In the early 1970s, Italian pop star Adriano Celentano set out to prove a point: that you didn’t need actual words to write a hit song – just the feel of the right ones. And he was right.
His 1972 track Prisencolinensinainciusol sounds like English, if you squint your ears. But it’s not. It’s complete gibberish – a made-up mash of nonsense syllables – delivered with the swagger and rhythm of an American funk anthem. Celentano’s goal was to show what English might sound like to a non-English speaker. And to settle a bet with his producer, reportedly about whether a song with no meaning could still top the charts.
It did more than that.
What is Prisencolinensinainciusol about?
Nothing. Literally. The title isn’t a word. The lyrics aren’t words. Even the famously expressive chorus – “Prisencolinensinainciusol all right” – has no translation, because there’s nothing to translate. Celentano improvised the entire thing to sound like American English, then layered it over a funky beat and an infectious brass section. The result was a song that somehow felt familiar and catchy, even if nobody had any idea what was being said.
First released in Italy, the song shot to popularity across Europe. TV performances, radio play, dancefloor rotations – it had the full run of a legitimate hit. People danced to it. People bought it. Some even tried to sing along. But nobody ever knew what they were singing.
He created a song with no real words, and it became a sensation! 🎶
The one and only Adriano Celentano! 🇮🇹
In 1972, he released Prisencolinensinainciusol, a track crafted to mimic the sound of English, yet made entirely of gibberish.
Despite having no actual meaning, the song… pic.twitter.com/xJEzmyoaXp
— Muse (@xmuse_) May 20, 2025
Why did the song work?
Very simply, it worked because it sounded right. Celentano tapped into how language feels more than what it says, and he timed it perfectly. America was exporting pop culture and music at scale, and English was becoming the global sound of cool. Italians, and others, were already used to hearing American hits on the radio, even if they didn’t understand them.
Celentano was parodying that exact cultural moment. But with a wink. The track’s pounding beat and tight arrangement gave it real legs. This wasn’t a throwaway joke song, despite its backstory, it was a carefully produced ear worm.
Did he win the bet?
Yes, Celentano won that bet. Millions bought in. To this day, Prisencolinensinainciusol remains one of the most delightfully bizarre hits in European pop history. You can still find it on TikTok, sampled in remixes, and referenced in music theory classes. It’s been studied by linguists, lauded by hip-hop artists, and, in recent years, rediscovered by the internet.
Not bad for a song that means absolutely nothing.
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