Concerto Per Susanna

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of intense, unrequited longing for someone named Susanna. The narrator is consumed by her absence, feeling that even the briefest moments of connection are fleeting and insufficient. The opening lines establish a pattern of address, "Susanna, sì / Susanna, noi / Susanna e poi," suggesting a constant mental presence that is always followed by a sense of loss or departure, like "an airplane that goes away." The core of the song's emotional weight lies in the narrator's desperate desire and the painful awareness that Susanna is with someone else. He fixates on the idea of another person kissing her skin and calling her beautiful, a scenario that fuels his hatred and suffering. This jealousy is so profound it erodes his pride, leading him to admit, "I should not, I am a man without pride / I open my eyes and I want you." The writing powerfully conveys this obsession through the metaphor of illness. Susanna "has become a sickness" that the narrator "can no longer send away," and his fate is "madness if you are not mine." This elevates the personal pain to a state of inescapable, almost pathological fixation. The repetition of "Susanna, sì" throughout the track underscores this relentless, all-consuming focus. Ultimately, the song's effectiveness stems from its raw, unflinching portrayal of possessive desire and the agony of not being able to have the object of one's affection. The narrator's vulnerability, his admission of lacking pride, and the stark declaration of wanting Susanna despite the pain, create a potent and relatable (though perhaps uncomfortable) emotional landscape.