And finally, Meloni recalls Guccini: “I loved his music. Despite his animosity towards me”

“Francesco Guccini gave voice to the anxieties and ideals of generations of Italians. And I loved his music and his songs deeply.” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s message of condolence on the singer-songwriter’s death came this evening. Before her, almost immediately after the news of his death, the secretary of the PD, Elly Schlein, had already broadcast her heartfelt tribute. “I know many of his lyrics by heart,” says Meloni. “Splendid, poetic, lyrical. ‘Cirano’ and ‘Cristoforo Colombo’ are among the most beautiful and profound compositions in Italian music, and I am grateful to him for the contribution he made to my ideological development. I will continue to sing his songs, and to thank him for having given us such emotions.” Is that all? No. “I will do so even though he probably wouldn’t be pleased about it, even though I have read his vitriolic statements directed at me. Because his ideology is not mine and never will be: I am a free person, and the freedom to read and listen to everything – regardless of our differences – will always be my guiding principle.” Words that betray a complicated relationship, worn down over time, between Guccini and the Prime Minister. Twenty-two years ago, she chose the lyrics of ‘Cirano’ to celebrate her election as president of Azione Giovani at the national congress of the AN youth wing in Viterbo. “I want to end my speech like this. Let’s put an end to this; come forward, all of you – new leaders, up-and-coming politicians.” And again: “I’ve never fallen for dogmas and prejudices, and, with all due respect, I won’t let them get the better of me. Thank you.” 

Meloni’s admiration for Guccini shows no sign of waning; quite the contrary. His song ‘Dio è morto’ became the soundtrack to Meloni’s Atreju festival. An event to which the singer-songwriter was invited by Meloni herself (still in her capacity as leader of the youth wing of the right). And to which – as he recounted in an interview on La7 – he declined “politely, as was only to be expected”. The years passed, Meloni’s career took off and she arrived at Palazzo Chigi in 2022. Even before her victory, however, in the midst of the pandemic, Guccini recorded his very own version of “Bella ciao”. The video is dated 25 April 2020: “This morning I woke up and found the invader. There were Salvini and Berlusconi, oh bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao, with Meloni’s fascists who’d like to come back. But we’ll put up a fight, o bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao”. As Guccini himself recounted, their relationship deteriorated even further. “Meloni was furious as hell,” said Guccini, “she called me a sower of hatred because she interpreted it as ‘take them to Piazzale Loreto’; I was thinking of Berlusconi with his girlfriends, Salvini at the Papeete drinking mojitos and her breaking Greece’s back. A very violent reaction.”

The singer-songwriter’s view of the Prime Minister remained the same. In 2020, he said that “Meloni has two faces, but her true face is violent”, then in 2024 he described her as “cunning, intelligent and dangerous”. Now that he has died, Meloni is paying tribute to the singer-songwriter with affection. But also with a bitter aftertaste.