Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1958

Last updated

Eurovision Song Contest 1958
Participating broadcaster Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI)
CountryFlag of Italy.svg  Italy
National selection
Selection process Sanremo Music Festival 1958
Selected artist(s) Domenico Modugno
Selected song" Nel blu dipinto di blu "
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Final result3rd, 13 points
Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄1957 •1958• 1959►

Italy was represented in the Eurovision Song Contest 1958 with the song '" Nel blu dipinto di blu ", written by Domenico Modugno and Franco Migliacci, and performed by Modugno himself. The Italian participating broadcaster, Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI) chose the winning song from the Sanremo Music Festival 1958 as its Eurovision entry: the song had been performed twice at Sanremo and Modugno was chosen over Johnny Dorelli as its performer in Eurovision.

Contents

Although "Nel blu dipinto di blu" did not win at Eurovision, it went on after the contest (under the title "Volare") to become a huge worldwide hit. The song spent five weeks at the top of the US Singles Chart, was later named the Billboard Year-End number one single for 1958, and won two Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. It is also one of only three non-British / non-winning Eurovision songs ever to have reached the top 10 in the United Kingdom.

"Volare"'s popularity has not diminished with time and it rapidly assumed the status of a worldwide musical standard. It is invariably cited, along with ABBA's "Waterloo", as globally the most successful and instantly recognisable song ever to have emerged from Eurovision.

At Eurovision

On the night of the final Modugno performed first in the running order, preceding the Netherlands. However, a technical problem meant that the performance had not been seen in all countries, so Modugno was required to perform the song again after all the other entries had been sung – it remained the only time in Eurovision history that a song has had to be performed twice in its entirety until 2010 when Spain was allowed to do the same after their first performance was disturbed.

At the close of the voting "Nel blu dipinto di blu" had received 13 points (the highest being 4s from Belgium and Germany), placing Italy third of the 10 entries. The Italian jury awarded 6 of its 10 points to contest winners France. [1]

Voting

Each participating broadcaster assembled a ten-member jury panel. Every jury member could give one point to his or her favourite song.

Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest

In 2005, "Nel blu dipinto di blu" was one of fourteen songs chosen by Eurovision fans and an EBU reference group to participate in the Congratulations anniversary competition. It was the only Italian entry featured and the only song from the 1950s represented, as well as one of three participating songs that hadn't actually won in its year (the others being "Congratulations" by Cliff Richard and "Eres tú" by Mocedades). Italy didn't broadcast the event (it likewise hadn't broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest since their last participation in 1997 and wouldn't again until 2011), but were represented by both "Nel blu dipinto di blu" and references to their Eurovision entries in both clip montages and one live performance (Belgium's Sandra Kim, who won the contest in 1986, performed a brief rendition of Gigliola Cinquetti's 1964 winner "Non ho l'eta" during one of the medleys).

"Nel blu dipinto di blu" appeared sixth in the running order, following "Ein bißchen Frieden" by Nicole and preceding "Waterloo" by ABBA. While the majority of performances that night featured brief appearances by the original singer(s), Domenico Modugno had died in 1994. Therefore, the song was represented by footage of his original performance alongside dancers performing a routine. At the end of the first round, "Nel blu dipinto di blu" was announced as one of the five songs headed to the second round. It was later revealed that the song finished as runner-up in the first round, receiving 200 points (as, unlike in 1958, the twelve-point system introduced in 1975 was being used, and the song's reputation had grown significantly since its original appearance). [3] In the end, "Nel blu dipinto di blu" finished in second place overall with 267 points. Among these were three top scores from Germany, Lithuania, and Turkey. [4]

Voting

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurovision Song Contest 1958</span> International song competition

The Eurovision Song Contest 1958 was the third edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Nederlandse Televisie Stichting (NTS), the contest, originally known as the Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne 1958 was held on Wednesday 12 March 1958 at the AVRO Studios in Hilversum, the Netherlands and hosted by Dutch television presenter Hannie Lips. This marked the first time that the contest was hosted in the country of the preceding year's winner, a tradition that has been continued ever since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurovision Song Contest 1991</span> International song competition

The Eurovision Song Contest 1991 was the 36th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held on 4 May 1991 at Stage 15 of the Cinecittà Studios in Rome, Italy. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI), and presented by Gigliola Cinquetti and Toto Cutugno, the contest was held in Italy following the country's victory at the 1990 contest with the song "Insieme: 1992" by Toto Cutugno.

The 1st Annual Grammy Awards were held on May 4, 1959. They recognized musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1958. Two separate ceremonies were held simultaneously on the same day; the first hotel in Beverly Hills, California, and the second in the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York City. Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Domenico Modugno, Ross Bagdasarian, and Henry Mancini, each won 2 awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domenico Modugno</span> Italian singer, actor and politician (1928–1994)

Domenico Modugno was an Italian singer, actor and, later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel blu dipinto di blu", for which he received the first Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. He is considered the first Italian cantautore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest</span>

Italy has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 48 times since making its debut as one of only seven countries to compete at the first contest in 1956, which took inspiration from the Sanremo Music Festival. The Italian participant broadcaster in the contest is Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI). It competed at the contest without interruption until 1980, discontinuing its participation on a number of occasions during the 1980s and 1990s. After a 13-year absence starting in 1998, the country returned to the contest in 2011. Italy has won the contest three times, along with an additional 16 top-five finishes. Italy hosted the contest in Naples (1965), Rome (1991), and Turin (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nel blu, dipinto di blu (song)</span> 1958 song by Domenico Modugno

"Nel blu, dipinto di blu", popularly known as "Volare", is a song originally recorded by Italian singer-songwriter Domenico Modugno, with music composed by himself and Italian lyrics written by himself and Franco Migliacci. It was released as a single on 1 February 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corde della mia chitarra</span> 1957 song by both Nunzio Gallo and Claudio Villa

"Corde della mia chitarra" is a song recorded by both Italian singers Nunzio Gallo and Claudio Villa, with music composed by Mario Ruccione and Italian lyrics written by Giuseppe Fiorelli. It won the Sanremo Music Festival 1957 where it was performed by both singers and represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1957 performed by Gallo. The song is the longest in Eurovision's history. Both original recordings are ranked among the top 100 most successful songs in Italy in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)</span> 1959 song by both Domenico Modugno and Johnny Dorelli

"Piove " is a song composed by Domenico Modugno with Italian lyrics by Eduardo Verde. It won first prize at the 1959 Sanremo Music Festival, where it was performed by both Modugno and Johnny Dorelli. Performed by Modugno, it represented Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 held in Cannes, placing sixth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addio, addio</span> Claudio Villa song

"Addio, addio" was the Italian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1962, performed in Italian by Claudio Villa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dio, come ti amo</span> 1966 song by both Domenico Modugno and Gigliola Cinquetti

"Dio, come ti amo" is a song recorded by both Italian singers Domenico Modugno and Gigliola Cinquetti, composed and written by Modugno himself. The song won the Sanremo Music Festival 1966 and represented Italy – performed by Modugno – in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966, held in Luxembourg.

The Swedish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest was Melodifestivalen 1974. It was, by a runaway score, won by the group ABBA, comprising Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Agnetha Fältskog, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Their song, "Waterloo", was written by Björn and Benny with Stig Anderson. It was originally written in Swedish, but for the ESC final, it was translated into English, which the rules allowed between the years 1973 and 1976.

West Germany took part in the Eurovision Song Contest 1982, held in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franco Migliacci</span> Italian lyricist and actor (1930–2023)

Francesco "Franco" Migliacci was an Italian lyricist, producer, and actor.

On 2 December 2010, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced that Italy would compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, set to be held in Düsseldorf, Germany. Italy returned to the contest after a 13-year absence, having last competed in the 1997 contest. The entry was organised by Italian broadcaster Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) and finished second after the winning song from Azerbaijan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanremo Music Festival 2008</span>

The Sanremo Music Festival 2008, officially the 58th Italian Song Festival, was the 58th Sanremo Music Festival, held at the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo and broadcast by Rai 1. The first and the second night of the show were held on 25 and 26 February 2008, while the last three nights were held from 28 February and 1 March 2008. The contest was presented by Pippo Baudo and Piero Chiambretti with Bianca Guaccero and Andrea Osvárt.

Spain was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1973 with the song "Eres tú", written by Juan Carlos Calderón, and performed by the vocal group Mocedades. The Spanish participating broadcaster Televisión Española (TVE) selected internally both the song and the performer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diodato</span> Italian singer and songwriter (born 1981)

Antonio Diodato, known simply as Diodato, is an Italian singer-songwriter. He won the 70th edition of the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "Fai rumore" and was scheduled to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam before the event's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Sanremo Music Festival 1958, officially the 8th Italian Song Festival, was the eight annual Sanremo Music Festival, held at the Sanremo Casino in Sanremo between 30 January and 1 February 1958. The show was presented by actor Gianni Agus, assisted by television announcer Fulvia Colombo.

<i>Nel blu, dipinto di blu</i> (film) 1959 film

Nel blu, dipinto di blu, also known as Nel blu, dipinto di blu – Volare, is a 1959 Italian comedy film written and directed by Piero Tellini and starring Domenico Modugno, Giovanna Ralli and Vittorio De Sica.

The Sanremo Music Festival 1959, officially the 9th Italian Song Festival, was the ninth annual Sanremo Music Festival, held at the Sanremo Casino in Sanremo between 30 January and 1 February 1959. The show was presented by Enzo Tortora and Adriana Serra.

References

  1. ↑ ESC History - Italy 1958
  2. 1 2 "Results of the Final of Hilversum 1958". Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Congratulations: Results from the voting (Round 1)" (PDF). Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2006. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Congratulations: Results from the voting (Round 2)" (PDF). Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 May 2006. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.