Top 10 Italian Songs of all Time
We run down our top 10 Italian songs for you to add to your playlists — from Italy, with love.
Whether you’re broadening your musical horizons or trying to cement your grasp of the language, great Italian pop songs are thankfully in abundance.
In no particular order, we run down Italics Magazine’s top 10 Italian songs:
Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Volare) – Domenico Mondugno, 1958
Easily among the most iconic Italian songs ever made, the languid tempo and easy vocals of Domenic Mondugno feels like walking down a cobblestone viale, arm-in-arm with your amore on a warm summer night. Such is its enduring popularity, it’s been covered by the likes of Dean Martin, the Gipsy Kings, and even David Bowie over the years.
‘O sole mio – Giovanni Capurro, Eduardo di Capua, and Alfredo Mazzucchi, 1898
The oldest song on the list at 125 years old, the Neapolitan ballad captures the romance of young, care-free love in the way only Italians can. Much like Volare, it has also been extensively covered, seeing versions in English by Bing Crosby and John Schneider.
Gloria – Umberto Tozzi, 1979
The longing call of “Gloriaaaa” by Umberto Tozzi was an effective hook to make this dance track a hit in the summer of ’79. It is probably better known to English-speaking audiences from the cover by Laura Branigan in 1982, reinventing it and singing it as a character study of Gloria herself.
Tu vuò fà l’americano – Renato Carosone, 1956
Another Neapolitan contribution to the list – Renato Carosone wrote the satirical song in post-war Italy, about an Italian who adopts American mannerisms (drinking whisky and soda, dancing to rock n’ roll, playing baseball) but remains dependent on his parents for money. It was effectively featured in The Talented Mr Ripley, and most recently exploded in popularity thanks to being sampled in 2010 by Yolanda Be Cool in the dance song We No Speak Americano. Read More…
