What would Italy of la dolce vita be without its often catchy refrains that have transcended borders and time?
To whom or to what does la dolce vita take us back? Firstly to the cinema, of course, and to its great figures of the 1950s to the 1980s. And to its iconic figures, with actors such as Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Monica Vitti, Ugo Tognazzi, Claudia Cardinale, Anna Magnani and more. All this contributes to the image we have of this Italian dolce vita.
The song is another aspect of this artistic ebullience of the post-Second World War period, giving words, sounds and faces to the Italian elegance and charm. And yes, the Italian song, in its singular nature, is indeed an intrinsic part of la dolce vita. The 1960s and 1970s marked the emergence of artists such as Adriano Celentano or Mina, who paved the way for new generations of singers, some of whom managed to expand their audience far beyond the peninsula (take Patty Pravo with “La Bambola”, Loredana Bertè, the partner of tennis player Björn Borg, with “Sei bellissima”, and so on) or Gianna Nannini who gained world renown with her unique tone of voice and heady title “I maschi”.
This tradition of the beautiful song, “la bella canzone”, lives on through an institution at the heart of this creative outpouring – the Sanremo song festival – which, every year, sees prominent artists on the Italian scene compete over the course of a week, over successive evenings.
Sanremo, the Italian song festival
Created in 1951 and, from its beginnings, inviting artists to present covers as well as new tracks written especially for the event, the festival perpetuates the myth of a quality song, both pop and romantic. Millions of Italians still watch this programme, in a country where, the next day, the entire press will be assessing the artists’ performances and their progress in the rankings. The pressure is high. In 1967, singer Luigi Tenco, partner of Dalida, was eliminated, his song “Ciao amore ciao” being deemed too weak by the jury. He committed suicide a few hours later.
Still today, Sanremo is the place where these artists come together to perform their lilting melodies and is an integral part of Italian culture. Artists like the Sicilian duo Colapesce & Dimartino (with their track “Musica legerissima”, an award-winning song at Sanremo), or the Tuscan Giorgio Poi, fit squarely into this box, whilst adding a touch of modernity that allows this traditional song to continue in other forms.
The link with the cinema is maintained here too; some directors such as Paolo Sorrentino (La Grande Bellezza, The New Pope, etc.) continue to bring this contemporary music to the mainstream in the soundtracks to their films, heard around the world. Make no mistake, the Italian song is alive and creative. So much so, that the second edition of the Fiore Verde festival, dedicated to Italian culture and modern music, was held this year in La Villete in Paris. La dolce vita still has a bright future ahead of it!
Text : Cyrille Jouanno
Cover image : The singer Mina © reserved right
