46 Vaccaro ⦁ Louis Prima & Tarantella Outside of obvious rhythmic motifs, Prima added subtle hints of his Italian identity in his other jazz arrangements. Notably, when Prima recorded his arrangement of Arthur Johnston’s pop song “Pennies from Heaven,” he replaced the lyrics “sunshine and flowers” with “sunshine and ravioli.” Prima often utilized sexual double entendres in his music, many of which originated from the Sicilian lyrics of the wedding tarantella “Luna Mezzo Mare.” This caused a bit of a controversy when the song “Felicia No Capicia” was being published in New York City. While this song is primarily in English, Prima often used the word “capicia,” from the Italian word “capisce,” meaning “to understand.” The license commissioner of New York did not understand the meaning of the word and assumed that it had a vulgar or sexual connotation. This led to a debate about whether the song should be censored. Life Magazine covered this story on August 20, 1945, even interviewing Mayor Fiorello La Guardia about the situation. La Guardia, who was born to Italian immigrants, reassured the censors that the word had no inappropriate meaning.32 Prima’s careless attitude toward his usage of Italian idioms further indicates how he was using them to counter Italophobia. In his eyes, it was better for Italian culture to be associated with carelessness rather than violence. The Tarantella in American Popular Culture The popularity of Prima’s Italian novelties led to a renaissance of Italian American pride, culminating in what Rotella refers to as the “Italian decade” from 1947 to 1954, during which more than 25 Italian American vocalists recorded Italian-inspired songs, many of which made the Billboard Top 10.33 Of these vocalists, Prima and Lou Monte primarily incorporated the tarantella in their music.34 The tarantella rhythms they popularized became ingrained in popular culture as the sound of the Italian American community. The most prominent example is the previously-mentioned Sicilian tarantella “Luna mezzo mare,” which 32 Boulard, Just a Gigolo, 73. 33 Rotella, Amore, 10. 34 Monte had recorded traditional tarantellas with new English lyrics, most notably “Lazy Mary” (based on “Luna Mezzo Mare”). However, he may best be known for his Christmas song “Dominick the Donkey,” which utilizes the tarantella rhythm while singing about a donkey that helps Santa deliver his presents through the hills of Italy.
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