"Dear friend, I'm writing to you"), is a 1979 song composed and performed by Lucio Dalla.
The lyrics use an epistolary form, with Dalla describing to a friend the dramatic situation in a Years of Lead-stricken Italy.
[1][2] Dalla said he was inspired for the song by reading Robert Walser's novel The Walk.
[1] Dalla recorded the song in Spanish (as "Querido amigo") and Portuguese (as "O ano que virá").
[2] Artists who covered the song include Loredana Bertè, Cesare Cremonini, Rolf Zuckowski, Richard Clayderman, Ricchi e Poveri, Fiorella Mannoia, Riccardo Fogli, Maria Farantouri, Patxi Andión, Fiorello.