(Lucio Battisti - Jack Fishman)
Australia
#41 Sydney
The band’s name is often spelt Toby Jug, even on the record’s label, but the correct spelling seems to be Toby Jugg, perhaps after Dennis Wheatley’s 1948 novel The Haunting of Toby Jugg. Their second single (1971) had Toby Jugg.
Single on du Monde by Sydney band whose personnel included Garth Porter, later of Sherbet, who later to wrote and produced in country music, notably with Lee Kernaghan and the Outback Spectacular show. Dennis Laughlin, the original vocalist in Sherbet, was also in Toby Jugg.
♫ Listen at YouTube
Suggestion and additional details from Terry Stacey.
(Lucio Battisti - Jack Fishman)
USA
Single on Epic May 1969. This seems to have been a US-only release by this chart-topping 60s British Invasion band: see Glad All Over.
♫ Listen at YouTube
References: 1. DC5 discography at Wikipedia. 2. US and UK discographies from a defunct American page [archived].
Version alert from Terry Stacey.
(Lucio Battisti - Jack Fishman)
UK
Original English language version
#1 UK* #21 Brisbane #18 Adelaide #5 NZ
*Reissued in UK February 1976, charted #34.
Single on Immediate January 1969.
The English adaptation is by Jack Fishman (1920-1997), political journalist, editor, author, publisher and songwriter. His research and subsequent news story exposed the spy Kim Philby. He wrote or co-wrote many successful songs, one of which, Ev’rywhere, won an Ivor Novello Most Popular Song award in 1956. He also worked on films as a composer and musical director.
Amen Corner were a seven-piece band from Cardiff whose line-up included lead singer Andy Fairweather-Low (b. 1948) and a brass section. They had six charting records in the UK 1967-69, including Bend Me Shape Me (#3 UK, 1968), also a hit in the USA by American Breed. They later morphed into Fairweather, without the brass.
Andy Fairweather-Low followed a distinguished career as a solo singer-songwriter-guitarist who has also played guitar and sung with many major artists, on tour and in the studio.
Essential reading: 1. Jack Fishman obituary from The Guardian. 2. Andy Fairweather Low’s website and Wikipedia article.
(Lucio Battisti - Giulio Rapetti - Mary Boduin)
Belgium
Dutch-language version (= holiday dreams) on Decca single by Flemish pop star Samantha (Christiane Bervoets 1948-2013).
♫ Listen at YouTube
Samantha’s big hit was Eviva España (1971 #3 Belgium), a song that later became a classic in Spanish-language countries through cover versions released in Spain and South America. In Britain, a version by Swedish singer Sylvia charted #4 in 1974 with the title Y Viva España.
Further reading: The Samantha page at Belgian Pop & Rock Archives.
Thanks to Joop Jansen.
(Lucio Battisti - Giulio Rapetti [as 'Mogol'])
Italy
Influential version
#9 Italy
The Italian hit version, single on Arc, by versatile and influential Italian pop singer Patty Pravo (Nicoletta Strambelli, b. 1948). She had numerous Italian hits in the 60s and 70s beginning with La bambola (1968 #1 Italy, #35 Germany) and has had a long and successful career stretching into the 2020s.
This was a new arrangement, by Piero Pintucci, of a song recorded the previous year by La Ragazza 77.
Further reading: The comprehensive Patty Pravo article at Wikipedia.it.
(Lucio Battisti - Giulio Rapetti [as 'Mogol'])
Italy
Original version
Single on Ricordi, June 1968 by singer-bassist Ambra Berelli (b. 1945) who used the stage name La Ragazza 77 (Girl 77) throughout her career.
This was not a successful single on the charts. That was left to Patty Pravo in the following year.
Lyricist Giulio Rapetti [Mogol] also had a hand in the Italian originals of I (Who Have Nothing) (Ben E. King, Normie Rowe) and Help Yourself (Tom Jones).
The title means paradise of life: perhaps what English speakers might call heaven on earth?
Further reading: 1. Song history at The Originals. 2. Ambra Berelli at Italian Wikipedia.
Pop Archives
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Website by Lyn Nuttall. © Lyn Nuttall 2004-2025. Chart positions courtesy of Gavin Ryan’s Australian Chart Books and Dean Scapolo’s Complete NZ Music Charts. Special thanks to Terry Stacey for information, corrections and suggestions. Thanks also to Tony Watson, Philippe Edouard, Dave Overett.., More…