Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

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. In 1970 Rai decided to skip the Sanremo connection for the first time used Canzonissima to choose its entrant for Sanremo. Gianni Morandi (76), winner of Canzonissima 1965, 1968 and 1969 went to Eurovision with Occhi di ragazza (Girl's eyes) but managed only 8th out of 12 - the year after 1969's fiasco when several countries boycotted demanding a rule change.  Sanremo 1970 was won instead by Adriano Celentano with Claudia Mori and Chi non lavora non fa l'amore . Claudia's version .  Morandi is one of the Big names in in the Italian music scene since his debut. Over 30 studio albums, over a dozen movies, countless tv-productions including Sanremo 2011-12 and transforming from a teenage heartthrob to a ideal son-in-law an...

  OMG, Ricchi e Poveri will reunite as a quartet for the first time since 1981 to celebrate their La prima cosa bella from 1970 in Sanremo 2020. As some of the readers might remember Ricchi e Poveri is the reason I started learning Italian, and that led me to living in Italy later and all things Italian. I am beyong excited! Ricchi e Poveri was formed in Genoa in 1967 (a very good year, btw) by Franco Gatti, Angela Brambati, Angelo Sotgiu and Marina Occhiena. The beforementioned La prima cosa bella was their first real success, placing 2nd in Sanremo. The year after another success and 2nd place with Che sarà , and in 1981 international megasuccess with Sará perche ti amo that only placed 5th though. They finally win in 1985 with Se m'innamoro . They have done 12 Sanremos in total between 1970 and 1992. Oh, and one Eurovision in 1978 with Questo amore .  Marina is forced out of the group by Angela in 1981 just before Sanremo, not without a proper fight and a l...

Eurovision song contest 2013 in Malmö seems to be in trouble with several countries withdrawing for various reasons: financial for Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Portugal, other reasons for Poland, Slovakia, Morocco, Monaco. Turkey drops out for not agreeing with the rules or some nonsense like that while Czech Republic just isn't interested. Another 24 hours to know the decisions of Greece, Slovenia and maybe Bulgaria. So it seems there will be 35-39 countries in Malmö 2013 instead of 42 in Baku 2012. That may look like a big drop but it's still far from the drop in 1970... In 1970 only 12 countries took part instead of 16 the year before. Finland, Sweden, Norway, Portugal and Austria protested the rules after four countries ended up sharing the victory in 1969 in Madrid.  Different times, you say. Indeed. But still that was 25% drop to previous year, and transferred to our days that would mean 10-11 countries less than in 2012 to be in the sa...

Italian musical genius Lucio Dalla has died today in Switzerland. An unexpected stroke took him away. Just last month he did a come back to Sanremo where he performed with Pierdavide Carone in Nani , a song he also wrote and conducted the orchestra in. His first album came out in 1966 and the latest, his 40th in 2010. If you don't know who he is just listen to Caruso . He wrote it and originally sung it. Later it has been covered by most everyone from Luciano Pavarotti to Anna Oxa , Florent Pagny , Lara Fabian , and Il Divo . His other wellknown hits include Attenti al lupo , 4 Marzo 1943 ,  L'anno che verrá and   Canzone .  He also wrote the Italian Eurovision entry Occhi di ragazza in 1970 for Gianni Morandi. He had just started a tour and gave a concerts in Luzern and Zurich before last night's Montreaux. The tour was to continue to more dates in Switzerland, then to Germany, France and Luxembourg.

Katja Ebstein (66) holds a record in the Eurovision history no one is very likely to break anytime soon: she has been in top-3 three times never winning! Now think about that! I'd be rather mad. Her first two attemps in 1970 and 1971 placed her third, and her final one in 1980 made her runner up behind Johnny Logan. Some 30 albums later, work in theater and TV, musicals, cabaret, books, politics and more she is still around even doing Let's dance in 2007. Her latest album Witkiewicz is from 2005 and includes a new version of Wunder gibt es immer wieder .Several compilation albums have been released since. 1970 Wunder gibt es immer wieder (3rd) 1971 Diese Welt (3rd) 1980 Theater (2nd)

The fans in Italy are seeing signs in the air as next Tuesday one of the remaining acts in Italian X Factor Kymera will perform Gianni Morandi's Eurovision entry Occhi di ragazza , Eurovision winner ABBA's Winner takes it all and previously unreleased song Atlantide by Eurovision entrant Enrico Ruggeri. Only a coincidence or are they hinting something? Also, Sanremo 2011 host Gianni Morandi will be the guest of the show...  Kymera are Davide and Simone, a real life gay couple since 2004 who have previously sung Frozen , Polvere , Shock the monkey , and Maria . Undoubtly a very interesting act that might cook up something very sclassy and uitable for Eurovision stage.... But there are still three other acts in the game and Italy's return to Eurovision is not have been confirmed yet officially.

Gianni Morandi has been confirmed to be the host of Sanremo 2011 together with Belen Rodriguez and Elisabetta Canalis, the former an Argentinian showgirl and model, the latter a Sardinian model and actress and George Clooney's current girlfiriend. Along with the trio comics Luca and Paolo from Le Iene ItaliaUno's satire show. Gianni Morandi represanted Italy in the Eurovision 1970 with Occhi di ragazza and won Sanremo 1987 with Umberto Tozzi and Enrico Ruggeri with Si puó dare di piú . Hel also came 2nd in 1995 and 3rd in 2000.

The rumour game of who is going to host the 61st Sanremo festival next spring has started full force in Italy. This is one of the main differences with Sanremo and Eurovision: in Eurovision the hosts don't have much space but in Sanremo everything happens around them and they are the show. One can discuss why they still bother having some songs in between but.... Ok, seriously. Sometimes the festival has moved on smoothly and sometimes you have even managed to hear as many as five songs in an hour but... Two Eurovision stars are at the moment considered as main contenders to be the hosts; Gianni Morandi and Massimo Ranieri. Together or separately, and undoubtly with some pretty lady or two. Whether the season is succesful is mainly blamed on the presenter(s), not the songs. Last year Antonella Clerici triumphed but wisely she has said "no" for a bis. Clever lady. Gianni Morandi di Eurovision in 1970 with Occhi di ragazza (8th) and Massimo Ranieri in 1971 with L'amo...

Gianni Morandi wraps up 45 years of career with this 3-CD with his biggest hits all remastered, many duets and some new tracks. All is included from his Eurovision 1970 entry Occhi di ragazza to Si puó dare di piú , Sanremo 1987 winner with Umberto Tozzi and Enrico Ruggeri, from In amore with Barbara Cola, Sanremo 1995 runner up to Fatti mandare dalla mamma and C'era un ragazzo come me che amava i Beatles e i Rolling Stones

15th Eurovision took place in Amsterdam on March 21, 1970 and won its biggest crisis ever. Only 12 countries took part when Finland, Sweden, Norway, Portugal and Austria stayed home to protest the voting the year before. Changes were made and there was never going to be joint winner again (the rule has been needed only once since: 1991). The night was rather revolutionary in many ways: for the first time there was a real moving elements on stage, the lightshow was something never seen before and there was an opening sequence that by now is already traditional. Also the postcards to present the entries were used for the very first time. Most of the singers were surprisingly big names (or big names to come): Mary Hopkins, Gianni Morandi, Guy Bonnet, Katja Epstein and certain Julio Iglesias.... but it was 17-year-old fresh and sweet Dana from Ireland who scored their first win. She went on to succesful career in music first and then in politics.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpPei22aG...