Chi Mai

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"Chi Mai" (Italian: whoever) is a composition by Ennio Morricone written in 1971. It was used in the films, Maddalena (1971)[1] and Le Professionnel (1981),[2] as well as the TV series, An Englishman's Castle (1978) and The Life and Times of David Lloyd George (1981).[1] Because of its appearance on the latter, "Chi Mai" reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart in 1981.[3]

Composition

Elements of the melody of "Chi Mai" appeared in a piece entitled "Invito All Amore" from the 1968 Sergio Corbucci spaghetti western, The Great Silence.[4] The original Italian lyrics for this song were written by Carlo Nistri - Ricordi (1972).[5]

"Chi Mai" is also famous in France for being used for a Royal Canin's 1980s commercial, to the point that it is more closely associated with the commercial than with its other appearances, including Dunhill in 1987. In 2002, this association was referenced by the French movie, Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, in a scene in which Dogmatix is chasing a legionaire running on all fours in slow motion (like in the commercial) while "Chi Mai" is playing in the background.

Online community

"Chi Mai" is also the name of the online community about Ennio Morricone. The site offers a repository of information and a free on-line magazine called 'Maestro' about Morricone's discography, concerts and movies. The on-line magazine contains reviews, in-depth articles, discoveries and free comments.[6]

Cover versions

In 1981, the British instrumental rock group The Shadows released a guitar version of the composition. Other cover versions were released by Amii Stewart, Milva and Escala.[7]

Charts

Ranking (1981 - 1982) Best
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 4
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] 11
France (SNEP)[10] 1
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[11] 2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[12] 2

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Trivia for Maddalena at the Internet Movie Database
  2. ↑ Soundtracks for Le professionnel at the Internet Movie Database
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Ennio Morricone – Chi Mai" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  9. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Ennio Morricone – Chi Mai". Top 40 Singles.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found..
  11. ↑ "Ennio Morricone: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company.
  12. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Ennio Morricone – Chi Mai". Swiss Singles Chart.
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