Italy at Eurovision, The Disco Years: 1975-1980

Did Italian Entries Acknowledge Disco Music?

It’s Eurovision week (and Angelica just presented her personal top 10—unranked— on The Guardian). In the 1970s, Eurovision did indeed flirt with the genre. In 1974, ABBA created a proto-disco sound with “Waterloo.” In 1977, the likes of Mia Martini with “Libera,” Silver Convention with “Telegram,” Anne-Marie B. with “Frère Jacques,” and Dream Express with “A Million in One Two Three” nodded to the dancefloor. In 1978, Izhar Cohen offered a Levantine disco anthem with “A-Ba-Ni-Bi,” Baccara veered into disco-schlager territory with “Parlez-vous Français?” while Ireen Sheer combined disco and cabaret with “Feuer.” In 1979, we witnessed disco-schlager again with Dschinghis Khan’s eponymous song.

So what about Italy? Disco aside, if we examine the Italian entries, we see both proto-disco, early Italo-schlager, and the first nods to what would become the sound of the future, via the use of electronics and synths.

Era – Wess & Dori Ghezzi (1975)

In 1972, Wess, the bassist of Rocky Roberts’ Airedales, chose to partner with singer Dori Ghezzi for an Italian-language cover of “United We Stand,” which became “Voglio stare con te.” They became a commercially successful duo for the entire decade and also appeared at the 1975 Eurovision Song Contest. On that occasion, they performed “Era,” a soul (and, honestly, proto-disco-inflected) ballad composed by British-Italian singer-songwriter and arranger Shel Shapiro. In it, both singers describe both sides of a relationship (with each other, in-universe), comparing their current situation to the earlier stages of courtship and falling in love. It both stood out and was safe enough for them to finish third.

We’ll Live It All Again – Al Bano & Romina Power (1976)

For the first time in its own Eurovision run, Italy appeared onstage with a non-Italian-language song. “We’ll Live It All Again” by real-life couple Al Bano and Romina Power features the former singing in Italian, the latter in English. Even though Power was just 24 in 1976, in the lyrics, she reminisces with a longtime lover on the good times past, with the promise to live it all again. The melody bears an uncanny resemblance to Frank and Nancy Sinatra’s version of “Something Stupid.” It ended up placing 7th.

Libera – Mia Martini (1977)

Mia Martini is Italy’s most notable torch singer, with disillusioned yet human, all-too-human songs such as “Minuetto,” “Gli uomini non cambiano,” “Almeno tu nell’universo,” and “Piccolo uomo” being her best-known entries among the larger public.
In 1977, following a prolific collaboration with Charles Aznavour, she was chosen to represent Italy at Eurovision with “Libera.” An ode to freedom and self-determination, Libera started off as a ballad, similar to gospel music, but was revamped into a disco-inflected track ahead of the contest. Martini was, reportedly, not thrilled about the dancefloor-friendly arrangement. It finished in 13th place.

Questo amore – Ricchi e Poveri (1978)

In 1978, Ricchi e Poveri represented Italy at the 23rd Eurovision Contest. What starts off as a mellow meditation on love flourishes with vocal harmonies and other feats of virtuosity. This marks one of the first international appearances of this group, who was set to become one of the most notable 1980s hitmakers thanks to the likes of “Sarà perché ti amo,” “Mamma Maria,” and “Voulez-vous danser,” and whose fame lives on thanks to a recent hit, 2024’s “Ma non tutta la vita,” and the never-ending TikTok montages set to their megahit “Sarà perché ti amo.” This song placed 12th.

Raggio di luna – Matia Bazar (1979)

Matia Bazar is best known for creating what we previously described as future nostalgia, thanks to its combination of operatic vocals and an overabundance of synths and other electronic instruments. If you want to catch a snapshot of them between their standard 1970s fare and their futuristic sound, however, look no further than “Raggio di luna,” which feels like a throwback to the 1950s coupled with the aesthetics of The Jetsons. Ruggiero’s ethereal vocalizing gives it a cosmic feel to a song that, even without those glimmers of futurism, felt too experimental for the then middle-of-the-road Eurovision crowd. It ended up placing 15th, toward the bottom of the chart.

Non so che darei – Alan Sorrenti (1980)

Pan-European Welsh-Italian star Alan Sorrenti scored continent-wide commercial success with the album “Figli delle stelle,” which marked his transition from prog rock to disco music, and its follow-up L.A. & N.Y., which saw the collaboration of composer and guitarist Jay Graydon and those who would later form Toto. He represented Italy with Non so che darei, a heartrending (and groveling) ballad where the protagonist declares he would do anything for love and to win his beloved back. While it only placed sixth, it ended up being another continent-wide success.