“Il Secondo Secondo Me” is Caparezza’s witty self-portrait of an artist facing sequel anxiety while taking aim at every cliché he can find. The looping chorus – “Il secondo album è sempre più difficile” (“The second album is always harder”) – is more than a gripe about the music business. It becomes a springboard for a rapid-fire tour of social stereotypes, political hypocrisy, and cultural contradictions. Italians are “brava gente,” yet riddled with corruption; the English cling to their habits; racist myths about Black athletes and Arab writing are exposed and flipped. Between the jokes Caparezza reminds us that slogans, campaign promises, and media sound-bites can be as empty – and as catchy – as a pop hook.
Under the playful wordplay (“secondo” means both “second” and “according to”), the song hides a serious message: staying authentic is tough when everyone judges you by what came before. Caparezza parallels an artist’s fear of the sophomore slump with a country stuck in recycled rhetoric. Whether he mocks billion-euro footballers, nostalgic fascists, or ringtone politics, the takeaway is clear: repeating yourself is easy, evolving is hard. His advice? Question every ready-made label, keep creating, and never let the second time define you.