Prisencolinensinainciusol, bridging divides and Now and Then

Weekend Passport 02.41

Passport 02.41

Weekend Passport is Stranger's Guide's weekly subscribers-only newsletter curated by Associate Publisher, Ambia Elias. Each week we bring you globally-inspired recommendations for your weekend activities from the team and friends of Stranger’s Guide.

Listen: Prisencolinensinainciusol

Have you ever wondered what English sounds like to a non-English speaking person? I definitely have. I remember seeing video skits when I was younger of people speaking nonsensical dialogue that sounded like American English and finding it very entertaining. Well, in the 1970s, Italian singer Adriano Celentano released a song in gibberish that was meant to sound like an American English song, emulating the American music scene that was popular in Italy. Celentano wanted to experiment with his country’s enthusiasm for American music and wondered whether this song—just like the Elvis Presley and John Lennon songs that were topping the charts at the time—would be a hit. And it was. Listen to Celentano’s song “Prisencolinensinainciusol” here on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube.