The History of "Prisencolinensinainciusol"

https://dirkdeklein.net/2026/02/03/the-fascinating-history-of-prisencolinensinainciusol-the-nonsense-song-that-became-a-global-hit/

55•NaOH•1d ago

Comments

smitty1e•20h ago

It sounds as though this set the precedent for "I, Zimbra" by Talking Heads.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2zdlkG9g5Mt0alUdqn7s3D?si=L1N...

dhosek•20h ago

I zimbra used an existing nonsense word poem by Hugo Ball which predates this by quite a bit.

I’m drawing a blank on the 60s or 70s pop song which had fake non English lyrics in some part of it. Amusingly in this context, the French lyrics in Psycho Killer are legitimate.

buildsjets•20h ago

Kikagaku Moyo does this with Japanese Psychedelic Rock. “Monaka” is a fine example.

https://kikagakumoyo.com/works/kumoyo-island/

pavel_lishin•20h ago

This doesn't feel like much of an article. I know it's gauche to accuse something of being AI written, but even if this is written by a human, this feels like something that a student would scribble in their notebook on the bus ride to school to turn in for their first period class.

archonis•20h ago

Seriously. Exploring the topic and jumping from 1970s to 2003 without mentioning the Cocteau Twins is criminal.

whynotmaybe•20h ago

And missing the point that Urban Trad did a complete album, not just Sanomi

lstodd•19h ago

And everyone forgets Dead Can Dance ofc

mokalan•14h ago

Yeah, or skipping Karl Jenkins' Adiemus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_wZ9ZBeRAo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adiemus_(song)

peteforde•18h ago

It is criminal to read an article about one of the catchiest songs of that decade and not see at least one of the excellent videos embedded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ee1gxJvVi4

Just make sure that you switch to the Italian audio track when the music kicks in or you will be profoundly confused by the auto-dubbing attempting to translate for you.

readthenotes1•17h ago

There is a YouTube link in the article.

riffraff•15h ago

I prefer the black&white version with headbanging Raffaella Carrà but alas, I can't find a proper version ATM.

Peak early 70s.

cubefox•14h ago

Song starts at 1:41.

cbdevidal•7h ago

It's funny to me that he wrote the song to prove that his fans would buy any American-sounding song no matter the lyrics, but it was such a banger that even we in America love to listen to it. Backfired in the best way possible.

trilogic•17h ago

Adriano sei forte uei! (Meaning: Adriano You´re cool Hey), an Italian LEGEND very smart rich in all and humble, (you too Claudia) from somebody you used to know :)

toyg•13h ago

Celentano and Moro are many things, but humble is not one of them... He's a preachy Catholic bore, completely detached from reality; and she's deluded that they're still big stars. They used to be something, but they've long since said anything worth listening to.

trilogic•12h ago

Adriano is charismatic (public confirms it, they pay for his songs and movies). Claudia Mori beside being a beautiful actress and singer, was the public relation heart, which paid off very well. When I met them they were funny and happy, also by induction the typical VIP behavior. Everyone has a bad day sometime but Overall,they get a very positive sentiment. Still listening to: in tanto il tempo se ne va ....

legerdemain•15h ago

This... doesn't explain anything about the song. Not its writing, not its production, not the music video. It's just a list of platitudes. Even the Atlas Obscura article has more content.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/deep-roots-italian-son...

whycome•14h ago

This is what I named my Bluetooth speaker.

cbdevidal•7h ago

Make it your Wifi password too lol

zombot•10h ago

Not the name of a Welsh village? I am disappointed.

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