Gino Paoli

Gino Paoli (; born 23 September 1934, in Monfalcone) is an Italian singer-songwriter. He is a seminal figure who has written a number of songs widely regarded as classics in Italian popular music, including: "Il cielo in una stanza", "Che cosa c'è", "Senza fine", "Quattro amici al bar" and "Sapore di sale". Biography Paoli was born in Monfalcone, a little town near Trieste, but moved to Genoa at a young age. After several different jobs, he was signed to Dischi Ricordi with friends and fellow musicians Luigi Tenco and Bruno Lauzi. His first success was the single "La Gatta", which has been used in Italian language teaching classes in American middle schools and high schools. "Il cielo in una stanza" was composed in 1959. According to Paoli, the lyrics came to him while lying on a brothel bed. Gazing at the purple ceiling, he thought, "Love can grow at any moment at any place". Mina's single release of the song topped the list of annual sales in Italy and reached Billboard Hot 100. Video performances of the song were included in the movies "Io bacio... tu baci" and "Appuntamento a Ischia". Later it was featured in the "Goodfellas" movie. Carla Bruni Sarkozy covered the song (mixing French with her native Italian) in her debut album ("Quelqu'un m'a dit").