When the Words Mean Nothing – and the Message Means Everything

You may have recently heard on social media a song from the early 1970’s, Prisencolinensinainciusol, by Adriano Celentano. The song’s lyrics are in no language – total and utter nonsense. It was a smash hit in 1973 in Italy, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The song resurfaced on social media in 2010 and once again in 2020. Seems every generation finds it and marvels in the creativity and originality. The idea itself has a long and storied history going to back to creative ar...