Ritorno al futuro/Back to the Future

Ritorno al Futuro/Back to the Future
Studio album by Elisa
Released	February 18, 2022
Recorded	2021, Fiumicello Villa Vicentina (Italia)
Genre	Pop [1]
Length	91:11
Language	Italian English
Label	Universal Music Italia Island
Producer	Elisa Sixpm Andrea Rigonat DRD Don Joe Venerus Michelangelo Marz Zef Shablo Stevie Aiello
Elisa chronology
Diari aperti (2018) Ritorno al Futuro/Back to the Future (2022) Back to the Future Live (2022)
Singles from Ritorno al futuro/Back to the Future
"Seta" Released: November 24, 2021 "O forse sei tu" Released: February 3, 2022 "Litoranea" Released: May 6, 2022 "Palla al centro" Released: August 26, 2022 "Come te nessuno mai" Released: December 16, 2022

Ritorno al Futuro/Back to the Future is the eleventh studio album by Italian singer Elisa, released on February 18, 2022, by Universal Music Italia.

The album, a double record with songs in Italian in the first part and in English in the second one, featured the single "O forse sei tu", presented during the Sanremo Music Festival 2022, classified in second place in the final ranking and recognized with the "Giancarlo Bigazzi" award for "Best Musical Composition". ^[2]

The album became Elisa's fifth number one album on the Italian Albums Chart, and it received positive reviews by italian critics, plaicing among the best Italian albums of 2022.

Conception and composition

"Sometimes in music, in fashion, in art, in film, in so many forms of expression you are dealing with time and space, [...]. With an emotional wave that belongs to everyone, and somehow telling that wave is an important part of what we deal with. And then there are the dreams and visions. I have been dreaming about all these songs these past two years, and I have definitely clung to them over and over again. I had visions of us all singing them together in concerts that we couldn't do. I wanted to write songs that could shake us up and wake us up and help us pull out everything we put in. [...] I had to do more, much more. I had to justify absence, lack, I had to build new reasons, new tracks to run on. I was observing myself and the world and the pandemic, I was still but this stillness led me to meditate and then choose more deeply and definitively everything I put together in this double album. I wanted redemption. I always want it. It doesn't matter if I can get it, I care about how I feel as I seek it."

— Elisa Toffoli about the album conception ^[3]

Ritorno al futuro/Back to the Future is a double album featuring songs in Italian in the first disc and other in English in the second one. ^[4] The recording project features a total of twenty-five songs written and composed by Elisa with numerous songwriters and composers, including Davide Petrella, Dardust, Calcutta, Takagi & Ketra, Franco126 and Stevie Aiello. For the production of the songs there is the participation of Sixpm, Dardust, Zef, Mace, Shablo, Don Joe and Venerus. There are also three collaborations with Rkomi, Jovanotti and an all-female song with Elodie, Giorgia and Roshelle. ^[5] The process of writing and composing the songs saw the artist interface with new ways, writing lyrics directly on a beat. ^{[6] [7]} Elisa talked about her choice of album title in an interview with Sky TG24: ^[8]

"The decision to name the record in this way came from a live show inspiration, the idea came at the end of the last tour-I was already imagining this as a good excuse to field a certain new method of sustainability, to push as much as possible in that direction. I am with those who believe, I am a dreamer, an idealist, but also an artisan who gets her hands dirty, I come from a blue-collar family. I call them the last ones because in so many cases those who give up a lot in a house are the last ones, the most disillusioned and crafty ones are the players in capitalism. [...] The perception is changing in the younger generations because they understand the vulnerability of the system and the world itself, it makes them have more courage but this is not understood by the older generations who do not understand that the young people are already evolved and somewhere else."

Promotion

Back to the Future Live Tour, European tour e An Intimate Night

In February 2022, it was announced that Elisa would serve as artistic director of the Heroes Festival in Verona. ^[9] The festival was held as a "green-village" to raise awareness of environmental issues and in favor of sustainable development. The festival continued on May 28, 30 and 31, 2022, when Elisa performed three concert-events at the Arena di Verona. ^[10]

From June 28 to September 24, 2022, Elisa performed thirty concerts on the Back to the Future Live Tour, ^[11] a tour promoting the album with a low environmental impact, as told by the artist: ^[12]

I want to give the audience back the magic of concerts: it could be done with daylight but something would be missing, that's not how you make people love sustainability. It is not with that one action that I will solve anything: smaller, daily, continuous gestures are important. [...] The theme of sustainability will be there but in an artistic way, because I don't want it to take away from the magic or lightness of the moment. I want there to be a good feeling; we are celebrating beauty. [...] As a person I feel an obligation to do this, for the world and nature. I will not stop here and I think this is just the beginning.

— Elisa Toffoli

From October 2 to November 5, 2022, the singer promoted an eight-date European tour, including in Brussels, Munich, Barcelona, and London. Between December and January 2023, the singer embarked on An Intimate Night, a tour that took place exclusively in theaters and featured Dardust as artistic collaborator and musician.

Critical reception

Claudio Cabona of Rockol found that "Elisa has always been an experimenter, even in the past she opened her music to other influences and contaminations, but always linked to a world that in some way showed traits similar to her own," but that the project probably stemmed from "a concrete response to the isolation generated by the pandemic and which in fact sanction an attack on all forms of narcissism. It is no coincidence that the common thread of the record is the idea of reacting to these uncertain and ruthless times." Cabona found that Ritorno al futuro/Back to the Future represents "a sonic mosaic; [...] in which there is the Elisa of always, but also the one that no one would have ever expected." ^[1] Giulia Ciavarelli for TV Sorrisi e Canzoni reported that in Ritorno al futuro/Back to the Future "Elisa experiments, opens herself up to new contaminations, and hosts in the tracklist many artists from the Italian scene in the composition of music, production, and lyrics". ^[13]

Giorgia Dughetti of All Music Italia wrote that the album "fits perfectly into its time, both in terms of themes and sonority and research" in which "Ritorno al futuro/Back to the Future means trying not to make the same mistakes again, changing attitude, being more aware of our weight on the world and what we can do." ^[14] Placing the album in ninth place of the 15 best albums of 2022, Umberto Salvato for the same publication, described the record as "the perfect crasis between the artist's past, present and future," calling the production of the songs carried out with "excellent mastery, [...] contemporary without ever betraying itself." ^[15]

Reviewing the album for Rolling Stone Italia 's list of the "25 Best Italian Albums of 2022", in which the album is ranked at No. 2, critic Claudio Todesco described the singer as "an exception" in the Italian recording panorama, writing that "for her, music is clearly an inclusive, not an exclusive experience." The critic noted that on the Italian-language tracks, calling them "the most immediate, [...] melodic and very Italian in which she manages to be poignant and credible," and those in English considered "the most solid; [...] pop pieces of international caliber." Todesco concludes the review by writing that although the album remains "one step behind contemporary trends, [...] it makes two ahead in the overabundance of musical stimuli." ^[16] Ernesto Assante of La Repubblica listed the album as one of the best of 2022, describing it as an album that "demands time and attention from the audience," as the artist has included in it "the perfect representation of everything she asks of music today and to music she knows how to give, with passion, inclusiveness and sharing." ^[17]

Track listing

Ritorno al futuro track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"A tempo perso"	Elisa Toffoli	Toffoli Andrea Ferrara	Sixpm	3:47
2.	"Seta"	Davide Petrella	Dario Faini Toffoli	DRD	3:33
3.	"Come sei veramente"	Petrella Toffoli	Toffoli Andrea Rigonat William Medini	Rigonat Michelangelo	3:56
4.	"O forse sei tu"	Petrella Toffoli	Toffoli	Rigonat	3:53
5.	"Litoranea"	Edoardo D'Erme Petrella	D'Erme Gaetano Scognamiglio Petrella	Elisa MACE	3:33
6.	"Quello che manca" (featuring Rkomi)	Toffoli Mirko Manuele Martorana	Toffoli Ferrara Martorana	Sixpm	3:30
7.	"Luglio" (featuring Elodie, Giorgia and Roshelle)	Petrella Toffoli	Toffoli	Elisa MACE	3:33
8.	"Come te nessuno mai"	Petrella Toffoli	Petrella Toffoli	Rigonat	4:46
9.	"Non me ne pento"	Toffoli	Luigi Florio Toffoli	Don Joe	3:22
10.	"Palla al centro" (featuring Jovanotti)	Toffoli	Faini Toffoli Vanni Casagrande	DRD	3:47
11.	"Chi lo sa"	Toffoli Federico Bertollini	Alessandro Merli Fabio Clemente Toffoli Bertollini	Rigonat	3:29
12.	"Quando arriva la notte"	Toffoli	Toffoli Andrea Venerus Simone Benussi	MACE Venerus	4:18

Back to the Future track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Show's Rollin'"	Toffoli	Toffoli	Elisa Marz Zef	3:48
2.	"Let Me"	Jessica Allison Childress Toffoli	Toffoli	Elisa	3:51
3.	"Drink to Me"	Toffoli	Toffoli	Elisa Marz Zef	2:42
4.	"I Feel It in the Earth"	Childress Toffoli	Toffoli	Elisa	3:42
5.	"Ordinary Day"	Childress Toffoli	Toffoli	Rigonat	3:21
6.	"Tears May Roll Down Now"	Childress Toffoli	Toffoli	Elisa Rigonat	3:50
7.	"Fuckin' Believers"	Toffoli	Toffoli	Elisa Marz Zef	3:24
8.	"Hope"	Stephen Aiello Toffoli	Aiello Toffoli	Aiello Elisa	2:43
9.	"Domino"	Childress Toffoli	Toffoli	Elisa Sixpm	3:47
10.	"Like I Want You"	Toffoli	Nicolò Scalabrin Toffoli Pablo Miguel Lombroni Capalbo	Elisa Shablo	3:34
11.	"My Mission"	Andrea Fumagalli	Fumagalli	Elisa	2:41
12.	"Fire"	Toffoli	Toffoli	Elisa Marz Zef	4:22
13.	"Let It Go to Waste on Me"	Childress Toffoli	Toffoli	Elisa	3:59

Ritorno al futuro streaming edition

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Producer(s)	Length
5.	"Litoranea" (featuring Matilda De Angelis)	D'Erme Petrella	D'Erme Scognamiglio Petrella	Elisa MACE	3:33

Back to the Future streaming edition

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Producer(s)	Length
4.	"On Me"	Childress Toffoli	Toffoli	Elisa Marz Zef	3:32
13.	"Shout" (Tears for Fears cover)	Roland Orzabal Ian Stanley	Orzabal Stanley	Elisa	5:00

Commercial performance

On February 24, 2022, the album debuted at No. 8 on the Top Albums Debut Global chart of the Spotify platform. ^[18] It subsequently debuted at No. 1 on the FIMI Albums Chart chart, becoming the Elisa's fifth album to achieve this, following Soundtrack '96–'06 (2006), Heart (2009), L'anima vola (2013) and On (2016). ^[19] It also peaked on the FIMI Vinyls chart. Ritorno al Futuro/Back to the Future turned out to be the best-selling album by a female artist in Italy in 2022, ranking 33rd on the annual chart. ^[20]

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for Ritorno al futuro/Back to the Future

Chart (2022)	Peak position
Italian Albums (FIMI) [21]	1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [22]	44

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for Ritorno al futuro/Back to the Future

Chart (2022)	Position
Italian Albums (FIMI) [23]	33

Certifications

Certifications for Ritorno al Futuro/Back to the Future

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI) [24]	Platinum	50,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Cabona, Claudio (February 18, 2022). "√ Coraggio, libertà e condivisione: il mondo di Elisa è oggi". Rockol (in Italian). Retrieved September 19, 2023.
2. "La classifica definitiva della finale: Elisa al secondo posto, Morandi terzo". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). February 6, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
3. "Elisa svela "Ritorno al futuro / Back to the future", il suo doppio album in italiano e inglese". All Music Italia (in Italian). 18 December 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
4. "Elisa, annunciato il doppio album Ritorno Al Futuro/Back To The Future". Sky TG24 (in Italian). December 17, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
5. Gianatti, Silvia (February 18, 2022). "Elisa torna al futuro, Kanye West al passato". Vanity Fair Italia (in Italian). Retrieved September 19, 2023.
6. "Elisa ha pubblicato a sorpresa un singolo con Rkomi, 'Quello che manca'". Rolling Stone Italia (in Italian). February 11, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
7. Bolognini, Luigi (November 24, 2021). "La sfida di Elisa: "Posso permettermi anche di cambiare"". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved September 19, 2023.
8. Basso, Fabrizio (February 18, 2022). "Elisa ci guida nel Ritorno al futuro: 'Perdere tempo è creatività'". Sky TG24 (in Italian). Retrieved September 19, 2023.
9. "Musica: Elisa direttrice artistica del festival Heroes 2022". ANSA . February 21, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
10. Conti, Andrea (May 30, 2022). "Elisa canta a Verona per l'ambiente e si appella ai giovani: "Non buttate per strada plastica o sigarette, combattiamo l'indifferenza"". Il Fatto Quotidiano . Retrieved September 19, 2023.
11. "Elisa e il tour green: "Ogni tappa sarà un'occasione per valorizzare parchi, boschi e luoghi storici"»". Il Messaggero . June 4, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
12. Ciavarelli, Giulia (March 30, 2022). "Elisa ritorna dal vivo con una festa itinerante e sostenibile". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian). Retrieved September 19, 2023.
13. Ciavarelli, Giulia (February 18, 2022). ""Ritorno al Futuro / Back to the Future" è il nuovo album di Elisa". TV Sorrisi e Canzoni (in Italian). Retrieved September 19, 2023.
14. Dughetti, Giorgia (February 18, 2022). "Elisa: il passato, il presente e il futuro della cantautrice e produttrice si ritrovano in "Ritorno al Futuro / Back to the Future"". All Music Italia (in Italian). Retrieved September 19, 2023.
15. Salvato, Umberto (January 5, 2023). "La classifica dei 15 migliori dischi italiani usciti nel 2022". All Music Italia (in Italian). Retrieved September 19, 2023.
16. Todesco, Claudio (December 28, 2023). "I 25 migliori album italiani del 2022". Rolling Stone Italia (in Italian). Retrieved September 19, 2023.
17. Ernesto Assante (January 1, 2023). "Da Arctic Monkeys a Eddie Vedder, Cremonini e Sick Luke: i migliori album del 2022". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved September 19, 2023.
18. "'Ritorno al futuro / Back to the Future' di Elisa è nella top 10 dei nuovi album più ascoltati al mondo su Spotify". Rolling Stone Italia (in Italian). February 23, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
19. Raiola, Francesco (26 February 2023). "Il bello di rivedere Elisa prima in classifica: la cantautrice in testa con Ritorno al futuro". Fanpage.it (in Italian). Retrieved 29 October 2023.
20. "La Top 100 degli album più venduti nel 2022: trionfo per Lazza, Rkomi e Blanco (ma anche Mengoni e Guccini). Crollano Tiziano Ferro, Paradiso ed Eros". All Music Italia (in Italian). January 9, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
21. "settimanale WK 8 (dal 18.02.2022 al 24.02.2022)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved September 19, 2023.
22. "Swisscharts.com – Elisa – Ritorno al futuro/Back to the Future". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
23. "Classifica annuale 2022 (dal 31.12.2021 al 29.12.2022)" (Download the attachment and open the albums file) (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved September 19, 2023.
24. "Italian album certifications – Elisa – Ritorno al futuro/Back to the Future" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved September 19, 2023.