Vuo Fa L’Americano: Do you want to be an American?

I heard this song on the radio in my car the other day.  Catchy, no?

Here’s the original by Renato Carosene, from 1946:

The song is written in Neapolitan dialect and it’s about an Italian boy pretending to be an American by smoking Camels, watching baseball, and drinking whiskey and soda.  The song is a reaction to the process of Americanization that took place in Italy after World War II, and the way that Italians glorified American culture.

Here’s a rough translation of the lyrics.