Forza Italia. And in celebration of Italy’s Eurovision success, here’s Rainy Days and Songdays’ five Italian stompers.
Reach for the skies
Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu, Domenico Mondugno: And it must have been a helluva year at Eurovision in 1958 for this one not to have won.
Modugno’s song went onto win two Grammies but on this occasion had to play second (in fact third) fiddle to Andre Claveau’s Dors, mon amour for France.
Apparently it was penned while composer Franco Migliacci who was inspired by Marc Chagalli’s art. O
For us it’s always the sound of St Mark’s Square in Venice… oh, oh, oh, oh.
No one sleeps
Nessun Dorma Luciano Pavarotti: And this became the anthem for football’s World Cup, Italia 90.
All of which gives us the chance to give a shout-out to his home town Modena in Emilia-Romagna where he was born, lived and died.
And composer Giacomo Puccini and his town Lucca in Tuscany.
Mio, duo, Luciano, Bryano
O Sole Mio, Luciano Pavarotti and Bryan Adams: And that man again, this time not mio but duo with the Groover from Vancouver himself, Bryan Adams.
And as we all know is the backdrop for Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding and It’s Now Or Never.
O Sole Mio is a Neapolitan staple written by Alfredo Mazzucchi in the late 19th century..
When, when, when
Quando Quando Quando, Tony Renis: And again another which didn’t win its competition, fourth in the Sanremo Festival
Elio Cesari, for that is he is Milanese is the original but when, when, when The Bublé and Nelly Furtado get hold of it it sounds like this.
Without a woman
Senza Una Donna, Zucchero & Paul Young: And this means ‘without a woman’ which heartthrob Paul never was.
And dare I say the more grizzly Zucchero, at least in Italy where Adelmo, or Sugar (Zucchero) is a bit of a sweetheart too.
Time to say goodbye
Con Te Partiro Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman: And with everything Italiano it’s all about the crescendo, the climax.
And for Pisan Andrea it’s about his home town as it is Luccan composer Giacomo Puccini
FORZA ITALIA
The man himself
