Rimini appears in Italian songs as a holiday destination, romantic memory and out-of-season setting. Fred Buscaglione's “Ricordati di Rimini” dates from 1959; Fabrizio De André named a 1978 album after the city, while Francesco Guccini portrayed it in “Inutile” in 1983. Lucio Dalla took up the name of Rimini again in 2007.
Titles, years and records
Songs with Rimini in the title or lyrics, in release order, with the record on which they were published:
| Song | Performer | Year | Record | Rimini in the song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| “Ricordati di Rimini” | Fred Buscaglione | 1959 | Four-track 45 rpm record | in the title |
| “Ritorna a Rimini” | Carlo Baiardi e il suo complesso | 1967 | LP “Souvenir di Romagna” | in the title; waltz by Secondo Casadei |
| “Rimini” | Fabrizio De André | 1978 | LP “Rimini” | title, chorus and verses |
| “Inutile” | Francesco Guccini | 1983 | LP “Guccini” | in the lyrics, opening on the beach outside the season |
| “Rimini-Ouagadougou” | Lu Colombo | 1985 | 45 rpm record | in the title, paired with Ouagadougou |
| “Rimini splash” | Righeira | 1987 | Soundtrack LP for the film “Rimini Rimini” | in the title |
| “Ma sei mai stato a Rimini?” | Alberto Solfrini | 1987 | LP “Notturno” | in the title |
| “Rimini” | Christian | 1988 | 45 rpm record | in the title |
| “Rimini” | Drupi | 1989 | LP “Drupi” | in the title |
| “Rimini, Rimini, Rimini” | Raoul Casadei | 1991 | CD “Rimini, Rimini, Rimini” | in the title |
| “Tu da Napoli io da Rimini” | Raoul Casadei with L'Orchestra Italiana | 1993 | CD “Buone notizie! Gli italiani hanno ricominciato a ballare...” | in the title, paired with Napoli |
| “Rimini e me” | Alberto Radius | 2004 | CD “Please my guitar” | in the title |
| “Rimini” | Lucio Dalla | 2007 | CD “Il contrario di me” | in the title; according to the artist's website, a memory in a Fellini vein |
Buscaglione and Romagna liscio
“Ricordati di Rimini” belongs to the Fred Buscaglione and Leo Chiosso period. Released in 1959 on a four-track 45 rpm record, it predates the singer-songwriters' choice of Rimini as a setting by almost twenty years.
“Ritorna a Rimini” brings the city into liscio. It is a waltz by Secondo Casadei, recorded in 1967 by Carlo Baiardi with his ensemble and revisited in 1972 by Raoul Casadei's orchestra.
De André and Guccini
Fabrizio De André's “Rimini” album was released in 1978 and co-written with Massimo Bubola. Its opening song follows Teresa by the sea, between memories, fantasies and a summer love that has ended. The city becomes a narrative space linked to provincial life and seaside holidays rather than a description of monuments. The record also includes the instrumental “Tema di Rimini”.
In “Inutile”, Guccini chooses a Rimini different from the crowded summer city. The song opens on the beach in March, with rain, deserted places and a feeling with no future. The out-of-season landscape supports the emotional story. The same shore, Rimini beach, stretches around 15 kilometres from Torre Pedrera to Miramare.
In De André, the city's name accompanies a story and returns in the chorus; in Guccini, the opening landscape measures the distance from the holiday season.
Cinema and dance songs
Righeira's “Rimini splash” is part of the soundtrack to “Rimini Rimini”, released in 1987. Sergio Corbucci's comedy intertwines stories against a seaside tourism backdrop. Raoul Casadei appears in the film as himself; his “Rimini, Rimini, Rimini” was instead released in 1991.
Around those years, the city's name appeared in other titles. Lu Colombo's “Rimini-Ouagadougou” from 1985 pairs it with the capital of Burkina Faso; Christian in 1988 and Drupi in 1989 released two songs simply called “Rimini”. In 1993, “Tu da Napoli io da Rimini”, recorded by Raoul Casadei with L'Orchestra Italiana, paired the city with Napoli.
Dalla and the city's memory
Lucio Dalla's “Rimini” is on the 2007 CD “Il contrario di me”. The artist's archive presents it as a memory of the city in a Fellini vein. The connection concerns an imaginary world of characters and memories; Fellini Museum is a city stop for exploring the relationship with the director.
In 2003, the Comune also published the CD “Sognando Rimini”, a compilation of different performers. For live music, the city hosts Sagra Musicale Malatestiana concerts between late summer and autumn; other dates are in the events in Rimini calendar.