Italy took its well deserved third victory - finally! - at the Eurovision song contest 2021. Over the years several other Italian entries would have been worthy winners. In this series I will go through all of them from the worst ranking to the winners.
Bobby Solo (76) won Sanremo with American group The New Christy Minstrels with Se piangi, se ridi. A victory considered a bit of consolation as the year before he couldn't perform live due illness and therefor just presented his Una lacrima sul viso in playback. The song become a huge hit homne and abroad selling millions. But as it turns out it was a win-win for Eurovision. Se piangi, se ridi placed 5th out of 18 in Naples and becomes another megahit.
Bobby Solo, a teenage heartthrob of the 1960's continued his success all through the decade and wins Sanremo again in 1969 with Zingara. 1970's are less fortunate for him but in the 1980's he gains some success again, and ever since he's up and down and present in Italian television and music industry with various revival and other projects. 39 albums between 1964-2015, 46 singles, latest in 2017, 12 Sanremos and six films to his credit the Italian Elvis surely is a symbol of a certain period in the music history.
The biggest hit of Sanremo abraod became however Pino Donaggio's Io che non vivo (senza te), especially in cover by Dusty Springfield, an UK #1 and US #4. Also Elvis Presley, Guys'n Dolls and many more took the song to top-10 in various versions and countreis in coming decades.
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