Tu Vuò Fà L'Americano

"Tu vuò fà l'americano" (English: "You pretend to be American", or more idiomatically, "You're an American wannabe") is a Neapolitan language song by Italian singer Renato Carosone.

Carosone wrote the song in collaboration with Nicola "Nisa" Salerno in 1956. Combining swing and jazz, it became one of his best known songs. Commissioned by Ricordi director Rapetti for a radio contest, the music was composed by Carosone in a very short time after reading Nisa's lyrics; he immediately believed the song would become a great success. The song was featured in the 1960 Melville Shavelson film It Started in Naples, in which it was sung by Sofia Loren. It was also performed by Rosario Fiorello in the 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley and was covered by The Puppini Sisters.

The lyrics are about an Italian who imitates the contemporary American lifestyle and acts like a Yankee, drinking whisky and soda, dancing to rock 'n roll, playing baseball and smoking Camel cigarettes, but still depends on his parents for money. The song is generally considered a satire on the process of Americanization that occurred in the early post-war years, when southern Italy was still a rural, traditional society.

Carosone himself wrote that his songs "were deeply based on the American dream, interpreting jazz and its derivatives as a symbol of an America, lively land of progress and well-being, but always Neapolitan-style, folding that symbol in a sly parody of its customs". According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, "Tu vuò fa l'americano" is the symbol of Carosone's artistic parabola, as he retired from music in 1960, just four years after releasing the song.

Covers and sampling

• The two main characters sing this song at a jazz bar in the movie "The Talented Mr. Ripley".
• Lou Bega made a cover of the song entitled You Wanna Be Americano.
• The Brian Setzer Orchestra covered this song with their song, "Americano." This song appeared on their album "VaVoom."
• The song was sampled in 2010 by the Australian duo Yolanda Be Cool and producer DCUP in their song "We No Speak Americano" that became an international hit. It was subsequently re-recorded by Marco Calliari.
• Don Omar - We No Speak Americano (Remix)
• This was used as one of the demo songs used for the singing synthesizer software Vocaloid Tonio and featured both him and another Vocaloid "Big Al" singing the song.
• The Puppini Sisters recorded this on their album "Betcha Bottom Dollar" in 2007.
• Background music during a cafe scene in the movie The American with George Clooney, 2010.
• Pitbull (2010)- Bon Bon (We No Speak Americano)
• In 2002 the Chilean rock band Pettinellis recorded a cover entitled "Americano" as part of their debut album (titled). The voice is performed by keyboardist Camilo Salinas, Chilean-Italian musician born in Rome during the exile of his father, the musician Horacio Salinas.
• Joe Penna, the famous Youtuber known as MysteryGuitarMan, made a video cover of this song, using traditional musical instruments from Bali, in 2010.
• Elliot Kevin & The Broken released this song on their album Damage of this Day
• Rita Chiarelli released this song on her album Italian Sessions
• Also served as the Autoblow soundtrack
• Actor Darren Criss covered the song At the Yale Club Benefit on May 14, 2011

See also

• Music of Naples
• Boogie-woogie