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)