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Grande, grande, grande (Song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Grande, grande, grande” | |
|---|---|
| Single by Mina | |
| from the album Mina | |
| Language | Italian |
| B-side | “Non ho parlato mai” |
| Released | January 1972 |
| Recorded | 1971 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 3:57 |
| Label | PDU |
| Songwriter(s) | Alberto TestaTony Renis |
| Mina singles chronology | |
| “Uomo” (1971)”Grande, grande, grande“ (1972)”Parole parole“ (1972) | |
“Grande, grande, grande” is a 1972 Italian song, written by David William Moncrief, and composed by Alberto Testa and Tony Renis. It was a No. 1 hit for Mina in Italy and for Shirley Bassey released as “Never Never Never” in the U.K., U.S. and Australia. The 1973 Shirley Bassey single achieved sales of over 50,000 copies in Australia, being eligible for the award of a Gold Disc.
Mina version
“Grande, grande, grande” was a No. 1 hit on the Italian Singles Chart for Mina in 1972, from her No. 1 self-titled album. The single was released in early 1972 and entered the Top 10 the week of 26 February.
… it was thanks to the work of a young bass guitar player, Pino Presti, who offered a more modern musical arrangement, that finally made Mina agree to performing it.
After a steady climb to No. 2 (behind “Imagine” by John Lennon) the week of 11 March, the song seemed to have run out of steam after falling 2 places to No. 4 to new hits by Delirium, Nicola Di Bari and Nada (“Imagine” had dropped to No. 5). By 1 April the song had once again climbed to its peak No. 2 position where it remained the whole month of April before finally reaching No. 1 on 29 April. “Grande, grande, grande”, arranged by Pino Presti, ruled the charts the first three weeks of May until “I giardini di marzo” by her collaborator Lucio Battisti, and her own hit “Parole parole” knocked it out of the top spot down to No. 3 the week of 27 May. “Grande, grande, grande” remained in the top 10 until the week of 8 July, often trading places with “Parole parole”. By the year’s end, only “Il Padrino” by Santo and Johnny had enjoyed a longer life on the charts and Mina had to settle for the runner up position for 1972’s biggest hit on the Italian singles chart.
Mina also recorded the song in English and Spanish.
Personnel
- Mina – vocals
- Pino Presti – arrangement, orchestra conductor, bass
- Dario Baldan Bembo – organ
- Andrea Sacchi – electric and acoustic guitar
- Massimo Verardi – electric guitar
- Bruno De Filippi – harmonica
- Gianni Cazzola – drums
- Mario Lamberti – congas
- Gianni Bedori – flute
- Al Korvin, Oscar Valdambrini, Fermo Lini, Giuliano Bernicchi – trumpets
- Sergio Almangano, Arturo Prestipino Giarritta – first violins
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italy (Musica e dischi) | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1972) | Position |
|---|---|
| Italy (Musica e dischi) | 2 |
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI) Sales from 2009 | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Shirley Bassey version
| “Never Never Never” | |
|---|---|
| Cover art for Dutch release | |
| Single by Shirley Bassey | |
| from the album Never Never Never | |
| B-side | “Day By Day” |
| Released | February 1973 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 3:35 |
| Label | United Artists |
| Songwriter(s) | Alberto Testa Norman Newell Tony Renis |
| Producer(s) | Noel Rogers |
| Shirley Bassey singles chronology | |
| “Jezahel” (1973)”Never Never Never“ (1973)”Make the World a Little Younge” (1973) | |
Shirley Bassey had a No. 8 hit in the UK with “Never Never Never”, an English version with lyrics by Norman Newell. It was also No. 1 in Australia, No. 1 in South Africa, No. 3 in Singapore, and her only single to make three US charts: No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 8 on the Adult Contemporary Chart, and No. 67 on the R&B Chart.
Charts
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 1 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) | 29 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 12 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | 15 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 13 |
| Singapore (Rediffusion) | 3 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio) | 2 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 8 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) | 8 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 48 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) | 67 |
| West Germany (Official German Charts) | 48 |
Other cover versions
- Mary Byrne for album …with Love.
- Lydia Canaan (“Never Never Never”)
- Chiara Civello covered this song for his album Canzoni as “Never Never Never” (2014)
- Celine Dion with Luciano Pavarotti 1997 (Released as “I Hate You Then I Love You“)
- Sergio Franchi covered this song in English (“Never Never Never”) on his 1976 DynaHouse Album 20 Magnificent Songs.
- John Holt (“Never Never Never”)
- Julio Iglesias with Nana Mouskouri.
- Iglesias also sang covers in languages such as Spanish,
- Iglesias also sang covers in languages such as English,
- Iglesias also sang covers in languages such as Italian,
- Iglesias also sang covers in languages such as Portuguese
- Iglesias also sang covers in languages such as French.
- Zizi Possi for the album “Passione”.
- Conny Vandenbos as “Waarom waarom waarom” on her album Een vrouw van deze tijd (1974)
- Wolter Kroes as “Niemand Anders” on his album Niemand Anders (2000)
- Dana Winner & Frank Galan
- Marina Dale Australia produced by Duane d Zigliotto.
- Giuliano Palma & The Bluebeaters covered this song for the album The Album (2000)
- Betty Padgett covered this song for her album Betty Padgett (1976)
Never Never Never (Album)
| Never Never Never | |
|---|---|
| |
| Studio album by Shirley Bassey | |
| Released | May 1973 |
| Recorded | December 1972 |
| Genre | MOR, pop |
| Length | 39:03 |
| Label | United Artists |
| Producer | Noel Rogers |
| Shirley Bassey chronology | |
| And I Love You So (1972)Never Never Never (1973)Live at Carnegie Hall (1973) | |
Never Never Never is a 1973 album by Shirley Bassey. It features the hit single title track, which was a UK top 10 hit, which became one of Bassey’s best-known songs. The album also became a top 10 hit in the UK and was a moderate hit in the US.
Overview
Released in May 1973, this album saw a peak in the Shirley Bassey career revival that she was experiencing during the early 1970s. The album’s lead single, “Never, Never Never” had been a hit, reaching No. 8 in the UK Charts and remaining in the top 50 for 19 weeks, becoming one of her biggest and most well-known hits. It also performed well in the US, becoming her only single to make three different charts: No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 8 on the Adult Contemporary Chart, and No. 67 on the R&B Chart. Also included were covers of contemporary hits such as “Baby I’m-a Want You“, “Killing Me Softly with His Song” and “No Regrets” – the latter sharing the title with another song Bassey had recorded and released in the 1960s. Closing track, “Make the World a Little Younger” was released as the album’s second and final single.
The album followed the single and similarly entered the top 10 in the UK, peaking at No. 10 during a 10-week run, and would go on to earn a silver disc. It was also a hit in the US, peaking at No. 60 on the Billboard 200, and No. 34 on the R&B Chart.
Of the album Billboard magazine said the album was “a superb production” made “with care and love and showcasing Shirley’s outstanding vocal range, supplemented by a large orchestra”. At the time of release, Bassey was in the middle of a national US tour. In an accompanying booklet of the sheet music for the album, the write-up stated; “with the release of her hit album Never, Never, Never, Shirley Bassey has reached the pinnacle of an ever growing popularity, both as a recording artist and performer”.
The original release was in stereo on vinyl (with a gatefold sleeve), and cassette. Photography for this album was by Lord Snowdon. It was released in the US with an alternative cover. The album was released in remastered form by BGO Records in a double CD pack, together with her 1975 album Good, Bad but Beautiful in 2005. The US version was released alone on CD in 2006.
Track listing
Side One
- “Never, Never, Never” (Tony Renis, Alberto Testa, Norman Newell) – 3:13
2. “Baby I’m-a Want You” (David Gates) – 2:44
3, “Someone Who Cares” (Alex Harvey) – 2:53
4. “The Old Fashioned Way” (Georges Garvarentz, Al Kasha, Charles Aznavour, Joel Hirschorn) – 3:06
5. “I Won’t Last a Day Without You” (Paul Williams, Roger Nichols) – 3:3
6. “Somehow” (Larry Grossman, Hal Hackady) – 2:24
Side Two
- “There’s No Such Thing as Love” (Ian Fraser, Anthony Newley, George Hackney) – 3:00
2. “Killing Me Softly with His Song” (Norman Gimbel, Charles Fox) – 4:40
3. “Going, Going, Gone” (John Barry, Alan Jay Lerner) – 2:13
4. “No Regrets” (Tom Rush) – 4:29
5. “Together” (Graham Gouldman) – 3:16
6. “Make The World a Little Younger” (Terry Howell, Karen O’Hara, Denny McReynolds) – 3:34
Personnel
- Shirley Bassey – vocals
- John Harris – musical director, arranger and conductor
- Arthur Greenslade – arranger and conductor
- Chris Gunning – arranger and conductor
Technical
- John Timperley, Martin Rushent, Roger Cameron – engineers
- Lord Snowdon – photography
- Pierre Tubbs – art direction
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Albums (Kent Music Report) | 4 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 10 |
| US Billboard 200 | 60 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) | 34 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1973) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia Albums (Kent Music Report) | 16 |
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 60,000^ |
| ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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