Text and meaning of What a treasure you arethe song that Achille Lauro And Antonello Venditti they presented live for the first time at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, to be released in a new version. A meeting between two artists united by a deep bond with their city, Rome.
The duet arrived on one of the most important nights of his career Achille Laurowhich debuted at the Olimpico in front of over 60,000 spectators with the show Immortal Communes. A date that has already left its mark also on the numbers: the 2027 Olimpico sold out over a year in advance, so much so that a new date was added on 1 July 2027 (all the dates are in our article dedicated to the tour).
Achille Lauro and Antonello Venditti, “What a treasure you are”: the meaning
What a treasure you are it's not a new song: it's a love song written by Antonello Venditti with Luca Pardo and contained in the album Goodbye twentieth century of 1998. A ballad built on a simple and everyday feeling, which Achille Lauro brings it back to center stage today in a version shared with its author.
The text talks about love through small everyday gestures: the loved one who promises to call and doesn't, who is late, who rushes out of the shower and leaves a note. They are minimal, almost banal details, which however become the heart of the feeling. The refrain reiterates a promise of unconditional fidelity (“I wouldn't leave you”), which also resists doubts and insecurities, until the final, simple and direct declaration: “you are as beautiful as I would like you”. A song that talks about the beauty of real love, made of imperfections, and the ever-present fear that it could end.
In the setting of the Olimpico, the song also takes on a symbolic value: the meeting between two different generations of Roman music, united by the same roots.
The lyrics to “What a treasure you are”
Text by Antonello Venditti and Luca Pardo (Edizioni Curci, Heinz Music Srl Edizioni Musicali).
What a treasure you are when you look at me
When you say you'll call me later and you never call me
What a sweetheart you are when you're late
You say: “Sorry, I'm in traffic, will you wait for me”
And if ours wasn't love, I swear
I wouldn't leave you
Even if you think I don't care about you
Even if I weren't an angel
I wouldn't change you
Because you are beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful as you are
You are as beautiful as I would like you
What a treasure you are when you wake up
When you get out of the shower, you run and never dry yourself
You dress in the dark and tie your hair
A note for me, I'm crazy about you, don't you know?
And if ours wasn't love, I swear
I wouldn't leave you
If I thought you didn't care about me
Even if I weren't an angel
I wouldn't change you
Because you are beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful as you are
You are as beautiful as I would like you
What a treasure you are when you look at me
When I think with the same eyes, you will leave me
How scared you are, you don't surprise me
Because being with me isn't drinking a coffee and you know it
And if ours wasn't love, I swear
I wouldn't leave you
If I thought you didn't care about me
Even if I weren't an angel
I wouldn't change you
Because you are beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful as you are
As beautiful as I would like you
Song credits
Title: What a treasure you are
Interpreters: Achille Lauro And Antonello Venditti
Authors: Antonello Venditti, Luca Pardo
Editions: Curci, Heinz Music Srl Musical Editions
Article photo by Giulia Parmigiani.
Copyright Note: the cited texts are used for information, analysis and criticism purposes pursuant to art. 70 L. 633/1941. The rights remain with those entitled. For any reports you can contact the editorial team at redazione@allmusicitalia.it.
