Kuroneko no Tango

"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 third in the Zecchino d'Oro 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 (b. 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. Justin Mauriello's 2010 Japanese release Justin Sings the Hits includes a version.^[10]

See also

• "Dur dur d'être bébé!" 1992 French single by four-year-old Jordy Lemoine

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Fujita, Shig (19 December 1970). "Agent as Superstar". Billboard 76: Japan Special Report p.J–20. http://books.google.com/books?id=mSkEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=RA1-PA4&dq=%22Osamu%20Minagawa%22&pg=RA1-PA4#v=onepage&q=%22Osamu%20Minagawa%22&f=false. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Dalle canzoni dello Zecchino d'oro allo sfruttamento della prostituzione" (in Italian). La Stampa. 20 December 2007. http://www.repubblica.it/2007/12/sezioni/cronaca/gatto-nero/gatto-nero/gatto-nero.html. 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. http://www.asahi.com/shopping/tabibito/TKY201108040283.html. Retrieved 26 October 2011. 
4. ^ Acerbi, Antonio (2003) (in Italian). La Chiesa e l'Italia: per una storia dei loro rapporti negli ultimi due secoli. Vita e Pensiero. p. 88. ISBN 9788834310175. http://books.google.com/books?id=YieKaBD4EUcC&pg=PA88. 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. http://bari.repubblica.it/cronaca/2011/10/01/news/gatto_nero-22499340/. 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. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=n-tFAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rL0MAAAAIBAJ&dq=osamu%20minagawa&pg=5823%2C4135132. Retrieved 26 October 2011. 
7. ^ Guinness book of world records. Sterling Pub. Co.. 1976. p. 241. http://books.google.com/books?id=Xk1NAAAAYAAJ. 
8. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1984-12-31). Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s: an illustrated directory. Batsford. p. 288. ISBN 9780713438437. http://books.google.com/books?id=5iIKAQAAMAAJ. Retrieved 26 October 2011. 
9. ^ Ventavoli, Bruno (20 December 2007). "Voleva un gatto nerosi è data alle luci rosse" (in Italian). La Stampa. http://www.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/cronache/200712articoli/28619girata.asp. Retrieved 26 October 2011. 
10. ^ "Justin Sings The Hits". Catalogue. Japan: In n Out Records. http://www.innoutrecords.com/catalogue/IQCD1062.html. Retrieved 26 October 2011. 

External links

• Volevo Un Gatto Nero (includes lyrics) Zecchino d'Oro official website