It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to find an Italian man or woman who does not know a refrain written by him, who has not sung one of his songs at least once in the shower, who does not whistle one of his hits along with the radio in the car.
The songs of Giulio Rapetti, aka Mogol (who officially adopted his pseudonym as his surname in 2007), have toured the world and are still sung and danced in our homes today.
At 89 years old, Mogol recounts his life in the book Without fear, published by Salani. His lyrics are real poems, which have not only made the history of Italian song, but have made our history.
Because his autobiography is titled Without fear?
«It has always been the meaning of my life: the absence of fear. Dictated, more than by courage, by recklessness. In fact, I often put myself in danger, especially as a child. Therefore I consider myself protected by the Lord and I am grateful to him. I would be dishonest if I didn’t feel indebted for this.”
What is the secret to living without fear?
«Accept your fate. I did it and I continue to do it.”
You write that 1963 was the year in which it was understood that young people would change the world and that music would play a fundamental role in this change. Could today’s music do it?
«At the time the world also changed thanks to music, bringing Italian artists to very high levels. It was the triumph of melody. Today music is very different, we are in another dimension. It is no longer the beautiful voice, the beautiful singing that is the center of attention, but the credible interpretation of the text.”
According to her, talent belongs to everyone, while the willingness to apply oneself is not equally distributed.
«There are no people without talent. Everyone has one. But we need to discover it, make it emerge. As? With study. It is study that changes people. Without it, talent remains unexpressed. And then you need passion, of course.”
How is a song born?
«The melody always comes first. The text comes later, because it must express in words what the notes say. It’s not a simple thing. You succeed when you have acquired such practice that it becomes automatic. Life gives us inspiration: unpredictable, inevitable, extraordinary. Lived stories are more felt by people, more understood. They are worth more.”
How long does it take to write a text?
«On average it never takes me more than an hour. But it happened that it took me even less. Like that time with Bobby Solo… I wrote the lyrics while we were in the car heading to the recording studio. I was supposed to give him the song, but I forgot. And so I did it on the car ride, and A tear on my face was born.”
Today the new generations use an average of 800 words, almost half compared to the previous ones. Does this mean that words have lost their value?
«That may be the case, but I think songs can do a lot to make up for it. They can enrich the vocabulary, making everyone discover unusual or unknown terms. Like when I used the word “gloomy” in a text, against the opinion of my editor, who preferred “grey”. Thus Una giorno uggiosa was born, sung by Lucio Battisti. A piece out of the ordinary, from a rhythmic and musical point of view. If you listen to it today it seems like it was written yesterday, not fifty years ago.”
You are a man of faith. How much religiosity is there in the lyrics of his songs.
«I am a believer in the full sense of the term. I try to live my faith in a coherent way, putting this coherence into my lyrics too. And prayer is very important: it reassures, consoles, gratifies, supports, gives us the possibility of reducing the debt we have with the Lord. We should all pray more and teach children to do so more often.”
In 1992 he founded the CET (European Center of Toscolano), a school to enhance musical talents.
What qualities should a young author not lack?
«First of all, self-criticism, which must be severe. We must not be satisfied with a result achieved, but go further to improve. The second requirement is the practice of rhyming, which is the basis of poetry. And beautiful songs are poems. Third, the interpretation of the music: every phrase must have the color of the music.”
One of the values he has cultivated since he was young is peace.
«I would do anything in the name of peace. In 2000, with the Nazionale Cantanti, we organized a match against an Israeli-Palestinian team: an initiative that brought 80,000 people to the Olympic Stadium in Rome. It was a true miracle. It would be nice if it happened again.”
Citing one of your successes, the first good thing you had in life… what was it?
«Difficult to answer. I have had many beautiful things. I have written for extraordinary performers (Battisti, Mina, Celentano, Mango, Nicola Di Bari, Cocciante, Morandi, Gianni Bella and many others). On the threshold of 60 I met true love, my wife Daniela, who supports me and completes me in everything. This is love: a mutual rescue race. I dedicated one of my best songs, Dormi amore, to her. For all this I can only be grateful. And I live the present every day while looking to the future. Without fear.”
