-
Caruso: Dalla’s Song of Love, Pain and Death
The song Caruso has genius in its verses, and it is one of the most popular songs Italy has given the world. The verses of Caruso came to singer songwriter Lucio Dalla in a burst of inspiration. “Ti voglio bene assai”: I love you very much. Such words (in any language) are among the most meaningful human beings share with each other.They are words which, with “Tanto tanto bene sai” – So much, so much, you know, resonate in the chorus of the song. Yet these words are not where the song begins. Rather we are on a Terrazza, overlooking the “Golfo di Sorriento“. It is one of Italy’s most…
-
Death: The Last Taboo and What Comes After
There is virtually nothing that is a taboo in modern society. Death is the one exception. Ironically so, as our nightly news and popular entertainment are so often full of death. Yet there are plenty of articles that identify the death taboo. So how is it taboo? It is taboo in the sense that we live as if death is something that only happens to someone else. In our popular culture, the unavoidable reality of our own death is a taboo that is pushed deep into the subconscious. Of course we will all die one day. The taboo has practical consequences. As the old meme goes – what would we…