Italian music has lost one of its most prolific and influential authors. Vincenzo D'Agostinohistoric lyricist of Gigi D'Alessio, Sal Da Vinci and many other protagonists of the Neapolitan scene, died yesterday at the Ospedale del Mare in Naples at the age of 64. The cause was a cardiac arrest following a respiratory crisis, while he had been battling lung cancer for months.
24 hours after the news, dismiss it as “the lyricist of Gigi D'Alessio” would be an error of perspective, a hasty way to archive a legacy that deserves a deeper analysis. Because Vincenzo D'Agostino he was not only a successful author, but a craftsman of the word who was able to make the language of Naples universal, overcoming prejudices and building a career that today appears almost out of time.
vincenzo d'agostino Beyond numbers: the craftsman of the word
The numbers alone can be misleading: over 3,600 songs written, 20 million records sold, 40 years of career. Figures that in the current market sound almost unreal, but which do not reveal the true nature of his work. D'Agostino was not a serial producer of hits, but a craftsman of the word. A man who, as he himself said, lived in symbiosis with artists, first and foremost Gigi D'Alessiolooking for the perfect fit between music and lyrics. A working method that today, in the era of standardized writing sessions, appears almost romantic, yet tremendously effective.
The lyricist who made Naples universal
The nickname “Mogol of the neomelodics” is as flattering as it is limiting. The true feat of Vincenzo D'Agostino was to take a language, a feeling and an imagery deeply rooted in Naples and make them universal, understandable and shareable by a national audience. He was able to build a bridge between the Neapolitan tradition and Italian pop, without ever betraying the former and without ever trivializing the latter.
The path with Gigi D'Alessiowhich began in 1991 and continued for over 40 years with only one short break, is emblematic. Together they faced the prejudices of a music industry that, at the beginning of the 2000s, still looked with suspicion at everything labeled as “neomelodic”. Songs like Never tell him, Annare, Hundred years And What do you knowbrought to Sanremo, were not only commercial successes, but acts of cultural legitimation. They demonstrated that a song born in the alleys of Naples could speak to the hearts of all of Italy, if written with the right sensitivity.
The reaction of Gigi D'Alessio at his death was emblematic: “Speechless”, accompanied by a broken heart. A silence which, paradoxically, says everything about a relationship that went beyond the professional.
Timeless writing: the “Lipstick and Coffee” case
Perhaps, the ultimate proof of his greatness is a recent success. Lipstick and Coffeeplayed by Sal Da Vincihas become a viral phenomenon with over 450 million streams. A song that demonstrates how his writing was capable of intercepting contemporary taste without chasing trends. It wasn't D'Agostino who adapted to the times; it was the times that recognized, cyclically, the strength of an authentic way of writing, capable of describing love, jealousy and life with a disarming simplicity that is never banality.
The last song: a dedication to his daughter
Even in recent months, as the disease progressed, Vincenzo D'Agostino he never stopped writing. His latest work, How beautifulis a dedication to his daughter Melania, written together with his son-in-law Gianni Fiorellino. An intimate artistic testament that closes a career always lived with the same passion.
With his passing, Naples not only loses a prolific lyricist, but a poet who was able to give a national voice to the feelings of his city, transforming the particular into the universal. And his songs, more than numbers and platinum records, are here to remind us of this.
Photo from the official Instagram profile of Vincenzo D'Agostino
