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 2000 Alice returns to Sanremo . Apparently she didn't quite want to but that way as compromise she managed to release her God is my DJ album in 1999. Juri Camisasca wrote Il giorno dell'indipendenza for her and it became the lead single for her new compilation album My personal jukebox that included also two new songs besides this track and her biggest hits, some of them in new versions. She placed 9th in the competition but the song didn't set the charts on fire, nor the album but she reminded the wide audience she's still around even if she hadn't done any television and promotion for more than a decade already. forse un po' ingenuamente sognavo in un mondo felice senza rendermi conto che troppo amore ferisce Tornerai da me Tornerai da me maybe a little naively I dreamed in a happy world without realizing that too much love hurts You'll come back to me You'll come back to me

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.

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...

  This Sicilian winner of Castrocaro 1987 new talent competition took part in Sanremo newcomers in 1993 with this song that I still love, Non volevo . He placed 6th (behind likes of Laura Pausini and Nek). I always thought he had something common with Battiato, Alice and likes and in fact he ended up working with Juri Camisasca in the 2000's besides writing for theater, films and television. Besides writing the fantastic pop number  Musica for Paolo Meneguzzi in 2007, that scored BIG in Latin America. 

 

  Alice. My all time favorite artist of them all. I came across her in early 80's and never looked back. After Eurovision I started actively collect her old vinyls and also discovered artists she was connected to from Battiato to Giuni Russo, Milva, Camisasca and Rosario Di Bella. My unlimited love for her stays today despite gaps of 14 years between studio albums and albums with sacred music and Italian classics, new versions and all that. She's the soundtrack of my life and Nomadi maybe being The Song, and Park Hotel The Album of my life I never get tired of, after listening to it for 33 years already.... Check out also:

Over the years I have already presented nine albums that have shaped my music taste including ones from Alice, Cyndi Lauper, Mango, Pet Shop Boys, Kate Bush, Madonna, Diana Ross, Jean-Jacques Goldman and Craig David. Time to dust the series! One of the most remarkable ones is no doubt Franco Battiato and his Fisiognomica . This was a #1 album selling over 300.000 within the first  two months of release..... The album, his 15th studio album, came out in 1988 following post-Eurovision pop album Mondi lontanissimi that I already loved, and two operas he had composed and this album has also hints of them as most songs were written the operas in mind but turned out too pop for them, as he has told. Battiato's love for the Arabic music is also present and he even sings in Arabic in Zai saman and in Sicilian in Veni l'autunnu. Included is also Juri Camisasca's (who I adore) Nomani , originally written for late Giuni Russo (who I love), but then recorded by my favorite fe...

  Franco Battiato lives in Milò, a tiny village in the slopes of Etna vulcano and for the second year he organized there a music festival. Being the organizer her invited singers and musicians he likes and admires, and also performed with them. This year the lucky ones invited included Emma (again) and Francesco Gabbani , meaning the maestro has appreciated the monkey business. And indeed, the whole thing is kinda Battiatoesque really somehow.  Also Arisa and Sicilian Carmen Consoli were there, and most of all long time collaborator Juri Camisasca .  Emma happily posted a photo in her social medias with the maestro, as did Gabbani. "... touched by the Maestro"....   PS. Alice ? I hear you asking. She was busy up north presenting her own recital Duit l'è nuie ; singing in Friulian and reading poems from Pasolini among others. As an encore she did Per Elisa, her Sanremo 1981 winning song .... (Alice recorded already back in 1989 Anin a gris , ...

Giuni Russo has nothing to do with Eurovision, I know, but she was one of the most remarkable Italian artists, collaborated with Franco Battiato, did Sanremo and most of all if things went the right way could have been in Eurovision as well. She died six years ago today. She was born as Giuseppa Romeo in a big family in Palermo, Sicily in 1951. Her mother was a natural soprano and opera was part of the daily life in Romeo household, In 1967 she won Castrocaro, the contest for the new talents and got a ticket to Sanremo in 1968. She called herself Giusy Romeo with No amore but the song flopped. Her second single L'onda was more succesful and took her to Festivalbar and even Cantagiro, two important and historic Italian festivals. She then released another single Fumo negli occhi / I primi minut i, both covers of American successes and with that she closes the first chapter of her artistic career. She moved to Milan and met Maria Antonietta Sisini, her partner for the life and care...