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Celentano's Nonsense Song Tops Italy, France, Germany Charts

7/23/2026

Summary

Story summary

Adriano Celentano released the gibberish song “Prisencolinensinainciusol,” which topped the 1972 Italian charts.
The track also hit number one in France, Germany and Belgium, proving English-style songs could succeed abroad.
Celentano improvised the vocals and recorded the song without writing lyrics, creating nonsense that sounds like English.
He told NPR he wrote it out of frustration with failure to communicate, noting that at 88 in 2026 he cannot speak English.

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Story summary

Adriano Celentano released the gibberish song “Prisencolinensinainciusol,” which topped the 1972 Italian charts.
The track also hit number one in France, Germany and Belgium, proving English-style songs could succeed abroad.
Celentano improvised the vocals and recorded the song without writing lyrics, creating nonsense that sounds like English.
He told NPR he wrote it out of frustration with failure to communicate, noting that at 88 in 2026 he cannot speak English.