"Toto Cutugno — L’italiano"
Could you please explain some of the lines from this song?
Dictionaries are useless when it comes to cultural nuances....

— "E un partigiano come Presidente": who is he singing about?
— "Con l’autoradio sempre nella mano destra": what situation is he describing? In what circumstances would a car radio always be in (whose?) right hand? and why?
— "Con troppa America sui manifesti": what is it about? why too much America on the posters? and what about America was (still is??) there on them?
— Con un vestito gessato sul blu: were blue pinstriped suits that popular in Italy? are they still?
— Con la bandiera in tintoria: what is it all about? why would Italians always have their national flag at the cleaner's?
— E una seicento giù di carrozzeria: does it mean "a Fiat 600 that no body shop could do anything about"?

Question

"Toto Cutugno — L’italiano"
Could you please explain some of the lines from this song?
Dictionaries are useless when it comes to cultural nuances....

— "E un partigiano come Presidente": who is he singing about?
— "Con l’autoradio sempre nella mano destra": what situation is he describing? In what circumstances  would a car radio always be in (whose?) right hand? and why?
— "Con troppa America sui manifesti": what is it about? why too much America on the posters? and what about America was (still is??) there on them?
— Con un vestito gessato sul blu: were blue pinstriped suits that popular in Italy? are they still?
— Con la bandiera in tintoria: what is it all about? why would Italians always have their national flag at the cleaner's?
— E una seicento giù di carrozzeria: does it mean "a Fiat 600 that no body shop could do anything about"?

Mikela-july · Answer

in the song "L’italiano" the stereotype of "true" Italian is described, showing its most common characteristics in the 80s

Actually the phrase “con l’auto radio sempre nella mano destra"describe and underlines the habit of several Italians to drive with their left hand and to continuously change the radio frequencies with the right one.

Mikela-july · Answer

The "partigiano come presidente" is a reference to Sandro Pertini, who held the position of President of the Republic from 1978 to 1985, representing a real model and reference point for all Italians and being one of the most loved presidents of ever.

Mikela-july · Answer

“Con troppa America nei manifesti” - it’s reference to the United States of America.  In 1983, in fact, the influence of the American model appeared to be increasingly strong and noticeable even on a traditionalist country linked to its own habits such as Italy.

Mikela-july · Answer

"The flag in the dry cleaners" is an allegorical phrase, patriotism was not common in Italy after fascism, so the Italian flag in a metaphorical way was taken to the laundry to clean it up.
 “A 600 down of bodywork”.  Seicento (600) was a very popular small car produced by FIAT Auto, the symbol of Italian industry.  The fact that the car has an old bodywork is another metaphor for the moral decadence of Italy in the 1980s.

Mikela-july · Answer

@supervice the text of the song "L’italiano" is a text that can be defined as simple and allegorical.  the text was written by Toto Cotugno, I don't think he would be happy to know that you compare he to an elementary school child.  however if you look for the meaning of the song you would see that the phrase "with the right hand always on the radio car" refers precisely to the way of driving of many Italians in the 80s, the left hand on the steering wheel and the right on the radio car  looking for radio stations.  I can assure you it was just like that, I was twenty years old in the 80s 😉

Mikela-july · Answer

@Seabhac no, the car radios don’t work with batteries. 
The people brought the car radio with them only because they were afraid that if they had left it in the car someone might steal it.

Mikela-july · Answer

This is a type/model of car radios in 80s. The first removable front panel was invented by the Italian company Bensi in 1980. In those years having a car radio was a luxury.

Mikela-july · Answer

@Seabhac first of all remember that the meaning of the verse in the song is different.  
About what@macocc wrote, I think he meant that it was easier to see people with car radio in hand during Sunday walks.  
People got out of the car and took the car radio with them not to listen to it but because somebody to not steal it.

Mikela-july · Answer

@supervice In the song Totò Cotugno tells some of the most common characteristics of Italians, right or wrong without wanting to judge them, but also highlights the singularity of the Italian people.

Mikela-july · Answer

@supervice remember we are talking about the eighties, a lot of things have changed since then.

Mikela-july · Answer

@supervice the literal translation is “with the car radio always in right hand” but the meaning is different.

Mikela-july · Answer

@NYVERO grazie ☺️

macocc · Answer

— "E un partigiano come Presidente": who is he singing about? SANDRO PERTINI

— "Con l’autoradio sempre nella mano destra": what situation is he describing? In what circumstances  would a car radio always be in (whose?) right hand? and why? UNTIL THE 80IES CAR RADIO WERE EJECTABLE. THIS TO AVOID TO BE STOLEN. SO IT WAS REALLY COMMON TO SEE PEOPLE WALK ON SUNDAYS WITH CAR RADIO ON HAND
— "Con troppa America sui manifesti": what is it about? why too much America on the posters? and what about America was (still is??) there on them?
IT'S A CLAIM WE WERE TO MUCH TRY TO IMITATE US STYLE (ON ADV, AS AN EXAMPLE)

— Con un vestito gessato sul blu: were blue pinstriped suits that popular in Italy? are they still? 
GESSATO IS REALLY COMMON FOR MEN SUITS. IT'S REALLY FASHION

— Con la bandiera in tintoria: what is it all about? why would Italians always have their national flag at the cleaner's?
THAT HASN'T A LOT SENSE. JUST TO TELL THAT FLAG IS READY TO BE SHOWN BUT IT'S GENERALLY NOT
— E una seicento giù di carrozzeria: does it mean "a Fiat 600 that no body shop could do anything about"?
"GIÙ DI CARROZZERIA" MEANS THAT IT'S OLD AND IT PROBABLY REQUIRES MAINTENANCE

macocc · Answer

yes, sorry, that was not clear  
I saw on sundays because this was the typical day in which lot of  people were out, taking a walk.
so you could see a huge number of people with their car radio.
during the week, you just took radio and bring it home, or at the office

but of course yes, if you were doing shopping during the week, you had to take the radio with you.

after 80ies technology improved and you could take with you not the full radio but just command buttons. 
now, all new cars have integrated radios, so this is not the case anymore

supervice · Answer

- Con un vestito gessato sul blu, it's about the decorum of the catholic middle-class in Italy, as opposite to "capelloni", "sessantottini" and so on.
- Con la bandiera in tintoria: Also this regards the cultur colonization from outside, it's about the obsession for cleanliness.
- E una seicento giù di carrozzeria: it's about the affection towards Fiat cars as a symbol of the Italian way of life (take it as it comes).
Fiat 600 was out of production from 1969.

supervice · Answer

You could see them on Sundays because it's the day of the "gita fuori porta" o della passeggiata. Otherwise they would have taken it home, after the working day.

supervice · Answer

@Mikela-july It could be also that, but in this case the writer of the lyrics had to go back to primary school.

supervice · Answer

@Mikela-july No, if everybody drives that way, half of the italian population would be dead now.
I have more or less you age, but I don't think that the writer of the lyrics was trying to emphasize something illegal or absolutely dangerous in a song like "Sono un italiano".

supervice · Answer

@Mikela-july The meaning of the verse is not clear, but if the sense was that the one you think, it would have suggested that Italians were an insane people, and I don't think that this was the intention of the writer.
And the traduction in English is not "with the right hand always on the radio car", but "With the car radio always in the right hand".

NYVERO · Answer

@macocc The line describing “la moviola la domenica in TV” is an allusion to soccer highlights from earlier in the day that play on Sunday nights. “Un italiano vero” would understand watching the highlights on Sunday nights. Additionally, there is a mention of the FIAT 600, which symbolized Italian industry and production.

NYVERO · Answer

@Mikela-july You are amazing!  I love your analysis of this song.  Grazie Mille!

NYVERO · Answer

@Mikela-july Prego 👌

You could see them on Sundays because it's the day of the "gita fuori porta" o della passeggiata. Otherwise they would have taken it home, after the working day.

@Mikela-july It could be also that, but in this case the writer of the lyrics had to go back to primary school.

The "partigiano come presidente" is a reference to Sandro Pertini, who held the position of President of the Republic from 1978 to 1985, representing a real model and reference point for all Italians and being one of the most loved presidents of ever.

“Con troppa America nei manifesti” - it’s reference to the United States of America. In 1983, in fact, the influence of the American model appeared to be increasingly strong and noticeable even on a traditionalist country linked to its own habits such as Italy.

@Mikela-july No, if everybody drives that way, half of the italian population would be dead now.I have more or less you age, but I don't think that the writer of the lyrics was trying to emphasize something illegal or absolutely dangerous in a song like "Sono un italiano".