Spend an afternoon in the glorious setting of Piazza Maggiore and you could be forgiven for thinking Bologna’s official club song is the Champions League anthem itself. Tony Britten’s iconic theme is arguably the most popular tune in the city right now, and plenty of locals have adopted it as their ringtone this season, the Rossoblù (Red and Blues) having earned a surprise place in Europe’s most prestigious club competition for the first time in 60 years.
Music and football go together in Bologna like ingredients in a rich Bolognese sauce, and the Champions League anthem is only the latest addition to the mix. To get a taste of some of the other flavours, just continue your day in the city with a stroll through its medieval streets, passing by picturesque bars and cafés until you get to a 15th-century building in Via D’Azeglio, formerly the home of singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla. It’s instantly recognisable thanks to a mural of the great man playing a saxophone.
Dalla was one of Italy’s most beloved musicians and left a searing artistic heritage when he died in 2012: a career spanning half a century, 23 studio albums and hundreds of songs written for himself and others. Venerated like a deity in his native Bologna, he loved the city and its football team, making a pilgrimage to watch games at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara whenever he could.
His legacy is so enduring that Bologna fans and players still belt out one of his most notable songs – L’Anno Che Verrà (The Coming Year) – after every home match, especially if they have something to celebrate. It’s a beautiful, peculiar song which combines delicate melancholy, social satire and a splash of nonsense. Goose bumps are inevitable when the entire stadium joins together in a rendition.
Dalla’s magical touch can also be found in Bologna’s official anthem, Le Tue Ali Bologna (Your Wings, Bologna). He recorded it in 1987 along with Andrea Mingardi, Luca Carboni and Gianni Morandi, a trio of famous Bolognese singers and renowned football fanatics. Each brought different musical styles and different personalities, but all were united by their love of la gloriosa maglia rossoblù (the glorious red and blue shirt).
You don’t have to be a fan to get swept up in the emotion as Mingardi’s voice cracks when he sings the chorus: “Tu sei grande Bologna / Tu sei forte Bologna / Cosi bella Bologna.” (“You are great Bologna / You are strong Bologna / So beautiful Bologna.”) For those of a certain age, this is an anthem that will have you on your feet, swaying from side to side, lighter held proudly high above your head.
Mingardi is the author of the anthem’s music and lyrics, and he has also penned songs such as Il Cuore Rosso Blu (The Red and Blue Heart), in which he says the sweetest poem of all is the Rossoblù line-up that won the Serie A title in 1963/64 – a list of names every fan knows by heart.
As for Carboni, his most successful compositions include Silvia Lo Sai (Silvia, You Know), a sorrowful number about drug addiction that begins, “The Bologna shirt seven days a week, few passes, plenty of dribbling and many windows smashed,” recalling his childhood when wearing the Rossoblù colours equalled happiness.
Last but not least, Morandi remains a pillar of Italian pop music, with massive hits to his name in every decade from the 1960s onwards. Set to turn 80 in December, he is the singer most actively involved with the club among the quartet, and even served as Bologna’s honorary president from 2010 to 2014.
The anthem’s opening line says it all about the typical Bologna fan, who is described in the lyrics as “sceptical by profession”. Hitching your emotions to the club has traditionally proved a fraught affair, and supporters struggle to appreciate the good times since they know disappointment lurks around a corner. This, after all, is a club that lost their only previous European Cup tie on a coin toss back in 1964. Difficult periods are a regular occurrence, not least a spell in Serie C as recently as the 1990s.
Last season, Bologna played some of the most entertaining football in Italy, overcoming the odds to register famous wins against various big names and finish fifth in Serie A. Coach Thiago Motta left for Juventus in the summer, however, and key players such as Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee also departed, signing for Arsenal and Manchester United respectively. Bologna’s fans could quickly resume their sceptical mindset.
Despite those blows to morale, the Bologna anthem offers supporters a touch of optimism: “And if happiness really exists, maybe one day it will come here too.” Happiness undoubtedly paid a visit last season, and new coach Vincenzo Italiano, plus a crop of fresh young talents, hope to prove it is here to stay.
After Champions League qualification was assured, Cesare Cremonini – another famous Bologna singer and Rossoblù superfan – marked the milestone with this post on social media: “Sixty years after the 1964 Scudetto, Bologna return to the Champions League. I know many people who have worked for Bologna for decades and dedicated their lives to the team, for reasons that go beyond sporting faith. It’s a double joy to see them happy like never before.
“What Thiago Motta and his boys (but also the club’s presidency and technical staff) transmitted went beyond the pitch, uniting the memories of past generations with the dreams of new ones, linking them to the colours of a beautiful city whose most important quality, for those who don’t know, is being able to hold everything and everyone together with tenacity. Including a humanity and loyalty that we always saw on the pitch this year.
“In one of his songs, Lucio Dalla said that ‘Not even a child gets lost in Bologna.’ Perhaps Lucio meant exactly this. Bologna leaves no one behind. We are all with you, my beloved city. Thanks guys – we are madly in love with all of you!”
The former Lùnapop singer had already dedicated a song lyric to a Bologna player. “Since [Ayrton] Senna doesn’t race any more, since [Roberto] Baggio doesn’t play any more, and since you left me, it’s not Sunday any more,” he explained to an ex-girlfriend in Marmellata (Jam), remembering the glorious 1997/98 campaign when Baggio scored 22 league goals for the Rossoblù.
Another symbol of the Bologna music scene, Roberto ‘Freak’ Antoni, leader of the punk group Skiantos, used to sing: “Bologna is a faith – and whoever believes in it sees the light.” Add that to the list of monikers the city has picked up down the years, from La Dotta (the Intellectual) for its university tradition to La Grassa (the Fat) for its fine cuisine and La Rossa (the Red) for the colour of its bricks. But Bologna is also music. And football. Football and music… together then, now and always.
Spend an afternoon in the glorious setting of Piazza Maggiore and you could be forgiven for thinking Bologna’s official club song is the Champions League anthem itself. Tony Britten’s iconic theme is arguably the most popular tune in the city right now, and plenty of locals have adopted it as their ringtone this season, the Rossoblù (Red and Blues) having earned a surprise place in Europe’s most prestigious club competition for the first time in 60 years.
Music and football go together in Bologna like ingredients in a rich Bolognese sauce, and the Champions League anthem is only the latest addition to the mix. To get a taste of some of the other flavours, just continue your day in the city with a stroll through its medieval streets, passing by picturesque bars and cafés until you get to a 15th-century building in Via D’Azeglio, formerly the home of singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla. It’s instantly recognisable thanks to a mural of the great man playing a saxophone.
Dalla was one of Italy’s most beloved musicians and left a searing artistic heritage when he died in 2012: a career spanning half a century, 23 studio albums and hundreds of songs written for himself and others. Venerated like a deity in his native Bologna, he loved the city and its football team, making a pilgrimage to watch games at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara whenever he could.
His legacy is so enduring that Bologna fans and players still belt out one of his most notable songs – L’Anno Che Verrà (The Coming Year) – after every home match, especially if they have something to celebrate. It’s a beautiful, peculiar song which combines delicate melancholy, social satire and a splash of nonsense. Goose bumps are inevitable when the entire stadium joins together in a rendition.
Dalla’s magical touch can also be found in Bologna’s official anthem, Le Tue Ali Bologna (Your Wings, Bologna). He recorded it in 1987 along with Andrea Mingardi, Luca Carboni and Gianni Morandi, a trio of famous Bolognese singers and renowned football fanatics. Each brought different musical styles and different personalities, but all were united by their love of la gloriosa maglia rossoblù (the glorious red and blue shirt).
You don’t have to be a fan to get swept up in the emotion as Mingardi’s voice cracks when he sings the chorus: “Tu sei grande Bologna / Tu sei forte Bologna / Cosi bella Bologna.” (“You are great Bologna / You are strong Bologna / So beautiful Bologna.”) For those of a certain age, this is an anthem that will have you on your feet, swaying from side to side, lighter held proudly high above your head.
Mingardi is the author of the anthem’s music and lyrics, and he has also penned songs such as Il Cuore Rosso Blu (The Red and Blue Heart), in which he says the sweetest poem of all is the Rossoblù line-up that won the Serie A title in 1963/64 – a list of names every fan knows by heart.
As for Carboni, his most successful compositions include Silvia Lo Sai (Silvia, You Know), a sorrowful number about drug addiction that begins, “The Bologna shirt seven days a week, few passes, plenty of dribbling and many windows smashed,” recalling his childhood when wearing the Rossoblù colours equalled happiness.
Last but not least, Morandi remains a pillar of Italian pop music, with massive hits to his name in every decade from the 1960s onwards. Set to turn 80 in December, he is the singer most actively involved with the club among the quartet, and even served as Bologna’s honorary president from 2010 to 2014.
The anthem’s opening line says it all about the typical Bologna fan, who is described in the lyrics as “sceptical by profession”. Hitching your emotions to the club has traditionally proved a fraught affair, and supporters struggle to appreciate the good times since they know disappointment lurks around a corner. This, after all, is a club that lost their only previous European Cup tie on a coin toss back in 1964. Difficult periods are a regular occurrence, not least a spell in Serie C as recently as the 1990s.
Last season, Bologna played some of the most entertaining football in Italy, overcoming the odds to register famous wins against various big names and finish fifth in Serie A. Coach Thiago Motta left for Juventus in the summer, however, and key players such as Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee also departed, signing for Arsenal and Manchester United respectively. Bologna’s fans could quickly resume their sceptical mindset.
Despite those blows to morale, the Bologna anthem offers supporters a touch of optimism: “And if happiness really exists, maybe one day it will come here too.” Happiness undoubtedly paid a visit last season, and new coach Vincenzo Italiano, plus a crop of fresh young talents, hope to prove it is here to stay.
After Champions League qualification was assured, Cesare Cremonini – another famous Bologna singer and Rossoblù superfan – marked the milestone with this post on social media: “Sixty years after the 1964 Scudetto, Bologna return to the Champions League. I know many people who have worked for Bologna for decades and dedicated their lives to the team, for reasons that go beyond sporting faith. It’s a double joy to see them happy like never before.
“What Thiago Motta and his boys (but also the club’s presidency and technical staff) transmitted went beyond the pitch, uniting the memories of past generations with the dreams of new ones, linking them to the colours of a beautiful city whose most important quality, for those who don’t know, is being able to hold everything and everyone together with tenacity. Including a humanity and loyalty that we always saw on the pitch this year.
“In one of his songs, Lucio Dalla said that ‘Not even a child gets lost in Bologna.’ Perhaps Lucio meant exactly this. Bologna leaves no one behind. We are all with you, my beloved city. Thanks guys – we are madly in love with all of you!”
The former Lùnapop singer had already dedicated a song lyric to a Bologna player. “Since [Ayrton] Senna doesn’t race any more, since [Roberto] Baggio doesn’t play any more, and since you left me, it’s not Sunday any more,” he explained to an ex-girlfriend in Marmellata (Jam), remembering the glorious 1997/98 campaign when Baggio scored 22 league goals for the Rossoblù.
Another symbol of the Bologna music scene, Roberto ‘Freak’ Antoni, leader of the punk group Skiantos, used to sing: “Bologna is a faith – and whoever believes in it sees the light.” Add that to the list of monikers the city has picked up down the years, from La Dotta (the Intellectual) for its university tradition to La Grassa (the Fat) for its fine cuisine and La Rossa (the Red) for the colour of its bricks. But Bologna is also music. And football. Football and music… together then, now and always.
Spend an afternoon in the glorious setting of Piazza Maggiore and you could be forgiven for thinking Bologna’s official club song is the Champions League anthem itself. Tony Britten’s iconic theme is arguably the most popular tune in the city right now, and plenty of locals have adopted it as their ringtone this season, the Rossoblù (Red and Blues) having earned a surprise place in Europe’s most prestigious club competition for the first time in 60 years.
Music and football go together in Bologna like ingredients in a rich Bolognese sauce, and the Champions League anthem is only the latest addition to the mix. To get a taste of some of the other flavours, just continue your day in the city with a stroll through its medieval streets, passing by picturesque bars and cafés until you get to a 15th-century building in Via D’Azeglio, formerly the home of singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla. It’s instantly recognisable thanks to a mural of the great man playing a saxophone.
Dalla was one of Italy’s most beloved musicians and left a searing artistic heritage when he died in 2012: a career spanning half a century, 23 studio albums and hundreds of songs written for himself and others. Venerated like a deity in his native Bologna, he loved the city and its football team, making a pilgrimage to watch games at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara whenever he could.
His legacy is so enduring that Bologna fans and players still belt out one of his most notable songs – L’Anno Che Verrà (The Coming Year) – after every home match, especially if they have something to celebrate. It’s a beautiful, peculiar song which combines delicate melancholy, social satire and a splash of nonsense. Goose bumps are inevitable when the entire stadium joins together in a rendition.
Dalla’s magical touch can also be found in Bologna’s official anthem, Le Tue Ali Bologna (Your Wings, Bologna). He recorded it in 1987 along with Andrea Mingardi, Luca Carboni and Gianni Morandi, a trio of famous Bolognese singers and renowned football fanatics. Each brought different musical styles and different personalities, but all were united by their love of la gloriosa maglia rossoblù (the glorious red and blue shirt).
You don’t have to be a fan to get swept up in the emotion as Mingardi’s voice cracks when he sings the chorus: “Tu sei grande Bologna / Tu sei forte Bologna / Cosi bella Bologna.” (“You are great Bologna / You are strong Bologna / So beautiful Bologna.”) For those of a certain age, this is an anthem that will have you on your feet, swaying from side to side, lighter held proudly high above your head.
Mingardi is the author of the anthem’s music and lyrics, and he has also penned songs such as Il Cuore Rosso Blu (The Red and Blue Heart), in which he says the sweetest poem of all is the Rossoblù line-up that won the Serie A title in 1963/64 – a list of names every fan knows by heart.
As for Carboni, his most successful compositions include Silvia Lo Sai (Silvia, You Know), a sorrowful number about drug addiction that begins, “The Bologna shirt seven days a week, few passes, plenty of dribbling and many windows smashed,” recalling his childhood when wearing the Rossoblù colours equalled happiness.
Last but not least, Morandi remains a pillar of Italian pop music, with massive hits to his name in every decade from the 1960s onwards. Set to turn 80 in December, he is the singer most actively involved with the club among the quartet, and even served as Bologna’s honorary president from 2010 to 2014.
The anthem’s opening line says it all about the typical Bologna fan, who is described in the lyrics as “sceptical by profession”. Hitching your emotions to the club has traditionally proved a fraught affair, and supporters struggle to appreciate the good times since they know disappointment lurks around a corner. This, after all, is a club that lost their only previous European Cup tie on a coin toss back in 1964. Difficult periods are a regular occurrence, not least a spell in Serie C as recently as the 1990s.
Last season, Bologna played some of the most entertaining football in Italy, overcoming the odds to register famous wins against various big names and finish fifth in Serie A. Coach Thiago Motta left for Juventus in the summer, however, and key players such as Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee also departed, signing for Arsenal and Manchester United respectively. Bologna’s fans could quickly resume their sceptical mindset.
Despite those blows to morale, the Bologna anthem offers supporters a touch of optimism: “And if happiness really exists, maybe one day it will come here too.” Happiness undoubtedly paid a visit last season, and new coach Vincenzo Italiano, plus a crop of fresh young talents, hope to prove it is here to stay.
After Champions League qualification was assured, Cesare Cremonini – another famous Bologna singer and Rossoblù superfan – marked the milestone with this post on social media: “Sixty years after the 1964 Scudetto, Bologna return to the Champions League. I know many people who have worked for Bologna for decades and dedicated their lives to the team, for reasons that go beyond sporting faith. It’s a double joy to see them happy like never before.
“What Thiago Motta and his boys (but also the club’s presidency and technical staff) transmitted went beyond the pitch, uniting the memories of past generations with the dreams of new ones, linking them to the colours of a beautiful city whose most important quality, for those who don’t know, is being able to hold everything and everyone together with tenacity. Including a humanity and loyalty that we always saw on the pitch this year.
“In one of his songs, Lucio Dalla said that ‘Not even a child gets lost in Bologna.’ Perhaps Lucio meant exactly this. Bologna leaves no one behind. We are all with you, my beloved city. Thanks guys – we are madly in love with all of you!”
The former Lùnapop singer had already dedicated a song lyric to a Bologna player. “Since [Ayrton] Senna doesn’t race any more, since [Roberto] Baggio doesn’t play any more, and since you left me, it’s not Sunday any more,” he explained to an ex-girlfriend in Marmellata (Jam), remembering the glorious 1997/98 campaign when Baggio scored 22 league goals for the Rossoblù.
Another symbol of the Bologna music scene, Roberto ‘Freak’ Antoni, leader of the punk group Skiantos, used to sing: “Bologna is a faith – and whoever believes in it sees the light.” Add that to the list of monikers the city has picked up down the years, from La Dotta (the Intellectual) for its university tradition to La Grassa (the Fat) for its fine cuisine and La Rossa (the Red) for the colour of its bricks. But Bologna is also music. And football. Football and music… together then, now and always.
