HIPPY YA YO (PERÒ ANCHE NO) Lyrics in English by J-AX
Toga party is an English phrase directly adopted into Italian, making it immediately recognizable and intriguing for English speakers.
In the song, J-AX uses it to evoke a sense of carefree, almost hedonistic fun, contrasting it with deeper societal issues. It's a playful and unexpected element in a song that also touches on revolution and social commentary, highlighting the artist's unique blend of lightheartedness and critique.
The joke is in the title. Every time J-Ax finishes a wish he takes it straight back: "Sole, palme, toga party" (Sun, palm trees, toga party), and then "Basi NATO qui però anche no" (NATO bases here, but then again no). He wants the holiday without the geopolitics and the party without the hangover, and he says both halves in the same breath.
Underneath the gag is a man auditing his younger self. He wanted a revolution, then admits "Ma ho capito che senza sei zeri, sei zero" (But I realised that without six zeros, you're a zero), money as the only vote that counts, from a man who never got past a barely passing six in maths. Twice the song stops on the same confession: "Io sto a metà" (I'm somewhere in the middle). The bridge turns that into a position rather than a shrug, "Tra panchinaro e bomber una via di mezzo c'è" (Between benchwarmer and star striker there is a middle ground), and then comes the best line in it: "A volte anch'io vorrei sparare agli altri" (Sometimes I would like to shoot at people too), answered a beat later by "Sì, ma con i tranquillanti" (Yes, but with tranquillisers). Very funny, and also the entire argument.
