Recently in a Roman court, a lawyer who has written books on the death of singer Rino Gaetano  formally requested the courts re-open an investigation into the death of the singer-songwriter who died in a car accident on June 2, 1981 at age 30.  Gaetano suffered serious head injuries during the crash and hospitals in the area were unwilling to treat him due to lack of space and unavailable specialists.

Gaetano is best known for hits “Ma il cielo è sempre più blu” and “Gianna.”   Shortly before his passing, Gaetano took part in a concert series titled Qconcert with Riccardo Cocciante where he had performed a cover of a Cocciante single from 1978, “A Mano a Mano.”   In the song, the singer attempts to convince an ex-love to return to him – italian and translated lyrics here.

Although “A mano a mano” never charted, Gaetano’s tender grit quietly made the song a favorite of many in Italy and its popularity has increased immensely in the past few years.   It has become a staple in music reality shows, was featured in the soundtrack and trailer for the 2014 film “Allacciate le cinture,” and was part of the deluxe edition of Andrea Bocelli’s 2013 “Passione” album, cementing the single as an Italian pop classic to international audiences.

Below are the original and Bocelli versions of the ballad: