Future students of Pavone studies may be able to read into the deeper significance of this track by, for example, translating the Italian, but for now it’s interesting enough that a career like Rita passed us by in the English speaking world, leaving a hit and run moment like “My Name is Potato. Behind the snark and fun of some internet blogs that have picked up “My Name is Potato” is a person reacting strongly and even impressed by this Trojan horse of a novelty song, out of which tumbles the conquering Rita. What is amazing is how much energy she still put into these insane songs. A slideshow of Pavone’s career would flicker with images of an affectingly young Rita in doll-like dresses with short boyish hair or winning a talent contest which rocketed her to stardom and later landed her up (controversially) marrying her talent scout or as a teen icon in Spain, making a series of Lindsey Lohan type teen movies.īy the time “My Name is Potato” was released, Rita had already had her shot at pop dominance and was aiming various silly songs at the children’s novelty market while mostly flopping in the charts. She scored massive hits with songs like “Cuore,” and when you hear her, you’re hearing the soul of teen angst beamed back from the Italy of the 60s. ![]() Most of Rita’s songs are not like “My Name is Potato.” Some of the most popular ones are torch ballads utilizing her powerful ear-splitting range, her voice capable of leading orchestras. The Turin-born singer had her first hit single when she was just 17 years old and enjoyed success at home and in America during a career that spanned more than five. Is Rita making a crude point about Americans being uncultured and violent? To the casual listener, with no means of translating this relic of Italian pop, nothing is clear. Rita Pavone, who was one of Europe's biggest teenage singing stars in the 1960s and was still performing live concerts as recently as 2014, celebrates her 71st birthday today. The song’s music video has Rita conversing with a cartoon potato, who insists “ I’m an American Potato,” as he ricochets around shooting guns – all the while wearing a cowboy hat. Rita Pavone Follow Artist + Italian vocalist who became an international pop sensation as a teen in the 60s and enjoyed lasting success in Europe. The chorus, by the way, consists of the words “ my name is potato” yelled repeatedly at increasing levels of volume. Pavones first album, simply titled Rita Pavone, was released in November 1962, and spawned two more hit singles, 'Come Te non cè Nessuno' b/w 'Clementine Chèrie' and 'Alla Mia Età' b/w 'Pel di Carota.' The A-side to the second single was also the theme song to a French comedy of the same name, which featured Pavone in a small role. True to the blitzkrieg tactics of the novelty song, it grabs our attention by cranking up the volume and switching a register for the chorus. Like many internet finds, the song seems to leap out of nowhere, an unceremonious musical mugging (see the Delorean on Ivor Cutler’s “I’m Happy”), shaking up the orderly playlist like the musical equivalent of the fat kid who empties all the water out of the swimming pool. Rumor even has it that Elvis Presley painted her portrait.
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