth named Pedro, who made her see stars many times, which meant  she saw very little of the city. This year, the song apparently went viral on TikTok because creators used it to create montages of footage featuring actor Pedro Pascal.

 “Caliente Caliente” has a similar feel, straddling the line between sensuality and nostalgia. It was written specifically for the international market, and, similar to “ballo ballo ballo” it praises a rhythm that seizes her body and compels her to keep moving.

Latin-inspired deep cuts are worth mentioning too. “Tango” is a straight-up tango, but it veers into Schlager territory with echoes of “Rosamunde” as the refrain “Lola, Lola” starts playing True to Carrà’s fashion, this song describes a seduction on her part. “At the very least, dance a Tango with me, and you’ll see that something will change.” 

“Bolero”, from 1984, is a mid-tempo Italo-disco masterpiece that has little to do with Ravel’s famous piece of the same name. Sung in English, it’s an ode to pure, 1980s hedonism (shuffling a million dollars).

Raffaella Carrà’s Deep Cuts

Raffaella Carrà’s versatility also emerges in lesser known tracks, which show how she combines soul, funk, disco, electro, and Italo disco in her repertoire. “Superman”, from 1974, combines American soul and blues with a patently Italian-style orchestration. 

The same year, she released “Tabù”, a slo-disco jam whose strength lies in the lyrics. It’s about the obsolescence of taboos and societal conventions: a kiss, for instance, is not an all-or-nothing commitment; white is not just a bridal color. Carrà encourages us listeners to let go of them. 

Her 1977 album Fiesta, a heartfelt tribute to American-style disco music, contains two overlooked tracks that showcase the way Italian producers and performers approached the genre. One is “Dreamin’ of You,” a funk-soul song notable for its lush orchestration. The same album also features “Vola,” with arrangements by Shel Shapiro, who had previously worked on her disco hits “Rumore” and “Male.” Shapiro was instrumental in the establishment of the Italian disco scene: as an Englishman in Italy, he was uniquely apt at calibrating the international and local elements in the creation and arrangement of Italian disco songs.

In 1979, the song “Sono Nera” has Carrà play the part of the spurned lover, and lets pettiness run free. It’s funk, and the lyrics fully carry the song, where she stoops to feelings everyone has experienced in their lives while acknowledging they’re not their proudest moments. She complains about competing with another woman for the same man, and fantasizes about potential scenarios. “I’d love for you to see her: she’s not half bad, but she’s worth half of what I am worth.” 

By the end of the 1979, Carrà moves to Electro and Italo sounds: one such track is "Joggin’" a purely instrumental track where all she does is huff in the background. “Loving You and Losing You,” from 1984, is a manifesto of 80s disco, Italian style: it has the quintessential Italian-coded melody, which nods to Italy’s own music tradition and a healthy dose of nostalgia, and an Italo disco beat.

The next installment will examine Carrà’s crossover with sets, costume design, and dance!