Chi Mai

"Chi Mai" (Italian: whoever) is a composition by Ennio Morricone written in 1971. It was first used in the film Maddalena (1971), later in the films Le Professionnel directed by Georges Lautner (1981),^[1] as well as in the television series An Englishman's Castle (1978). In 1981, it was used as the theme music for the BBC series The Life and Times of David Lloyd George^[2] and the BBC release of the theme reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.^[3]

Composition

Elements of the melody of "Chi Mai" appeared in a piece entitled "Invito All'Amore" from the 1968 Sergio Corbucci Spaghetti Western, The Great Silence.^[4] The original Italian lyrics for this song were written by Carlo Nistri and published by Ricordi (1972).^[5]

"Chi Mai" is also famous in France for being used for a Royal Canin 1980s commercial, to the point that it is more closely associated with the commercial than with its other appearances, including Dunhill in 1987.^{[citation needed]} In 2002, this association was referenced by the French movie, Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, in a scene in which Dogmatix is chasing a legionnaire running on all fours in slow motion (like in the commercial) while "Chi Mai" is playing in the background.^{[citation needed]}

"Chi Mai" was used as the melody for the last tribute to Jean-Paul Belmondo, in the post mortem national ceremony held on 9 September 2021, three days after Belmondo's death.

Online community

"Chi Mai" is also the name of the online community about Ennio Morricone.^[6]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1981–1982) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7] 4 France (SNEP)[8] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] 11 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 2 UK Singles (OCC)[11] 2 West Germany (GfK)[12] 23

Year-end charts Chart (1982) Position Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 20

Certifications

Certifications for Chi Mai

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[14]	Gold	900,000[15]
United Kingdom (BPI)[16]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Soundtracks for Le professionnel at the Internet Movie Database
2. Trivia for Maddalena at the Internet Movie Database
3. "Chi Mai (Theme From 'Life And Times Of David Lloyd George')". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
4. "ENNIO MORRICONE -"Invito All Amore" (1968)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
5. "Carlo Nistri Discography - Chi Mai (1972)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
6. "Maestro - The Ennio Morricone Online Magazine". Chimai.com. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
7. "Ennio Morricone – Chi Mai" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
8. "Classements par artistes (lettre M)". InfoDisc. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2013..
9. "Ennio Morricone – Chi Mai". Top 40 Singles.
10. "Ennio Morricone – Chi Mai". Swiss Singles Chart.
11. "Ennio Morricone: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Ennio Morricone – Chi Mai" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
13. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1982". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
14. "French single certifications – Ennio Morricone – Chi Mai" (in French). InfoDisc. Select ENNIO MORRICONE and click OK. 
15. Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP). Fabrice Ferment (ed.). "TOP – 1981". 40 ans de tubes : 1960–2000 : les meilleures ventes de 45 tours & CD singles (in French). OCLC 469523661. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2022 – via Top-France.fr.
16. "British single certifications – Ennio Morricone & Lpp – Chi Mai". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 October 2024.