Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Another song from the fantastick Park Hotel album, Volo di notte. Also published as B-side of Conoscerci single. It's a bit complicated with her singles as some were issued in Italy, some in Germany and other countries with different songs and B-sides. Written by Alice herself with Francesco Messina, produced by Messina, arranged by Alice and Messina,  played by Jerry Marotta, Tony Levin, Phil Manzanera and Michele Fedrigotti. When music plays at perfection! Ogni volta che vai in paesi lontani,, ogni volta che torni sai qualcosa di più Every time you go to far away countries, every time you come back you know something more

In 2014 Alice was ready to make an unexpected return to Sanremo with a song written once again by Franco Battiato and Manlio Sgalambro titled Veleni. But artistic director Fabio Fazio didn't accept it so it ended up highlighting her 2014 album Weekend instead. This would have been her fourth Sanremo participation.... L'avidità, l'odio, la rabbia, l'ignoranza La confusione, l'attaccamento, la gelosia Il possesso, la follia, il rancore Sono veleni, veleni Greed, hatred, anger, ignorance Confusion, attachment, jealousy Possession, madness, resentment They are poisons, poisons

Anin a gris is an award winning song with lyrics written by Maria Di Gleria in Friulian language, and music composed by Marco Liverani. The song is taken from her 1989 Il sole nella pioggia album.  For me this has always been a personla favorite and Friulian sounds very intriguing and beautiful. It's a language spoken by about 600.000 people in northeastern Friulu region in Italy. A nice mixture of Italian, German, Slovenian and Venetian. Anìn a grîs usgnot jenfri erbe e cjere. Anìn a grîs usgnot dongje il Tiliment. Let's go crickets tonight between grass and earth. Let's go crickets tonight near the Tagliamento.

  Un'isola is a single released in 1977 and written by Carla Vistarini and Luigi Lopez  and later included on her second album Cosa resta.... un fiore. It's a typical sing-a-long song of those years and quite catchy and one of my favorites from that album. It was a minor hit back in the day but her greater success was yet to come. Profumano l'aria tiepida I fiori di mandarino Il vento è una strana musica Che mi fa sognare di averti vicino The warm air smells of mandarin flowers The wind is a strange music That makes me dream of having you near

Another gem Alice borrowed from Franco Battiato and made her own the way it is probably better known by her than the master himself. A kind of sequel to Il vento caldo dell'estate Summer on a solitary beach once again has unorthodox structure for a pop song, happens on the beach. Tkane off her award winning Gioielli rubati (1985) album. Alice and Battiato also performed the song as a duet in their 2016 tour and live album with Battiato's original arrangement..  As usual with Alice's releases the single was released in various markets with different styling and cover art and with official singles in different markets and promotional singles as well and no database to find them (or I haven't found) I only hope her soon to be published biography would also include a detailed discography! I'm going here with what images I find.  Mare mare mare voglio annegare portami lontano a naufragare Via via via da queste sponde portami lontano sulle onde A wonderful summer on a sol...

One of my all time Alice songs that has a special place in my heart as after all I consider Rome my second hometown. Taken off her 1983 Falsi allarmi album and written by herself both music and lyrics. It was one of album's four promotional singles. She reworked Notte a roma for the 1987 Elisir album. La notte è magica a Roma unica Le tue mani, stanche di aspettare, mi accarezzano Mi stringo forte a te perché, forse, ti amo Nel vento, ti amo The night is magical in unique Rome Your hands, tired of waiting, caress me I hold you tight because, perhaps, I love you In the wind, I love you

Il vento caldo dell'estate, Alice's first real hit and the first offering of Alice and Franco Battiato collaboration (with Giusto Pio and Francesco Messina) and with a rather revolutionary sound for the time of release in 1980. A real summer hit of 1980 Il vento caldo dell'estate, despite its rather dark lyrics,  has become an evergreen and Alice has re-recorded it twice: For Elisir album in 1987 and for Personal Jukebox in 2000. It's also included in the 2016 Live a Roma album.  The song is the main single off Caponord album, the first of Alice's new era.  Ho chiuso le finestre per non lasciare neanche l'aria entrare qui Nel buio della stanza si ferma la mia vita per te Le mie reazioni non le controllo più quanto mi manchi Il vento caldo dell'estate mi sta portando via La fine la fine la fine I closed the windows so as not to let even the air in here In the darkness of the room my life stops for you I can't control my reactions anymore how much I mis...

  A cosa pensano is another hit from Alice's freshly found success also aboard after Sanremo 1981. Taken off her 1982 album Azimut it was one of album's three big hits along with Messaggio and Chanson egocentrique. The song is written by Alice and Francesco Messina and would reappear in a new version in 2000 in Personal Jukebox album. The lyrics of the song are among the funniest ever recorded by Alice and the song in all is quite jolly and light pop tune. What do they think indeed, writers when they write, shop keepers when they sell, the teachers when they teach.... Something in the air! La vita interiore, i romanzi d´amore è meglio andare tardi a lavorare.  Anche le mamme fanno spesso l´amore ma in silenzio per non farsi sentire The inner life, romance novels it is better to go late to work.  Even mothers often make love but in silence so as not to be heard

In 1985, the year after Alice went to Eurovision song contest with Franco Battiato she recorded the first full album of Battiato's songs, Gioielli rubati or Stolen jewels. All songs were covers of his songs and it went on to win awards and became a commercial success providing some of her most loved songs. Luna indiana certainly isn't a pop hit but an elegant sophisticated song originally released by Battiato in his 1979 album L'Era del cinghiale bianco, his first "pop" album.  Luna indiana, loosely based on Beethoven's Moonlight sonata got new lyrics written by Francesco Messina for Alice and orchestration by Milan's La Scala Opera house. Interestingly Battiato himself apparently has had nothing to do with the album produced by Angelo Carrara with art direction by Messina. Luna indiana was released as a single, as well as Prospettiva Nevski's B-side in various 7" printings in different countries. Lunghe sere per scoprire luce della luna Che il t...

Dammi la mano amore written by Alice herself first appeared in her 1995 Charade album. Her Personal jukebox in 2000 and live album Lungo la strada in 2009 also have it. It was also released as a remix single in 1996. A simple gentle nostalgic love song.  Riportami ai profumi dell'infanzia quando i cicli della vita Vibravano continuamente in me Quando aspettavo che il tramonto ricamasse i suoi segreti nel mio cuore Take me back to the scents of childhood when the cycles of life Vibrated continuously in me When I waited for the sunset to embroider its secrets in my heart The song is also featured in Alice + Franco Battiato's joint live album Live in Roma 2016

Let's continue discovering Alice's fantastic recording career. Visioni was the lead single off her 1989 album Il sole nella pioggia, again written by Juri Camisasca. Camisasca along with Franco Battiato has written some of Alice's most fantastic songs. He started with progressive rock and collaborated with Battiato until 1979 when he entered a Benedictine monastery where he lived as a monk until 1987 when he movd out to an eremitical life at the slopes of Mount Etna. Besides now continuing his singer-songwriter life he also paints icons. And yes, his songs always have that something extra.  E più lontano vai sempre meno conosci / And the further you go the less you know

Incredible but true Alice turns 70 on September 26. Her voice and her beauty haven't changed since she hit it big by winning Sanremo 1981 and doing Eurovision song contest 1984 with late Franco Battiato. Even more incredible is she will publish her biography L'unica via d'uscita é dentro (The only exit is inside) in September as well. Always been so reserved and private it comes as a surprise for sure. But then again, if you stop and think about it it's kind of logical. Her partner in art and life Francesco Messina, who has already written books about Franco Battiato's life among others, is behind the project. But it's a real gift to her fans like me, 40 plus years by her side. I could easily do a 70 songs presentation of her songs as they have provided me my life's soundtrack and her Park Hotel album probably being the album I have listened the most times in my life of any albums by any artist. But that would be a bit too much I suppose so I will just go fo...

We all know Alice has always made anti commercial choices in her career and has made her fans to wait for new releases for years - the new album has been postponed this time already three years but will finally be released this September , recently finally confirmed by herself. As we know there are songs written by Franco Battiato and Tiziano Ferro and songs written by herself, too. In a recent interview with Corriere della sera's Io Donna she tells several interesting points about her life: In 1982 Capital records in the USA offered her to promote Per Elisa worldwide after her success in Italy and Europe with Spanish and English versions, PR tour of three years. She asked herself if that's what she wanted, success, living in a suitcase, no private life? "I hardly managed the life I was leading already so I said no" she tells. "It's not like I want to flaunt it, this is the first time I talk about this. I didn't choose this work for ...

Alice is finishing her tour Lungo la strada and after that will start recording her new album due to be released in October 2011. We know already Franco Battiato has written her a new song but now it is revealed also Tiziano Ferro is included, as well has her long time collaborator Mino Di Martino who has composed a poem by Rimbaund. And of course her self written song again after a long time. She will go on (international?) tour with the album in February-March 2012 While waiting for that you can enjoy this very rare footage from 1997 of Alice with her long time companion Francesco Messina and his project DeVogue , Alice in vocals. Here .

I came acress a very interesting rare interview given by Alice to Gioia magazine in April 2009, and decided to share some bits of it with you. How did she end to Sanremo in 2000? How her musical choices have effected her career (and income)? What is her relationship with Franco Battiato? And feelings? And what happened in 1984? "At a certain point of my life I wanted to liberate me from being a slave to feelings" Alice explains her latest album, Lungo la strada , her first live album in her career that started over 30 years ago, "I'd rather call it pathos. And after listening the recording from this concert in 2006 I could find the same pathos I had with the audience that night. Often the live recordings are rather clinical, but this was different." And whoever hears Alice singing "io ti proteggeró dalle paure e ipocondrie" in Battiato's La cura , whispering like sister-mother-lover must get shivers. A far cry from the elegant lady sitting ...