Top 20 greatest hits of Italian music
Among the world’s Romance languages, Italian is one of the best known; therefore, finding nice words in a song is not very difficult when it comes to this language. Over time, great musical successes have been created in Italian, so famous that they have had to be translated for the enjoyment of the whole world.
Italian is one of the most romantic languages that exist, therefore it is not very difficult to find beautiful songs to dedicate or to take a karaoke microphone and sing at the top of your lungs the most famous melodies coming from Italy.
If you don’t know where to start, here you will find 20 famous songs that you will surely want to learn, not only to know more about Italian music, but also to surprise everyone with your musical knowledge.
1. Live per lei (GOLD)
Known in the Spanish-speaking world as “I live for her”, this is the Italian song that has been translated into other languages the most times. Performed for the first time in 1995 by the group ORO, this song became popular when performed by the duo of Andrea Bocelli and Hélène Ségara in 1997.
2. O sole mio (Capurro and Di Capua)
When talking about famous Italian singers, Luciano Pavarotti is one of the most quickly mentioned. And, if you search among the best-known Italian songs around the world, O sole mio will be among the first.
This Neapolitan song was written by Giovanni Capurro in 1898 and its melody was devised by Eduardo di Capua, however, among all the tenors who have interpreted this song, apart from Enrico Caruso, Pavarotti is the most recognized voice for this interpretation.
3. Bella Ciao
Created in the 1800s and popularized during World War II by being used as a resistance anthem, you might think that “Bella Ciao” would be little known today. However, when used in Netflix’s “The paper house” , this song became sung by young people and adults, leaving the Italian corners to become a worldwide success.
4. Laura non c’è (Nek)
Many do not know that “Laura no está” is really an Italian song, but it is and it was published in 1997. Among the repertoire of romantic Italian music, this song about a love that cannot be forgotten has been sung since its inception. appearance to this day.
5. I love you (Umberto Tozzi)
If we talk about Italian singers of the 80s, it is necessary to mention Umberto Tozzi, because at the end of the 70s he managed to achieve success and reached the top a few years later, all thanks to the song “Ti Amo” that came out of Italy to take over. from all over the world and become a hymn to romance for generations.
6. L’italiano (Toto Cutugno)
The essence of Italian music has been captured in just one song and this is Cutugno’s “L’italiano”. Since it saw the light at the San Remo Festival in 1983, the song has managed to reach the whole world, bringing the wonders of Italy to every corner.
7. Sew Life (Eros Ramazzotti and Tina Turner)
Among the traditional Italian songs is “Cosa della vita”, a hit that we have all sung at some point. Composed in 1993 and brought to stardom by Tina Turner and Eros Ramazzoti, this song has remained in popular culture to this day.
8. Più beautiful thing (Eros Ramazzotti)
Considered the best Italian artist of his generation , Eros Ramazotti managed to qualify on this list with another intergenerational classic: “La cosa más bella”, a love song from the pop genre dedicated to his then-partner.
9. Il mondo (Jimmy Fontana)
Probably the father of Italian music of the 60’s is Jimmy Fontana, who kept his creations relevant for decades. “Il mondo” was one of his most successful songs, translated into many languages and performed by various artists.
10. My story tra le dita (Gianluca Grignani)
You can meet her with this title or under the name “My story between your fingers” and, no matter which one you have heard, the romantic notes will cause the same emotion. The impressive thing about this great success is that it was part of a debut album.
11. Senza una donna (Zucchero)
3 million copies sold , top 10 on the singles charts in at least 4 countries and recorded in 2 languages, “Senza una donna” really is a hit that put Italian music on the map in the 90s.
12. The solitude (Laura Pausini)
Probably the best-known Italian singer in the world, Pausini managed to create an anthem that played throughout the 1990s and continues to play every year since. Sung in Italian and Spanish, “La solitudine” is an ode to love and heartbreak simultaneously.
13. Volare (Domenico Modugno)
This truly is an Italian classic, as it has remained relevant since its first performance in the 1950s. The song has won multiple Grammy Awards and is today recognized as an extraordinary piece of music.
14. Parole Parole (Mina and Alberto Lupo)
“Words, words” is how the name of this song is translated, which has been covered in 12 languages. This title is quite convenient, considering that it is a dialogue between the two singers in which they deal with lies, compliments and love.
15. Felicita (Albano and Romina)
Created in the year 1982, this song needed only months to sell millions of copies all over the world. It is the best-known song of this duo and, to reach the Spanish-speaking public, it was versioned in Spanish.
16. Arrivederci Roma (Claudio Villa)
Composed for the movie “Arrivederci Roma” in 1957, this song has been translated into several languages and each version has achieved great success that has lasted for decades. Probably the best known interpretation is that of Claudio Villa.
17. The heart is one zingaro (Nicola di Bari)
Performed by various artists over time, this 1971 song managed to win the Sanremo Music Festival in its twenty-first edition. Due to her international fame, you may know her as “The Gypsy in You”.
18. Sara perche ti amo (Ricchi and Poveri)
Is “It will be because I love you” by Thalía a song that sounds familiar to you? Well, this is the Spanish version of the original, an Italian song from 1981 awarded fifth place at the San Remo Song Festival in its thirty-first edition.
19. Tu vuò fa l’americano (Renato Carosone)
Immigration has always existed, however, at the beginning of the 20th century, a large number of Italians were chasing the “American dream” and this wave was what inspired this song. A composition that has been used in different soundtracks of famous movies.
20. I’ll leave with you (Andrea Bocelli)
Presented for the first time at the San Remo Festival, this song failed to win. However, the victory was achieved by becoming a worldwide success that has remained until today.
Italian music is very diverse and has many works of art, however, it could be said that, if you want to get to know the country’s music scene, these are the most emblematic and beautiful songs in this language.
