Il Grattacielo (formerly known as "Costruttori") is a formerly unidentified Italian operatic folk song by late Milano-based musician Gianni Magni, released in 1969 as a single with another song titled Vieni Anche Tu. It was originally recorded in the 1980s in Poland, supposedly from an unknown broadcast that was dedicated to Italian songs.
Search History[]
2024[]
The first unidentified song posted by OP, aldocobalto, was uploaded on February 26nd, 2011[1], and identified on August 2nd, 2024, by Discord user glyphmoth as "Arrivederci e Grazie" by Trio Balera (1971).
Seeing this sudden development, 10 days later OP commented under her most recent upload at the time, a lyric video of Notte[2], to ask for help with a different song, which he believed to be titled "Costruttori". His comment said the following, in both Italian and English[3]:
Potrei approfittare ancora una volta della tua grande conoscenza della canzone italiana e chiederti di una canzone piuttosto vecchia? Ho fatto registrare questa canzone su un registratore, conosco anche il suo nome, ma trovarla su Internet senza ulteriori informazioni sembra impossibile. Si intitolava "Costruttori", era cantata da un cantante italiano a me sconosciuto, un uomo con un'ottima dizione e pronuncia, cosa importante soprattutto quando si cantava il ritornello. Nel ritornello ha menzionato ritmicamente interi gruppi di persone (donne, bambini, ecc.) e per questo era necessaria una dizione perfetta. Ho registrato la canzone in Polonia da un programma radiofonico dedicato alle canzoni italiane. Le cassette con le registrazioni non ci sono più, ma vorrei tornare su questa canzone perché era divertente. Ho già trovato Mina e il suo "E' l'uomo per me". La canzone "Construttori" è più giovane, degli anni '80
Grazie in anticipo !!!!
Could I once again take advantage of your great knowledge of Italian song and ask about a rather old song? I had this song recorded on a tape recorder, I even know its name, but finding it on the Internet without additional information seems impossible. It was called "Builders", it was sung by an Italian singer unknown to me, a man with excellent diction and pronunciation, which was important especially when singing the chorus. In the chorus he mentioned rhythmically whole groups of people (women, children, etc.) and this was why perfect diction was needed. I recorded the song in Poland from a radio program devoted to Italian songs. The tapes with the recordings are gone, but I would like to come back to this song because it was funny. I've already found Mina and her "E' l'uomo per me". The song "Builders" is younger, from the 80s....
Thank you in advance!
When glyphmoth asked him if he remembered the radio program the song came from, he replied[4]:
Sfortunatamente no. Potevano esserci solo due serie di trasmissioni: "Canzoni dallo stivale italiano" (Polskie Radio PRIII) o una trasmissione regionale della Radio polacca Lublino diretta da Jan Nowacki. Sfortunatamente, i programmi sono stati interrotti da tempo e gli editori che li presentano non sono più in vita.
Unfortunately not. There could only be two series of broadcasts: "Piosenki z włoskiego buta" (Polish Radio PRIII) or a regional broadcast of Polish Radio Lublin edited by Jan Nowacki. Unfortunately, the broadcasts have not been continued for a long time, and the editors who led them are no longer alive.
2025[]
On January 21st, 2025, the OP found the tape with the song, and uploaded it on YouTube, commenting the link under glyphmoth's video.
Six days later, the song was given a channel on the Lostwave Italia Discord server, and shortly afterwards a post on the Polish Lostwave server.
On February 13th, 2025, Discord user some random account asked OP if he was certain about the title, as the word "Costruttori" isn't mentioned once in the song, and since it isn't about building. Three days later, he said[5]:
Mi dispiace: sto scrivendo (e riscrivendo) questa risposta di nuovo, finora è stata eliminata ogni volta. Ma veniamo al dunque: sì, questa è la canzone il cui titolo è stato intuitivamente dato come "builders". Ora che ho letto la traduzione della canzone, so che non parla di costruzione, ma di "se fossi un costruttore... (di seguito: un minatore, un grande mago)". Tanti saluti.
Ho trovato una cassetta con questa canzone qualche settimana fa, il titolo della canzone era inventato, ora so che parla di cosa farebbe l'autore se fosse "un muratore", "un minatore" o "un grande mago". Ho una registrazione di questa canzone della metà degli anni '80, alla radio.
I'm sorry: I'm writing (again and again) this reply, so far it has been deleted every single time. But let's get to the point: yes, this is the song of which the title was intuitively given as "builders". Now that i have read the translation of the song, I know that it doesn't talk about building, but of "if I were a builder... (after that: a miner, a great mage)". Regards.
I found a cassette with this song a few weeks ago, the title of the song was invented, now I know that it talks about what the author would do if he was "a mason", "a miner" or "a great mage". I have a recording of this song from the mid 80s, at the radio.
On February 27th, 2025, Discord user shnert contacted Polskie Radio PRIII's archive regarding the song, but four days later, they confirmed they didn't have it[6]:
Szanowny Panie,
Archiwum PR nie posiada w swoich zbiorach muzycznych nagrania piosenki w jęz. włoskim, o domniemanym tytule „Construttori" inc. „Se fossi un muratore, una casa costruirei...". Tym samym nie ma możliwości ustalenia wykonawców tego utworu.
Pozdrawiam
Dear Sir,
The PR Archive does not have in its music collection a recording of a song in Italian, with the alleged title “Construttori” inc. “Se fossi un muratore, una casa costruirei...”. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the performers of this song.
Best regards
On December 20th, 2025, Discord user Mystic65 identified the song as Il Grattacielo by Gianni Magni presumably after creating many different pitched versions of the song and running them through various WerZatSong fingerprints.
Lyrics[]
(Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala la
Lalalalalalalala)
Se fossi un muratore
Una casa costruirei
Alta fino al cielo per restare solo con lei
Perché nel mio Paese
E nella mia città
Trovo sempre gente che passa e si ferma a guardare
Ma!
Uomini, donne, bambini, bambine educati
Perché voi pensate agli affari degli altri
E poco vi importa di quello che invece dovreste pensare
(Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala la
Lalalalalalalala)
Se fossi un minatore
Un tunnel scaverei
Al centro della terra per andare a spasso con lei
Perché ogni volta che
Chiedo un bacio a lei
Trovo sempre quello
Che passa e si ferma a guardare
Ma!
Uomini, donne, bambini, bambine educati
Perché voi pensate agli affari degli altri
E poco vi importa di quello che invece dovreste pensare
(Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala la
Lalalalalalalala)
Se fossi un grande mago
Un filtro inventerei
Per far sparire il mondo e restare solo con lei
Perché nel mio Paese
E nella mia città
Trovo sempre gente
Che si passa e ferma a guardare
Ma!
Uomini, donne, bambini, bambine educati
Perché voi pensate agli affari degli altri
E poco vi importa di quello che invece dovreste pensare
Ma ormai son rassegnato
E non mi importa niente
Se adesso che la bacio
Intorno a me c'è tanta gente
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala la
Lalalalalalalala
E!
Uomini, donne, bambini, bambine
Educati, guardate, ascoltate, così capirete
Che poco mi importa di quello che adesso potete pensare
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala la
Lalalalalalalala
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala la
(Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala la
Lalalalalalalala)
If I were a mason
A house I would build
Reaching high up in the sky to stay just with her
Because in my country
And in my city
I always find people that come and stop to take a look
But!
Educated men, women, male and female children
Why do you mind others' business
And little you care about what you should be thinking instead
(Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala la
Lalalalalalalala)
If I were a miner
A tunnel I would dig
To the center of the earth to roam around with her
Because every time that I
Ask her for a kiss
I always find the one
Who stops and comes to take a look
But!
Educated men, women, male and female children
Why do you mind others' business
And little you care about what you should be thinking instead
(Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala la
Lalalalalalalala)
If I were a great mage
A filter I would invent
To make the world vanish and stay just with her
Because in my country
And in my city
I always find people
That come and stop to take a look
But!
Educated men, women, male and female children
Why do you mind others' business
And little you care about what you should be thinking instead
But now I have given up
And I don't care about anything
If now that I kiss her
Around me there's a lot of people
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala la
Lalalalalalalala
And!
Educated men, women, male and female children
Look, listen, so you'll understand
That little I care about what you could be thinking now
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala la
Lalalalalalalala
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala
Lala lala lala la
