Nicola Salerno

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Nicola Salerno, also known as Nisa (1910 - 1969) was an Italian lyricist. He formed a famous songwriting duo with Renato Carosone.

[edit] Career

Nicola Salerno was born in Naples.

His first hit was "Eulalia Torricelli" of 1947, about the unhappy love story between a wealthy girl from Forlì and a guy named Giosuè. Nisa put the whole team of songwriters in the lyrics, as heirs to the beautiful Eulalia: "Un castello lo dà a Nisa, un castello lo dà a Redi, un castello, ma il più bello, al maestro Olivieri lo dà" ("she gives one castle to Nisa, one castle to Redi, but the most beautiful ones goes to Maestro Olivieri").

Nisa and Carosone met in 1955. It was Mariano Rapetti, Ricordi record company's director - and father of lyricist Mogol - who suggest them to work together in view of a radio contest. Nisa brought Carosone three texts to be set to music. One of them was titled Tu vuo' fa l'americano. Carosone had an instant inspiration and started composing a boogie-woogie on the piano keyboard. It took just fifteen minutes to create Carosone's most famous song, that became a world-wide success.

Their most famous hits include "'O suspiro", "Torero", "Tu' vuo' fa' l'americano", "Caravan Petrol", "Pigliate 'na pastiglia" and "'O Sarracino".

Nisa worked also with other songwriters. Among his best-known lyrics are "Guaglione", winning song of the Festival of Naples in 1956, and "Non ho l'età", with which Gigliola Cinquetti won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1964.

Besides writing lyrics, Nicola Salerno was also an illustrator. He was the author, for example, of cover designs for some Neapolitan music scores published between 1920s and 1930s.

He died in Naples in 1969.