In whatever hemisphere of the earth you find yourself, chanting out loud in public, with adequate musical intonation, the word “Fly” you get an “oh…oh” response. It’s practically certain. Why «In the blue painted blue»which achieved success on February 1, 1958 at the Sanremo Festival, the only song that was recorded with a double title (the alternative is Volare), after having triumphed in Italy it conquered the world. Becoming one of the most popular songs ever. Written by Franco Migliacci and Domenico Modugnowas sung on the Sanremo stage both by the artist and author himself and by Johnny Dorelli, since at the time the regulation provided for a double interpretation. For Modugno it was even a global success won two Grammys and conquered the top of the Billboard charts in the United States: it had never happened before for a song that wasn’t American, English or Canadian.
The backstory
So far the story known to most. But it is the backstory that makes the story of Volare intriguing. Because if the second interpreter had already been decided, i.e. Dorelli, the search was open for the first. And, apparently, quite the list of singers who had proposed was sparse. Until he bursts onto the scene the lawyer Achille Caiafa. Born in Salerno in 1904, precisely born in Vietri sul Mare from a family of industrialists and professionals, this year marks the 120th anniversary of his birth, witty and undoubtedly enterprising. It was he who decided instead of a hesitant Modugno: «You sing it, there is no better choice». Words that years later were also confirmed by the actress Franca Gandolfi, wife of Modugno. And how could we say no to the man who at that time was among the most powerful managers of Italian song: president (therefore organizer and artistic director) of the Sanremo Festival and CEO of Fonit-Cetra record company.
The Musician
To better understand who the lawyer Caiafa was, it is necessary to reread the first issue of the magazine “Il Musichiere” of January 1959, 32 pages at a cost of 40 lire. Which traces his profile and reveals his nickname: “The dictator of Italian song”. But as a dictator? «The lawyer Achille Caiafa is the main character of the complex organizational machine of Sanremo – wrote the Musichiere – southerner by birth, an energetic and active man. He soon tired of the forensic battles and became proficient manager of an elegant hotel on the Riviera dei Fiori. Here, hosting singers and musicians who came for the Festival, she had the opportunity to penetrate deeply into the picturesque world of song. So when Rai TV abandoned the organization of the Festival and it passed into the hands of ATA (the company that manages the Casino) Caiafa was chosen as president.” And then again, outlining his action and character: «He carries out his task with meticulousness and meticulousness – it is written in the Musichiere’s article – and, out of fear or respect, he is called “the dictator of Italian song””.
From Salerno to Milan and then Sanremo
Young university student, son of industrialists, after a brief football adventure, Caiafa left Salerno to move to Milan. Here he does graduated in Law but he immediately turned his professional attention to the hotel world. In 1945, in Sanremo, it became manager of the Hotel Londra and followed by advisor Federalberghi. Then over the years president of the Sanremo Casino and director of the Festival from 1956 to 1959, the year of his death. Furthermore he had taken over the management of the famous Fonit-Cetra record company. Scrupulous and almost maniacal, he gave a managerial imprint to the Italian Song Festival. And understanding how important fashion was for Italy and for Sanremo, he managed to find an agreement with the Fontana sisters who designed the dresses of all the singers.
The accident
On January 13th he was returning from a meeting in Milan for the Festival when, on the A7 near Vignole Borghera, Caiaphas died in an accident. His car, one Lancia Flaminia sedan, driven by the driver Vittorio Forlani, fell into a ravine. A twenty meter fall. The Sanremo Casino was closed for three days as a sign of mourning. The man died, the myth of the dictator of Italian song continued.
