Showing posts with label Domenico Modugno. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Domenico Modugno. Show all posts

Wednesday 9 November 2022

Pazzo amore / Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare) - Domenico Modugno

The earliest Eurovision song to obtain legendary status is Domenico Modugno's 'Volare', or, more correctly, 'Nel blu dipinto di blu'. I'm not sure that everybody knows that Domenico actually re-recorded this song a few times, and this single, released in 1984, is one of those versions.

It was recorded with the orchestra of maestro Nello Ciangherotti for the TV series La luna nel pozzo - although I'm not sure if that claim holds true for both tracks on this single. I can say for sure that 'Pazzo amore' was featured on that TV show. The modernized and slightly 'discofied' version of 'Nel blu dipinto di blu' is what is the real attraction on this disc for me, however. 

My collection: 7" single no. 6784
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 October 2022
Tracks: 'Pazzo amore' / 'Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare)'


Saturday 10 April 2021

Dio, come ti amo - Domenico Modugno

The name of Domenico Modugno is forever linked to the legendary Eurovision song Volare. That was his first Eurovision appearance. People tend to forget that he represented Italy three times in the contest, following up his appearance in 1958 with the song Piove in 1959 and returning in 1966 with 'Dio, come ti amo'. His last attempt was also his least successful one: he ended in last place with zero points.

So is this a bad song? Well, not really, although I tend to think that the version by Gigliola Cinquetti is a bit more charming. But you know how cruel competitions can be - especially music competitions. Modugno died on 6 August 1994, at the age of 66, from a heart attack, on the island of Lampedusa, south of Sicily, while he was in his home by the sea.

My collection: 7" single no. 6367
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 April 2021
Cost: 3 euro
Tracks: 'Dio come ti amo' / 'Io di piu'

Sunday 19 May 2019

Piove (Ciao ciao bambina) - Domenico Modugno

While we're in a winning Eurovision mood, it's good to revisit some old goodies - and since I've bought a few good ones yesterday, I can really present to you a rare gem. Domenico Modugno represented Italy a few times in the very first decade of the Contest. In 1959 he sang the song 'Piove (Ciao ciao bambina)'. I bought a copy of this single four years ago.

Yesterday in Leiden I was in a shop that had a few coloured vinyl singles stuck to a window. Blasphemy of course, but what can you do... I spied with my little eye and saw this copy of 'Piove'... on clear vinyl! I was shocked, but didn't hesitate: I ripped it off the window, stuck it in a white sleevee and took it home.

My collection: 7" single no. 6071
Found: Velvet Vinyl Outlet, Leiden, May 18, 2019
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Piove (Ciao ciao bambina)' / 'Ventu d'estati'

Saturday 25 April 2015

Piove (Ciao ciao bambina) - Domenico Modugno

Domenico Modugno represented Italy in the 1959 Eurovision Song Contest for the second time, a year after he made a world hit with Nel blu dipinto di blu. This time, he wrote 'Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)' ('It's raining (Bye, bye baby)') together with Eduardo Verde. The song is a dramatic ballad, with Modugno telling his lover that he knows their relationship is about to come to a close. He asks her for one more kiss and then tells her not to turn back as she walks away from him, because he still has feelings for her.

At the Contest, the song was not too successful. At the close of voting, it had received 9 points, placing 6th in a field of 11 competitors. There are, however, several cover versions of this song, including one by the Yee Tin Tong Mandolin Band from Hong Kong which charted over there.

My collection: 7" single no. 5742
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 11, 2015
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Piove (Ciao, ciao bambina)' / 'Ventu d'estati'

...

Sunday 22 February 2015

Nel blu dipinto di blu - Domenico Modugno

The Eurovision Song Contest has a rich history of famous winners, but there are a few songs that have become classics without even winning. The best example of this comes from the first few years of the contest: Italian singer Domenico Modugno performed the song 'Nel blu dipinto di blu' in 1958 during the third edition of Eurovision after winning the San Remo festival with the same song. At the close of voting, it got 13 point and became 3rd out of 10 competitors.

Following commercial success in Italy, where it sold almost a million copies, the song was also released in the United States and in the rest of Europe. In the United Kingdom, Modugno's single was released on 23 August 1958, together with eight other versions recorded by international artists. The single obtained global acclaim, becoming an international hit. However, somewhere along the line the song became better knows as... 'Volare'.

This single is an Italian pressing, presumably from 1958, on blue vinyl. I don't know, but it might be a real collector's item.

My collection: 7" single no. 561
Found: Marktplaats.nl, received February 14, 2015
Cost: 2 euro
Tracks: 'Nel blu dipinto di blu' / 'Lazzarella'

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