Ingranaggi translates to "gears" or "cogs." It's an interesting word because it evokes a sense of intricate machinery and interconnectedness, which isn't commonly found in song lyrics.
In the context of the song, Jovanotti uses it metaphorically to describe how various elements transform the "void of an absence" into the "stage of my performance." This suggests that even emptiness or loss can be a crucial part of a larger, creative process, like gears working together to create something new.
"Musica" is Jovanotti's list of everything that unsettles him, answered by the one thing that doesn't: "Tutto quello che non saprò mai" ("Everything I will never know"), restless neighborhoods, a mother's early mornings, algorithms that track his every move. Against all of it he sets the chorus: "C'è questa cosa che mi carica. Si chiama musica, e viene dall'Africa" ("There's this thing that energizes me. It's called music, and it comes from Africa"). That African root is not a throwaway line — the track features Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango, whose horn carries as much of the song's answer as the words do.
Between the bigger questions he drops in something plainly personal: "Tutte le mattine che mia madre si era svegliata all'alba per prepararci la colazione" ("Every morning my mother woke up at dawn to prepare breakfast for us"). The song never resolves the world it describes — "Il mondo che rimane una questione aperta" ("The world that remains an open question") — it just names the one thing that keeps him upright inside it.
Jovanotti, from Italy, began his career as a DJ before moving into music production and performing. He quickly developed a reputation for his energetic style, blending elements of rap, funk, and pop into his sound.
He is widely recognised for popular songs such as "L'ombelico del mondo" and "A te". His work, including albums like "Lorenzo 1994" and "Safari", often features an upbeat and positive feeling.