L'importante è finire

"L'importante è finire"
"L'importante è finire"
Single by Mina
from the album La Mina
Language	Italian
B-side	"Quando mi svegliai"
Released	1975
Genre	Pop
Length	3:22
Label	PDU
Composer(s)	Alberto Anelli [it]
Lyricist(s)	Cristiano Malgioglio
Producer(s)	Pino Presti
Mina singles chronology

"L'importante è finire" (English: "The important thing is to finish") is a song recorded by Italian singer Mina for her 1975 album La Mina. The song was written by Alberto Anelli [it] and Cristiano Malgioglio.

Overview

The song became the first and only single from the album. Immediately after its release, it was censored and banned from central radio and television because of its sexual overtones.^[1] Nevertheless, the song became commercially successful, reaching the second place in the chart, where it spent seven weeks in a row – "Sabato pomeriggio" by Claudio Baglioni did not miss her on the first place, – in total, the song spent 31 weeks there.^[2] The song "Quando mi svegliai" was chosen as the B-side (words by Daniele Pace, music by Mario Panzeri and Corrado Conti).^[3]

Pino Presti's arrangement, still considered in the 2020s to be current and taken as a model by the latest generation of artists such as Marracash,^[4] is characterized by a slow Bossa nova rhythm, a bassline with shades of funk, the percussive supports of the Hammond and the groove of the Roland drum machine (which with the acoustic guitar, the melodic interventions of the moog and the congas) offer Mina the ideal support for a performance of her own.

Mina recorded a French version called "Pour en finir comment faire" (adaptation by Pierre Delanoë) and an English version "Take Me" (adaptation by Norman Newell), the first was released as a single, in 2011 both were included on the compilations Je suis Mina and I Am Mina accordingly.

Critical reception

Giusy Cascio of TV Sorrisi e Canzoni included "L'importante é finire" in the list of 15 songs that made Mina a star, and called it one of the most sensual in her repertoire.^[5]

Track listing

7" single: A. "L'importante è finire" – 3:22; B. "Quando mi svegliai" – 3:07

Charts

Chart performance for "L'importante è finire"
Chart (1975)	Peak position
Italy (Billboard)^[6]	2
Italy (Musica e dischi)^[2]	2

Chart performance for "Quando mi svegliai"
Chart (1975)	Peak position
Italy (Musica e dischi)^[2]	20

Cover versions

The lyricist Cristiano Malgioglio also recorded the song. In 2010, an updated version was included in the album Cara Mia ti scrivo....^[7]
Finnish singer Katri Helena in 1976 released a Finnish version of the song called "Loppu tuskaa tuo aina", the song was included in the album Lady Love.^[8]
Raffaella Carrà recorded a Spanish version of the song called "Lo importante es... amarle" for her album Hola Raffaella (1990).^[9]
In 1991, Yugoslav Croatian singer Ksenija Erker presented a cover version on her album Ciao Italia.^[10]
The Spanish version of the song was recorded by singer Mónica Naranjo for the tribute album Minage (2001).^[11]
For her 2001 album Heart, Amanda Lear also recorded a cover version of the song.^[12]
In 2008, French singer Catherine Ringer presented a cover version on her live album Catherine Ringer chante Les Rita Mitsouko and more à la Cigale.^[13]

References

^ Bassotti, Paolo (2014). Sexy rock: 50 storie di musica e rivoluzione sessuale (in Italian). Rome: Arcana Edizioni. ISBN 9788862313506.
^ ^a ^b ^c Racca, Guido (2019). M&D Borsa Singoli 1960–2019 (in Italian). pp. 306–308. ISBN 9781093264906.
^ "L'importante è finire / Quando mi svegliai". Discografia nazionale della canzone italiana (in Italian). Istituto centrale per i beni sonori ed audiovisivi. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
^ "Importante - Marracash" (in Italian). Retrieved 19 April 2023.
^ Cascio, Giusy (12 March 2020). "Buon compleanno Mina! Le canzoni che l'hanno resa una star". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian). Retrieved 12 September 2024.
^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 87, no. 41. 11 October 1975. p. 71. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 May 2021.
^ "Cara Mina Ti Scrivo… (2010, CD)". Discogs. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
^ "Kesän Lapsi / Loppu Tuskaa Tuo (1976, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1976. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
^ "Hola Raffaella (1993, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1993. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
^ "Ciao Italia (1991, Vinyl)". Discogs. 1991. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
^ "Mónica Naranjo / Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
^ "Heart (2001, Digipack, CD)". Discogs. 11 December 2001. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
^ "Catherine Ringer Chante Les Rita Mitsouko And More À La Cigale (2008, CD)". Discogs. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2023.