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Kuroneko no Tango

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"Kuroneko no Tango" (Japanese: 黒ネコのタンゴ "Black Cat Tango";[1] originally Italian: Volevo un gatto nero "I wanted a black cat") is a tango song recorded in 1969 by young children in Italy and Japan.

The original Italian version came last in the Zecchino d'Oro competition on 11 March 1969.[2][3] It was written by "Framario" (Francesco and Mario Pagano), Armando Soricillo, and Francesco Saverio Maresca,[4] and was sung by four-year-old Vincenza Pastorelli.[2] In 2007, Pastorelli was arrested after an anti-prostitution operation dubbed "Gatto Nero" by Carabinieri; her appeal against a three-year prison sentence was pending in the Court of Cassation in October 2011.[5]

Nippon Victor[1] asked the leader of a Japanese school choir called "The Larks" to nominate a member to record a Japanese-language version of the song.[6] She chose her nephew,[6] Osamu Minagawa 皆川 おさむ (born 22 January 1963), whose recording was released on 5 October 1969.[7] The song reached number one in the Oricon chart, and sold 3 million copies,[2] making six-year-old Minagawa the youngest artist ever to have a million-selling record.[8]

The Japanese lyrics bear no relation to the Italian ones beyond the central idea of a black cat. The Italian version is a children's song in which the singer complains at being given a white cat instead of a black one.[9] The Japanese "black cat" symbolises the singer's flighty sweetheart, although Minagawa understood "Tango" to be the cat's name.[6]

The song has been covered many times since 1969. The song was covered in Japanese by Ami Tokito and in French by Japanese folk band めめ, both in 2005, and Meg recorded a cover of the original Italian song on her 2012 album La Japonaise. Justin Mauriello's 2010 Japanese release Justin Sings the Hits includes a version.[10] The song’s melody was used in a Hebrew song originally performed by Tzipi Shavit with words by Yoram Taharlev, called "Kulam Halkhu LaJambo' " (Hebrew: כולם הלכו לג׳מבו "Everybody Has Gone to the Jumbo"[a]).[11] In Danish, the song is called “Min Kat Den Danser Tango” (meaning “My Cat Dances Tango”), in this case referring to an actual cat that dances the tango.

The song is on the 2014 album Dream a Little Dream by Pink Martini and The von Trapps.

In 1995, South Korean music duo Turbo released a Korean version of the song under the title "Black Cat Nero" ( 검은 고양이 네로 ). 25 years later, South Korean boy group Ateez released a remake of the original Korean song after they won on South Korean music variety show "Immortal Song" with the song. They released the music video of the remake a day before Halloween featuring Kim Jong-kook, one of the members of the original music duo.[citation needed] Boy group BXB also recorded a remake of the song in 2023.[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Fujita, Shig (19 December 1970). "Agent as Superstar". Billboard. Vol. 76. pp. Japan Special Report p.J–20.
  2. ^ a b c "Dalle canzoni dello Zecchino d'oro allo sfruttamento della prostituzione". La Stampa (in Italian). 20 December 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  3. ^ うたの旅人：天才少女の絶頂と転落 「黒ネコのタンゴ」 (in Japanese). Asahi. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  4. ^ Acerbi, Antonio (2003). La Chiesa e l'Italia: per una storia dei loro rapporti negli ultimi due secoli (in Italian). Vita e Pensiero. p. 88. ISBN 978-88-343-1017-5. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  5. ^ Spagnolo, Chiara (1 October 2011). "Dallo Zecchino ai centri a luci rosse l'ex bimba prodigio torna in aula - Bari - Repubblica.it". La Repubblica. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  6. ^ a b c Associated Press (9 December 1969). "Six-year-old Japanese boy has hit disc". Telegraph-Herald. Dubuque, Iowa. p. 28. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  7. ^ Guinness book of world records. Sterling Pub. Co. 1976. p. 241.
  8. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1984-12-31). Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s: an illustrated directory. Batsford. p. 288. ISBN 978-0-7134-3843-7. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  9. ^ Ventavoli, Bruno (20 December 2007). "Voleva un gatto nerosi è data alle luci rosse". La Stampa (in Italian). Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  10. ^ "Justin Sings The Hits". Catalogue. Japan: In n Out Records. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  11. ^ "ציפי שביט - כולם הלכו לג'מבו". YouTube. 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2015-08-24.
  12. ^ Lee, Seul-bi (December 27, 2023). BXB(비엑스비), 내년 1월 11일 컴백 확정. Sports Dong-a. Dong-a Ilbo Company. Retrieved November 8, 2024.

Notes

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  1. ^ Referring to Jumbo Musical, a musical variety show featuring many well-known talents of the time. Shavit, who was supposed to perform there, broke her foot mere days before the show was about to begin running; thus, Teharlev wrote a song for her to perform, playing a young girl’s dismay at being left home when all other family members have gone to see the Jumbo; shortly after they leave, she breaks her feet while wearing roller skates, presumably as she tries to go the Jumbo on her own, but ultimately manages to get her neighbour to take here there.
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